VPI felt mat vs aftermarket
I’ve been contemplating getting a mat for my VPI Classic. Mainly to avoid slippage when used without center weight and to avoid static in winter.
VPI now offers a very basic felt mat with their logo. It is cheap and looks nice. Has anyone had experience with that mat on their VPI classic platter? Another option I’m considering is going straight to Auditorium 23 Turntable Mat.
Thanks for all good advice. Worth noting that my VPI Classic Companion comes with gimbal tonearm so stability is not an issue as with their unipoint arms. I use HRX weight, not clamp, for ease of use. @drrsutliff never heard of this Origin Live mat but appears to get good reviews did you have any issues with it sticking to the record? Another mat that I came across with good reviews is Soundeck PM
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@dmk_hifi no I have not had any issues with the mats sticking to records and I frequently change records without stopping the platter. I also use a second OL mat on my Origin Live Sovereign mk3 TT. |
To mat or not to mat. After a lot of experimenting I settled on the Origin Live on both my VPI HW-40 and my SL1200GAE although on the latter it is a two layer affair with a plastic disc first and then the Origin on top. That is because of a limitation of the arm adjustment on the Technics and I need some extra height. An old record would work just as well, but the plastic disc is cheap and readily available from places like Amazon. On my old VPI HW-19 MkIII, though I still use nothing, as in no mat at all. For record clamps I use the VPI weight on the Technics, a Stillpoint on the HW-40, and the old screw down clamp on the HW-19. Truth be told nothing works better than my old KAB clamp with a rubber washer, but I foolishly gave it away. |
Thanks everyone for your feedback, I'm going to try VPI felt mat to start. Worst case, I'll use it as a dust cover :) @tablejockey , I tried using VPIs stainless steel screw down clamp with rubber gasket, but I don't find it performing any better than HRX weight with warped records. Most of my warped records are warped around the outer perimeter, and clamp does nothing to flatten the outer edge. For other records, HRX is just as good in keeping center section flat to the platter, without the extra effort. However, I'm also not ready to pay $1k for a perimeter ring, and for 45rpm it's not worth the effort. |
