New turntable mat

[Clarkey_71]

I've had my turntable 20 odd years and have never replaced the felt mat.

I've never given it too much thought, but is it the sort of thing that does need replacing after a while?

If so, what should I look for?

Should it be a Linn product or are there other products to consider?

Cheers.

 

[Waxy]

Good question!

i bought a new turntable recently which shipped with 3 different mats: 1 cork/nitrile, 1 foam & 1 neoprene. I've only tried the first 2 and have noticed a bigger, boomer bass sound with the foam vs the cork. The other mat acts as a dust cover at the mo...

 

[ifor]

I replaced my felt mat, on the Manticore Mantra, with an Acrimat from Inspire HiFi. I'm very pleased I did. It hugely reduced static.

 

[Al ears]

Very much a difficult question to answer. I would not go out and spend a fortune on one that is for sure. Some of the simpler types such as the Acrimat or indeed the Origin Live mat should suffice. Personallly I never got on with felt mats. Cork, rubber , or even none at all seem to offer their own benefits.

 

[bigfish786]

i've just been to The Range, and while there saw some sheets of foam, approx 2mm thick, around 13" X 20" for 50p.

five mins of measuring and cutting, now i have a new bright yellow mat. i've placed it under the original rubber mat. bargain.

 

[Lost Angeles]

i've just been to The Range, and while there saw some sheets of foam, approx 2mm thick, around 13" X 20" for 50p.

five mins of measuring and cutting, now i have a new bright yellow mat. i've placed it under the original rubber mat. bargain.

Will that affect the VTA. No please don't go there :wall:

 

[Al ears]

i've just been to The Range, and while there saw some sheets of foam, approx 2mm thick, around 13" X 20" for 50p.

five mins of measuring and cutting, now i have a new bright yellow mat. i've placed it under the original rubber mat. bargain.

Will that affect the VTA. No please don't go there :wall:

Nothing an avid Linn owner can't suss...

 

[bigfish786]

I first tried my 50p foam mat underneath the rubber mat, then on top of it.

My preference is on top, the vinyl seems to sit better on it. One particular record has a bit of a warp in it, but sat on the foam it has almost flattened out.

 

[Clarkey_71]

All,

Cheers for your comments. Very helpful and much appreciated.

 

[nopiano]

My Linn felt mat was well over 20 years old when I sold my deck, and felt does not deteriorate per se. However, unless you are scrupulously clean, or if you play a lots of discs and some are dusty, you might feel that a spanking new one would be less likely to transfer dust or even slightly scratch new LPs.

Tweaking the sound with other materials and/or thicknesses is the road to madness, but you might try something on a 'sale or return' basis for fun. What you choose may depend on whether you leave it running when you change sides.

I've even got the original rubber Linn mat somewhere (safely in an LP sleeve I cannot find!) but they quickly decided felt was better. You see some shocking examples on ebay, with mats that appear to have shrunk, and worse!