Wakefield Turntables
04-02-2016, 19:20
I make no apologies for spelling or grammatical error. These notes were typed up over three nights.
Garrard Original Platter Mat v Tenuto Gun Metal Platter Mat
------------------------------------------------------------
This review came about due to my on going quest to push my 301 to the limit. I'd heard of the original Tenuto copper mat and then the Gun Metal platter mat
arrived. Costing ~ £280 originally I initially decided to give it a miss but after speaking to several 301 Guru's I decided I'd put a call out and see if I
could snag a 2nd hand example. I'd managed to request an example exactlt ten minutes after my request went live. The Tenuto platter mat weighs ~1.3Kg and slightly speeds up the 301's platter speed by approximate 0.1%, I measured 33.4 rpm when using the mat whilst the Garrard mat added no such effect meaning the platter span at 33.3 rpm. The platter speed was adjusted bewteen mat usage so that the 301's always span at 33.3rpm.
Please study my Signature at the bottom of this post to see my equipment used.
PROGRESSIVE
-----------
Track - First 60 seconds of Gentle Giant (Octopus, Steve Wilson remix 180g) The Advent of Panurge
Track starts will vocals and then quickly becomes quite bass heavy with piano and guitar solo, so a good track to measure the mat's ability to seperate
and define instruments. I heard great definition of each instrument, great seperation, vocals concise and clear. Bass sounded muted in comparison to the Tenuto with extension lacking, treble on the guitar solo wasn't as extended and sounded muddy in comparison to the Tenuto. The tenuto seemed to bring better definition to the leading edge of the piano solo, guitar work had better definition and clarity and a better top end of extension to the notes. The real star was the MASSIVE improvement in the bass department, wonderful wholesome, full, well defined definition to each note, crystal clear with no hint of bloom to the notes. A massive improvement over the stock Garrard mat.
1-0 to the Tenuto mat.
VOCAL JAZZ
----------
Track - Love Walked In (Chris Connor) on the Sessions - Live album by Cal Tjader (Calliope Records CAL 3002)
I've used this track numerous times to assess the ability of a mat to tell me what's in the background of the music! This live track is an extremely intimate
recording and actually records numerous audience nuances happening through the duration of the song typical examples being moving of a chair, the creaking of a floor board. The Garrard mat produced a very central presentation of the vocalist, there was slight simbilance to the voice. All the old nuances that I'm used to occured yet again, this time I managed to pick out a conversation either between the band members or between audience members of the front row. I'd never heard this before and attributed it to maybe the newly refubished 401 bearing I'm using in the Garrard 301 at the moment. The Tenuto mat provided me with the same presentation of the Garrard mat and more. The vocal presentation was slightly more forward and brighter but not in such a way to spoil the performance that I was listening to. I also heard additional details in the background, all the old audience nuances that I'm used to appeared louder and less muffled. The conversation that I heard for the first time reoccured again only this time slightly clearer and surprisingly I heard more of the converstaion approximatelty 10-15 later into the song of which the Garrard mat failed to repliacte.
2-0 to the Tenuto mat
HEAVY METAL
-----------
Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, Iron Maiden, Powerslave, 180g 2015 recut from original analouge tapes
Compared to the original Garrard 301 mat the Tenuto produced additional sparkle to Nicko Mcbrain's cymbal work. I could detect more twang in the guitars and again the instruments seemed to have more space so that you could see into the mix of the record. I heard finer detail in Steve Harris's bass playing, Bruce Dickinson's vocals developed a fuller presentation and I could detect more delay to the echo on his vocals in certain parts of the track. The key moment for me in this track is when the storm section occurs when a wide panormaic rain fall appears suddenly from nowhere in the middle of the soundstage. This moment always gives me piloerection (look it up) and this presentation was the best yet. The Tenuto certainly knows how to open up the mix of a recording and this is no different. Great stuff.
3-0 to the Tenuto mat
TORTURE TRACK
-------------
Track - Lost Not Forgotton, Dream Theater, A Dramatic Turn of Events LP, published on Roadrunner.
