I did a lot of research in the form of reading shoot-out review's and forum lurking over the mat and record weight upgrade for my technics direct drive table and ended up with a 5mm funk firm achromat and an oyaide stb-msx record weight. Both have made a significant improvement to my table and I'm quite happy with the results and don't feel I need to upgrade anything. If I remember correctly, for steel platters, using a record weight is more effective than a clamp. If the platter is made of glass or acrylic (rega or project) using a clamp is more effective as it doesn't add unnecessary weight which may cause smearing.
This is of course based on the findings of others that have tried it and not my first-hand experience. In my case, the achromat provided a bigger 'upgrade' compared to using the stock technics rubber mat. The oyaide record weight was a more subtle change, but a pleasant one and it looks great and makes my table look the business.
This is of course based on the findings of others that have tried it and not my first-hand experience. In my case, the achromat provided a bigger 'upgrade' compared to using the stock technics rubber mat. The oyaide record weight was a more subtle change, but a pleasant one and it looks great and makes my table look the business.