Turntable Mats for Technics Grand Class, "G" Series

Ditto to what mofi said about graphite mats. You’d have to make a deliberate effort by squeezing the mat and LP together and then twisting one against the other, clockwise then counter clockwise in order to do any such damage, if even then, the surface of the graphite is quite smooth. So smooth that you may want to use a weight or clamp to prevent the LP from slipping due to stylus drag.

I don't disagree with anything you wrote about the desired function of a mat, but my question was why does the mat have to be glued to the platter?  The glue itself forms a boundary between the mat and the platter, which may or may not reflect energy back into the mat. Further, if as you suggest, the mat is damping the platter, that is all the more reason for not having any physical boundary, like glue, between the two. So I was just curious why you stipulate that the mat needs to be glued to the platter.

I own or have owned a DP80 and Technics SP10 Mk2, 2a, and 3. What do you find to be so different among the rubber mats supplied with those TTs that would lead you to conclude that the Denon DP80 mat is superior to the Technics mats? I didn't hear much difference among them and replaced all of the OEM rubber mats, ultimately.  What the DP80 does have is that platter that is split so as to isolate bearing noise.  I do think the DP80 outperforms the SP10 Mk2 and 2a, but not the Mk3. A properly functioning DP80 is tremendous bang for buck even compared to any modern TT up to around $5K or maybe even more cost, IMO.

Why does the mat have to be glued to the platter? Seems to me you’re better off with nothing between mat and platter, for best energy transfer. If the mat slips in the absence of glue, I’d consider a record clamp or weight to push the mat down from above. In fact the graphite mats do potentially slip if the platter surface is slick, and I use a clamp.

Three of my 5 turntables sport a Boston Audio Mat, either the 2mm or the 3mm version.  I use the SAEC SS300, on my Victor TT101. I realize there are some theoretical reasons not to use a solid metal mat, but I have been happy with the SAEC, nevertheless.  On my Kenwood L07D, I use a solid copper copy of the original stainless steel "platter sheet", which is Kenwood's term for what the rest of us would call its platter mat. In this case, the copper replacement mat sounds better than the OEM stainless steel one, I am guessing because copper is a better EMI shield than stainless; the L07D is quieter and more mellow with the copper mat.  I had the copper mat custom made for me in the US to match the shape and weight of the original. Apparently, Kenwood did not see a problem using a solid metal mat on their finest turntable.

I like Boston Audio graphite mat on my SP10 mk3. BA don’t make it any more but someone else does. Sakura????