I've written up a few reviews of platter mats over the years and the biggest test for me has to be the Dream Theater track "Lost Not Forgotten" from the A Dramatic Turn of Events LP. I always use this track to assess a mat's ability to unravel a complex piece of music. This, to my ears is the most complex piece of prog I own. Sadly, it's too complex and it's very very difficult to follow any one particular instrument. In the past every mat that I have ever owned has failed by quite some margin to unravel this extremely complex piece of prog. Things, like the name of the Dream Theater took a dramatic turn of events!! The Tenuto delievered the presentation of this music that i have ever heard. I listened three times just because I could hear things previously locked away in the grooves of the record. The drums sounded slightly aneamic if I have to be honest and the cymbals sounded slightly "tizzy" but I could follow John Myung's bass all the way through and thisis the key to being able to say that the Tenuto is an improvement over the Garrard mat. Previously the Garrard and every other mat that I've tried could not unlock Myung's bass playing it simply got lost in the mix. Well, tonight this changed and I could with a little concentration easily follow Myung's bass! John Petrucci's guitar could easily be heard and followed. Mike Mangini's drum could be followed, especially the bass drum. The music seemed unlocked and the instruments were allowed more freedom to be heard. The presentation was still far from perfect and sounded slightly clouded, still a little muddled but the Tenuto certainly helped to unlock some of the complexities of this music. I'm still not happy that the full potential of this piece of music has been unlocked.
4-0 to the Tenuto mat
CLASSIC TRACK
-------------
Track - Mars the bringer of War, Gustav Holst (Previn), The Planets, HiQ Supercuts (HiQlp003)
I think that this is the best version of this piece of music that I have ever heard and it forms the backbone to my mat tests. The sheer scale and pomp of this
piece of music is amazing when played through the Tannoys it truly is chest thumping, trousing flapping stuff. Initially the Garrard and Tenuto mat were toe-to-toe and I though that the old dog still had life in it, but something happened which changed all that. The final crescendo was suddenly portrayed in a manner that I'd never it before. I noticed an immediate seperation of the various groups of instruments and I wouldn't say it was like sitting in the audience but I could very easily detect each section of the orchestra in the soundstage but in 3D and going backwards (I hope that makes sense). The old Garrard mat has never been able to do that before. I think has been the greatest demonstration of the mats ability to disect and project individual instruments in the soundstage.
5-0 to the Tenuto mat
Conclusion
----------
I tried numerous platter mats on the 301 (rubber, cork, poron, sorbothane, Resomat, Achromat 5mm, Glass, felt, Astroshock) all had been sent packing by the original 301 platter mat. Sometimes a platter mat would come along and slightly improve over the old mat but after long session of listening to numerous genres of music the old platter usually came out on top. This has not been the case with the Tenuto platter mat as it's bettered the original mat by quite some distance in all genre's. I would hazard a guess and say that it's the mat's superior dampening properties. The Tenuto mat seems to add better definition to bass and piano and it slightly brightens the presentation of music. The soundstage simply appears to have "more to it", feeling "grander" in comparison to the 301's presentation. I would say the biggest improvemet is the bass. The Garrard 301 mat produces decent enough bass but at times it does feel lethargic and ponderous whilst the Tenuto mat enhances the bass no end by producing tight, fast, tuneful bass. Surface noise on the vast majority of recordings seemed reduced, background appeared blacker than the Garrard mat. It's been said that this mat improves further still when it sits on 1mm silicone platter mat this is perhaps an experiment for another day. I really really wanted to hate the Tenuto mat and I wanted the old Garrard mat to still be king of the platter mats but I'm afraid the king is dead, long live the king, hail the Tenuto platter mat. This mat is my new reference mat on the 301.
PROS
----
Significant upgrade to anything I've heard on the 301, kicks the original mat into space.
Greater instrument seperation.
Greater clarity to instruments.
Bass is improved no end from ponderous and lethargic to being tight, energetic and tuneful.
Probably the best soundstage cohesion I've heard yet on the 301.
Blacker backgrounds
A sense of "more" to the soundstage
A massive upgrade for any 301 owner if they can source one.
CONS
----
Original cost £280
Additional weight 1.2kg - might not be any good for TT's with spring suspension or weedy motors
Does alter platter speed by 0.1% some listeners may detect pitch stability issues
Some listeners may not like the slightly raised treble
Enjoy.
