Upgrade mat or platter on pro-ject debut carbon?

I put a Herbies Way Excellent II mat on my old Thorens TD 160 and it was a total game changer. I let a friend borrow it and he bought one also. Herbies makes different mats for different turntables and it's important to choose the right type, thickness, etc...

I would try a Herbies Mat. I put one on my old Music Hall and it was transformative. OTOH, it sucked on my Linn. Herbies offers money back, so there's minimal risk. The only thing is - the mat is tacky, so you can't pull the record off while it's spinning, that may or may not be a big deal for you. Good luck.

Where I live, static is always a problem especially during the winter months. I agree, the felt mat that Pro-ject supplies is pretty useless often doing more harm than good.

I really like cork mats for keeping both static and dust down. I recently tried one of these on one my tables and have been impressed with it. Very attractively priced too.

http://www.needledoctor.com/Simple-Mat-Record-Mat

Good luck!

I see where folks are selling acrylic mats for a fraction of the cost of the acrylic platter...will this serve the same purpose with the stock platter?

Upgrade to the acrylic platter. It's worth the money.