SOTA NOVA, HR-X VPI, Technics 1200G recommendations?

I had never heard of Dohmann until you mentioned it. Actually, it looks very nice. You can tell it is expensive.

I don’t care what car do you have, but you can’t even remember the names of the turntables and your experience with some unknown direct drive is from the 70s!

Reference direct drive are all from Japan from Denon, Victor, Pioneer, Technics... I assume you neved tried any good Japanese direct drive from those brands, I want to remind you that top models from those brand were extremely expensive in the 70s/80s.

Also Direct Drive are not the same. Drive itself does not have a sound and what you hear is a sound of tonearm/cartridge.

You can recall your cartridges and tonearms maybe? @mijostyn

I'm using cork and rubber now.

so it's worthwhile to get the copper 'Matt' for all direct drives or just sp 10? or can I use carbon Matt? 

Copper mat cost more than your turntable (if you don’t have something special), look at the price for Artisan Fidelity new pure copper mat, it’s $1200.

Micro Seiki CU-180 in Mint condition will cost the same, but it was made 40 years ago in Japan (so it’s rare). 1.8kg is too heavy for some turntables. I’m using CU-180 on Luxman PD-444 and it’s superb mat!

For $250 you can buy graphite mat from Sakura System (latest version of Boston Audio Mat) and it’s great mat too, but without wow factor of Micro Seiki.

SAEC SS-300 Is great vintage mat with much more complicated design than Sakura System “The Mat”. SAEC is amazing mat and it cost $350-550 when condition is like new.


Rubber is worst ever material for the mat, and cork is just like $15 felt mat (it’s really nothing).

Chakster, I have much more important things to do besides remember the names and models of turntables we all dismissed as being Japanese garbage. Actually, now that I think of it I do not own one piece of Japanese equipment not even a cartridge or a car. Guess I have not forgiven them for WW2 yet. To much mysticism in their gear for me. Do you bow down to your turntable every time you turn it on? Might be a good idea. I can understand the Idler wheel guys. There was a day when the British made the absolute best. Someday you will hear the light and get yourself a decent turntable. It will be fun to hear all those antique cartridges for real and not mutilated by magnetic fields:-)