Technics Sl1210 STD TT Mat - turned upside down?

[Lee Henley]

Has anyone tried turning the std mat upside down on their technics, I read a post on the net somewhere that the guy from KAB USA recommended turning the std mat upside down was the best way to use the mat.

So I tried it for myself and had a noticeable improvement in the stereo image and the bass was much tighter, the treble was a tad brighter but overall i found it better! I also found the soundstage had an improvement and the 3D image was much better.

Ive been using the Herbies mat and must admit to these ears in my system i found the upside down method better, has anyone tried it?

Id like to try an Achromat at some point but have wasted so much money on hifi in the past 12 months would I be wasting more money, I dont suppose anyone in the Midlands has one i could try out, big ask but Im a genuine guy

Cheers

Lee

[prestonchipfryer]

Id like to try an Achromat at some point but have wasted so much money on hifi in the past 12 months would I be wasting more money, I dont suppose anyone in the Midlands has one i could try out, big ask but Im a genuine guy

Cheers

Lee

Go ahead and try the Achromat. Definitely not a waste of money IMO. Works rather well on the Technics.

John :)

[freefallrob]

Another YES to the Achromat, at the price it's all the mat you will ever need.

As a cheap experiment, try a thin (2-3mm) felt mat (Linn/Rega wool) on top of the stock rubber mat, adjust VTA accordingly, see what you think.

[RobbieGong]

Achromat always a popular choice. Mixed responses to most mats on the net and that includes the Achromat. Personally I've never been overly excited by what I've heard from any of the mats I've tried over stock 3.7mm Techie mat in my system and that includes the Achromat 5mm. I found very very little change in sound and prefer sound with stock mat in place. I sold the Achromat on da bay explaining in the auction that I discerned very little change hence the sale. The guy who had it off me emailed to say he too discerned very little / barely any change and asked if i felt it was 'quote' a counterfeit :lol: That said different people and different systems will and can experience different results. At least the Achromat did not suck the life out of the sound like the thin foamy Herbies mat did for me. Unfortunately with mats it's a suck it and see thing which can be costly. Personally I love the stock mat regardless of how basic it is and that it does not fit inside the lip because to my ears non of the costly, fancy, inside the lip alternatives I've tried sound better - but thats' just for me - One has to try for oneself and trust the ears :)

[keiths]

I'm quite keen to try one of Vic's (Trans-Fi) 'Reso-mats', but am a bit worried about it not damping my Lenco's platter sufficiently.

He does offer a 7 day refund though, so I might be tempted to try one anyway.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Crumps, i just bought the 5mm version of the Acromat for my techie i hope I see some difference for the wonga it cost :eek:

[RobbieGong]

Crumps, i just bought the 5mm version of the Acromat for my techie i hope I see some difference for the wonga it cost :eek:

:) That has tickled me Andrew. You may well like it ie: discern more of a change / improvement in sound than I did to warrant keeping it, you have a different system / ears etc. If not do like I did and have done with the other mats I've tried over the years - On da Bay sharpish !! :eyebrows: Unfortunately I've always suffered a fair loss I'm afraid but thats life eh ! ;) Let me know how you get on either here or via pm, curious to know :)

[Darren]

For me it's the same old story with 'tweaks' ( mats, cables, supports, contact enhancers/cleaners, trick connectors etc). The difference they produce is small. Far better to save your money and upgrade your kit. That's where the real differences are to be found.

[MCRU]

I got some mats made, 2 lots actually, one is a 1mm thin sheet of nitrile rubber and the other is a cork/rubber mat 5mm thick. Some mats are over rated IMO. Sonically a mat cannot make a night and day difference unless it's radically different like the Oyaide mat.

The 1mm thick rubber mat works very well under the Oyaide, I have a few spare if anyone wants one for nowt (rubber mat that is NOT the Oyaide)..:)

[MCRU]

For me it's the same old story with 'tweaks' ( mats, cables, supports, contact enhancers/cleaners, trick connectors etc). The difference they produce is small. Far better to save your money and upgrade your kit. That's where the real differences are to be found.

Without knowing you had just posted that I was thinking the very same thing!

[Wakefield Turntables]

:) That has tickled me Andrew. You may well like it ie: discern more of a change / improvement in sound than I did to warrant keeping it, you have a different system / ears etc. If not do like I did and have done with the other mats I've tried over the years - On da Bay sharpish !! :eyebrows: Unfortunately I've always suffered a fair loss I'm afraid but thats life eh ! ;) Let me know how you get on either here or via pm, curious to know :)

Cheers mate! ;) I really didnt buy the mat to make a night and day difference to the sound of my techie. A simply want something that is better than my garrard 301 platter mat. I'll be getting a new Paul Hynes power supply and my new Audio technica AT2000T SUT to start to improve the sonics of my techie :cool: I'll keep you posted if I see any difference with the Acromat.

