TW Acustic Turntable Mat

Appearance wise, the Zanden bears an uncanny resemblance to the Achromat although the construction is slightly different. The Achromat is only about 50 quid as opposed to $500

(BTW this isn't a plug for the Achromat because I loathe it. I've got a brand new one gathering dust in a cupboard somewhere. If there was any sonic commonality that wouldn't augur well for the Zanden...)

There is no comparison between missile design and a turntable. A missile's ultimate aim is to travel along certain vectors hit the target then explode. It's fairly easy to know whether you've failed or not. :)
Neither is a missile sensitive to the minutest mechanical vibration.
Turntables, indeed any pieces of hifi equipment, are subject to human perception and we could write a book on that subject and still not hit the target. ;)

The variance of a turntable's physical situation coupled with the relative effects of feedback and the variability of ancillaries in combination, not to mention the adjustability of each, means that the mechanical behaviour of the system is far from clear cut. It can vary and may require tuning/optimisation, even though one is buying a series of finished products.
This is the nature of turntables and it has always been this way. Go on any Forum and you will see countless threads aimed at extracting the best from any turntable.
True some manufacturers try to remove uncertainty by incorporating the tonearm and even the cartridge but optimisation of that turntable's situation still applies. I've had variable results with "complete" suspended tables (e.g. Linn) depending on floor construction, what platform was used, how the cables were dressed and what mat was used.
(..and we're not even touching on arm damping or all the regular adjustment parameters.)
Because it is a sensitive mechanical system there is no limit to influences that can affect it so any extra effort is always worthwhile.

I don't own a Raven AC but my understanding is that it was designed to be used with a mat, and an appropriate mat is supplied.
Many turntable designs other than TW-Acustic also incorporate the mat.
Are detractors attacking TW-Acustic or the engineering qualifications of customers who use mats in general?

Hi Ebm....
No offense, the AC mat recommendation was merely the view of my local TW supplier. ;)

The "official" position seems to be Raven AC with mat, and R1 withOUT mat, although, in the beginning, I seem to remember the R1 was supplied with a Millenium Mat until it was rationalised away.

Perversely, I use my R1 with a mat (but not the Millenium because I bought my TT after TW stopped supplying mats) while plenty of folk seem to prefer their AC without one! ;)
Ah well...if it makes us happy.... :)

Functionally, the Zanden has more in common with the Millenium mat (dual layer, hard side-soft side) than it does with the Achromat (hard outer shell, cellular interior)
Kind regards,

You're most welcome Suteetat :)

Downunder...if I had a BN platter I probably wouldn't soil it with a mat either :) ;)

Milimetr...Experimenters place a lot of reliance on the mechanical impedance of vinyl/acryl mats being ideal but that doesn't mean the average listener will even like them. :)
FWIW, my personal preference, the Ringmat, effectively addresses your concerns about platter & LP veneer damage) :
The hybrid Ringmat not only offers good adhesion, grip & platter(rather than vinyl) damping i.e. if required on a metal surface, via the heavy, thin, latex Base Mat but virtually eliminates the risk of vinyl damage due to sharp dust or particulates (e.g. statically charged loose core from the spindle hole drilling) which is another benefit of the Ringmat’s decoupled nature.

Ringmats, whether 330XLR or "Gold Spot", seem to be uniformly successful with any platter – glass, metal, or plastic (although non-ringing split platters like the LP12 are quite happy without any underlay but it might help adhesion) and it renders clamps & weights redundant.

Please note, the Ringmat was intended to be used with the Latex underlay, with or without the remainder of the VTA adjustment system. Most Ringmat owners seem to be using the Ringmat on its own (I know I did once…) and are not getting the full benefit. The Latex Base Mat is comparatively cheap but offers more than an incremental performance increase.
Changes like this are so fundamental to the behaviour of your turntable that 20 quid for a Latex Base Mat could turn out to be money well spent while $500 could be the biggest risk ever undertaken, unless the Distributor is offering a free-trial?