What are the audio differences you hear with turntable Mats.

Interesting. I wonder if an Acrylic mat without the adhesive would be an improvement over the stock 1200g mat

@aberyclark The stock Technics mat is junk IMO/IME. So yes.

@ghdprentice While I agree with your statement, I've found in practice that once you hear a mat that's working right, its pretty obvious.

Here's a tip to know if that's the case: when you set the stylus on the rotating LP, turn the volume all the way down and see if you can hear the stylus in the groove. If the platter pad is doing its job it will be hard to hear; easy to hear if the platter pad is out to lunch.

@aberyclark Yes!

As you might know, acrylic can be different durometer (hardness) values depending on how its made. What you want is the same hardness as vinyl so you get maximum coupling of vibration from the LP to the platter pad without reflections.

The Oracle platter pad is the best one I've seen and we used it our our Atma-Sphere 208 turntables while they were being made (we stopped after the Technics SL1200G was introduced). It must be bonded to the platter to be effective; it has a permanent sticky back for that purpose. So if you use it on something like the Technics SL1200, which has 3 screws holding the platter to the motor, the screws can't be installed otherwise you can't remove the platter!

So you have to think about the installation prior to actually doing it 😉

I recommend doing something besides the platter pad to damp the platter as well. One of the reasons our 208 was so quiet, like the SL1200G, is both platters are damped. This really helps bass impact but makes the mids and highs smoother too.

I never heard a difference in mats with a Rega TT, either a P3 or P8.

@drbond 

You really have to do the audition against a decent platter pad. If all the ones you used were so much junk you probably would not have heard a difference. Those machines are fine for hearing the difference.

@danmar123 If that was my machine I'd have an arm board machined of solid aluminum, same thickness and alloy as the plinth.

@danmar123 It might be, particularly if the entire plinth is Corion and there isn't a separate arm board. It would be even better if the whole thing were laminated to a substantial aluminum or steel sub-plate so the two dissimilar materials could rob energy from each other. The metal sub-plate would also give the Corian some stability, something it lacks on its own.

@danmar123 If the arm board is made to be non-resonant and so is less resonant then the plinth, the two will not vibrate the same way (of course, ideally both should be inert). This will allow vibration in either to be more easily transduced.

Now if I can find a suitable tone arm base material, I'd be a happier camper.

@danmar123 It should be the same material as the plinth that supports the platter bearing. It should also be as rigidly coupled to that plinth, to the base of the platter bearing, as possible. This will reduce coloration; the idea is that if there is vibration, the platter bearing and the base of the arm are moving in the same plane so as to reduce the arm's ability to pick up that vibration.

Atmasphere’s explanation makes perfect sense, and that’s where I’d begin if I were a beginner. But with his hypothesis as a model there is still wiggle room.

@lewm Its theory, not hypothesis... 😁

What audio differences can one expect with different mats? Felt, rubber and acrylic.

@joscow The platter pad has two jobs: damp resonance in the LP when its being played and damp the platter as much as possible. When damping the LP, it must not reflect energy back. To this end, it has to have the same durometer (hardness) as the LP. If softer or harder, the platter pad will have a ’signature’; some will be bright and others dull and the bass is affected as well.

An easy way to tell how effective your platter pad works is to play an LP with the volume down and just listen to the stylus in the groove. If its audible that’s bad. It should be really quiet. When you can hear it, that’s the LP resonating a bit- in essence, ’talking back’ to the cartridge.

You’ll find that damping the platter has a nice effect on the presentation as well- better bass, smoother and more resolved mids and highs.

Felt, rubber and bare metal don’t cut it. The best commercial mat I’ve seen so far is made by Oracle. Its acrylic; acrylic can be made to match the hardness of vinyl.