[RobbieGong]

For me it's the same old story with 'tweaks' ( mats, cables, supports, contact enhancers/cleaners, trick connectors etc). The difference they produce is small. Far better to save your money and upgrade your kit. That's where the real differences are to be found.

To a point Darren, However I'm in no doubt that not just a few here and audiophiles all over have experienced / heard fairly big improvements to their system with things like cartridge change and or speaker cable and even interconnects especially if the system is pretty good in the first place ie: comprised of quality component parts - These things can then bring the best out of that sytem. Some bits can in fact hold a system back sometimes and it's only sometimes after a fairly basic but significant 'upgrade' that you realise the hidden potential in your system / take it to another sonic level - Again, my experience :)

[Darren]

To a point Darren, However I'm in no doubt that not just a few here and audiophiles all over have experienced / heard fairly big improvements to their system with things like cartridge change and or speaker cable and even interconnects especially if the system is pretty good in the first place ie: comprised of quality component parts - These things can then bring the best out of that sytem. Some bits can in fact hold a system back sometimes and it's only sometimes after a fairly basic but significant 'upgrade' that you realise the hidden potential in your system / take it to another sonic level - Again, my experience :)

I accept your experience and I'm happy for you if that's the case.
Just to pick up on a point or two: changing a cartridge is a major kit change to me - not a tweak.
With regard to interconnects I have compared £30 cables to interconnects costing ten times that and was it a big difference? No, not really. They were different but changing the power amp would have been a far larger difference. I guess that's my point really.

[Spectral Morn]

I got some mats made, 2 lots actually, one is a 1mm thin sheet of nitrile rubber and the other is a cork/rubber mat 5mm thick. Some mats are over rated IMO. Sonically a mat cannot make a night and day difference unless it's radically different like the Oyaide mat.

The 1mm thick rubber mat works very well under the Oyaide, I have a few spare if anyone wants one for nowt (rubber mat that is NOT the Oyaide)..:)

Yes please David


Regards D S D L

[RochaCullen]

Hi David,

Do you have any of the cork/rubber mats left? And how much are you asking for those?

Regards,

Nathan


I got some mats made, 2 lots actually, one is a 1mm thin sheet of nitrile rubber and the other is a cork/rubber mat 5mm thick. Some mats are over rated IMO. Sonically a mat cannot make a night and day difference unless it's radically different like the Oyaide mat.

The 1mm thick rubber mat works very well under the Oyaide, I have a few spare if anyone wants one for nowt (rubber mat that is NOT the Oyaide)..:)

[MCRU]

Hi David,

Do you have any of the cork/rubber mats left? And how much are you asking for those?

Regards,

Nathan

HI,
Yes I do have some and they are £19.95 plus postage at cost

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt309/themainsman/OSCAR/3e054e50.jpg

[RochaCullen]

And they are 5mm thick?


HI,
Yes I do have some and they are £19.95 plus postage at cost

[MCRU]

yes mate 5mm thick

[Marco]

Hi Darren,


For me it's the same old story with 'tweaks' ( mats, cables, supports, contact enhancers/cleaners, trick connectors etc). The difference they produce is small. Far better to save your money and upgrade your kit. That's where the real differences are to be found.

Mmmm... I'm not quite sure how I can express just how much I vehemently disagree with that statement! :eek:

But right now, I don't have time to do it justice.

All I will say is that in nearly 30 years of being into high-end hi-fi, experience has always taught me that, given that the equipment in question is decent in the first place, setting it up optimally with properly designed equipment racks, mains and signal cables, having a dedicated electrical spur for your system, etc, if one indeed considers those as "tweaks", all make a HUGE difference to the ability of a system to play music to a sonic standard that I would demand...

For me, the use of high-quality cables and supports are absolutely fundamental. Have you not grasped what the concept of 'The Art of Sound' is about? Basically, it expands on the old adage of 'the devil is in the detail', if you get what I mean.

In fact, I'm on record many times as saying that I'd rather have less expensive kit set-up optimally (adopting the use of all of the above), than more expensive kit, simply plonked on the floor, connected up with crap cables! And I could demonstrate the difference very easily to anyone willing to listen.

As for the Achromat, well, again I couldn't disagree more with Robert, although he's of course entitled to his opinion. The problem is, some people buy mats as a 'quick fix', which they're not. Often there are bigger problems elsewhere with a system that simply mask what the mat in question is intended to do, and/or the user doesn't really know exactly what improvements he or she should be listening for ;)

The stock Techie rubber mat always, without fail, for me kills the music. It's fine for use with Techies in the sonically undemanding environment of your average night club, but IMO, it has no place in a proper hi-fi system. YMMV.

Marco.

[John]

The Reso mat is really good Vic tried a lot of different approaches it will really work well on a lenco

[keiths]

Thanks for the reassurance John. I'm waiting for someone to pay me for an ebay item - once that's happened, I'll get on to Vic and order one.