Garrard Original Platter Mat v Tenuto Gun Metal Platter Mat
------------------------------------------------------------
This review came about due to my on going quest to push my 301 to the limit. I'd heard of the original Tenuto copper mat and then the Gun Metal platter mat
arrived. Costing ~ £280 originally I initially decided to give it a miss but after speaking to several 301 Guru's I decided I'd put a call out and see if I
could snag a 2nd hand example. I'd managed to request an example exactlt ten minutes after my request went live. The Tenuto platter mat weighs ~1.3Kg and slightly speeds up the 301's platter speed by approximate 0.1%, I measured 33.4 rpm when using the mat whilst the Garrard mat added no such effect meaning the platter span at 33.3 rpm. The platter speed was adjusted bewteen mat usage so that the 301's always span at 33.3rpm.
Please study my Signature at the bottom of this post to see my equipment used.
PROGRESSIVE
-----------
Track - First 60 seconds of Gentle Giant (Octopus, Steve Wilson remix 180g) The Advent of Panurge
Track starts will vocals and then quickly becomes quite bass heavy with piano and guitar solo, so a good track to measure the mat's ability to seperate
and define instruments. I heard great definition of each instrument, great seperation, vocals concise and clear. Bass sounded muted in comparison to the Tenuto with extension lacking, treble on the guitar solo wasn't as extended and sounded muddy in comparison to the Tenuto. The tenuto seemed to bring better definition to the leading edge of the piano solo, guitar work had better definition and clarity and a better top end of extension to the notes. The real star was the MASSIVE improvement in the bass department, wonderful wholesome, full, well defined definition to each note, crystal clear with no hint of bloom to the notes. A massive improvement over the stock Garrard mat.
1-0 to the Tenuto mat.
VOCAL JAZZ
----------
Track - Love Walked In (Chris Connor) on the Sessions - Live album by Cal Tjader (Calliope Records CAL 3002)
I've used this track numerous times to assess the ability of a mat to tell me what's in the background of the music! This live track is an extremely intimate
recording and actually records numerous audience nuances happening through the duration of the song typical examples being moving of a chair, the creaking of a floor board. The Garrard mat produced a very central presentation of the vocalist, there was slight simbilance to the voice. All the old nuances that I'm used to occured yet again, this time I managed to pick out a conversation either between the band members or between audience members of the front row. I'd never heard this before and attributed it to maybe the newly refubished 401 bearing I'm using in the Garrard 301 at the moment. The Tenuto mat provided me with the same presentation of the Garrard mat and more. The vocal presentation was slightly more forward and brighter but not in such a way to spoil the performance that I was listening to. I also heard additional details in the background, all the old audience nuances that I'm used to appeared louder and less muffled. The conversation that I heard for the first time reoccured again only this time slightly clearer and surprisingly I heard more of the converstaion approximatelty 10-15 later into the song of which the Garrard mat failed to repliacte.
2-0 to the Tenuto mat
HEAVY METAL
-----------
Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, Iron Maiden, Powerslave, 180g 2015 recut from original analouge tapes
Compared to the original Garrard 301 mat the Tenuto produced additional sparkle to Nicko Mcbrain's cymbal work. I could detect more twang in the guitars and again the instruments seemed to have more space so that you could see into the mix of the record. I heard finer detail in Steve Harris's bass playing, Bruce Dickinson's vocals developed a fuller presentation and I could detect more delay to the echo on his vocals in certain parts of the track. The key moment for me in this track is when the storm section occurs when a wide panormaic rain fall appears suddenly from nowhere in the middle of the soundstage. This moment always gives me piloerection (look it up) and this presentation was the best yet. The Tenuto certainly knows how to open up the mix of a recording and this is no different. Great stuff.
3-0 to the Tenuto mat
TORTURE TRACK
-------------
Track - Lost Not Forgotton, Dream Theater, A Dramatic Turn of Events LP, published on Roadrunner.
I've written up a few reviews of platter mats over the years and the biggest test for me has to be the Dream Theater track "Lost Not Forgotten" from the A Dramatic Turn of Events LP. I always use this track to assess a mat's ability to unravel a complex piece of music. This, to my ears is the most complex piece of prog I own. Sadly, it's too complex and it's very very difficult to follow any one particular instrument. In the past every mat that I have ever owned has failed by quite some margin to unravel this extremely complex piece of prog. Things, like the name of the Dream Theater took a dramatic turn of events!! The Tenuto delievered the presentation of this music that i have ever heard. I listened three times just because I could hear things previously locked away in the grooves of the record. The drums sounded slightly aneamic if I have to be honest and the cymbals sounded slightly "tizzy" but I could follow John Myung's bass all the way through and thisis the key to being able to say that the Tenuto is an improvement over the Garrard mat. Previously the Garrard and every other mat that I've tried could not unlock Myung's bass playing it simply got lost in the mix. Well, tonight this changed and I could with a little concentration easily follow Myung's bass! John Petrucci's guitar could easily be heard and followed. Mike Mangini's drum could be followed, especially the bass drum. The music seemed unlocked and the instruments were allowed more freedom to be heard. The presentation was still far from perfect and sounded slightly clouded, still a little muddled but the Tenuto certainly helped to unlock some of the complexities of this music. I'm still not happy that the full potential of this piece of music has been unlocked.
4-0 to the Tenuto mat
CLASSIC TRACK
-------------
Track - Mars the bringer of War, Gustav Holst (Previn), The Planets, HiQ Supercuts (HiQlp003)
I think that this is the best version of this piece of music that I have ever heard and it forms the backbone to my mat tests. The sheer scale and pomp of this
piece of music is amazing when played through the Tannoys it truly is chest thumping, trousing flapping stuff. Initially the Garrard and Tenuto mat were toe-to-toe and I though that the old dog still had life in it, but something happened which changed all that. The final crescendo was suddenly portrayed in a manner that I'd never it before. I noticed an immediate seperation of the various groups of instruments and I wouldn't say it was like sitting in the audience but I could very easily detect each section of the orchestra in the soundstage but in 3D and going backwards (I hope that makes sense). The old Garrard mat has never been able to do that before. I think has been the greatest demonstration of the mats ability to disect and project individual instruments in the soundstage.
5-0 to the Tenuto mat
Conclusion
----------
I tried numerous platter mats on the 301 (rubber, cork, poron, sorbothane, Resomat, Achromat 5mm, Glass, felt, Astroshock) all had been sent packing by the original 301 platter mat. Sometimes a platter mat would come along and slightly improve over the old mat but after long session of listening to numerous genres of music the old platter usually came out on top. This has not been the case with the Tenuto platter mat as it's bettered the original mat by quite some distance in all genre's. I would hazard a guess and say that it's the mat's superior dampening properties. The Tenuto mat seems to add better definition to bass and piano and it slightly brightens the presentation of music. The soundstage simply appears to have "more to it", feeling "grander" in comparison to the 301's presentation. I would say the biggest improvemet is the bass. The Garrard 301 mat produces decent enough bass but at times it does feel lethargic and ponderous whilst the Tenuto mat enhances the bass no end by producing tight, fast, tuneful bass. Surface noise on the vast majority of recordings seemed reduced, background appeared blacker than the Garrard mat. It's been said that this mat improves further still when it sits on 1mm silicone platter mat this is perhaps an experiment for another day. I really really wanted to hate the Tenuto mat and I wanted the old Garrard mat to still be king of the platter mats but I'm afraid the king is dead, long live the king, hail the Tenuto platter mat. This mat is my new reference mat on the 301.
PROS
----
Significant upgrade to anything I've heard on the 301, kicks the original mat into space.
Greater instrument seperation.
Greater clarity to instruments.
Bass is improved no end from ponderous and lethargic to being tight, energetic and tuneful.
Probably the best soundstage cohesion I've heard yet on the 301.
Blacker backgrounds
A sense of "more" to the soundstage
A massive upgrade for any 301 owner if they can source one.
CONS
----
Original cost £280
Additional weight 1.2kg - might not be any good for TT's with spring suspension or weedy motors
Does alter platter speed by 0.1% some listeners may detect pitch stability issues
Some listeners may not like the slightly raised treble
Enjoy.