New mat recommendation for Heybrook TT2

[Svend N]

I've been testing a few mats for my TT2 recently, and so far have found that a cheap cork one bought off Amazon sounds the best (I just posted a little review of that in the TT2 Info Thread in Past Masters). I've pretty much ruled out the felt mats as sounding significantly inferior to cork and leather. But I read many good things on the wider web about some of the more expensive mats -- Herbie's and Ringmat in particular, seem to stand out as being consistently recommended.

Does anyone have any experience with these, or any other mats for that matter which would suit a suspended deck like the TT2? I've read through a few threads here re. Tenuto and other mats, but they seem mostly in the context of direct drive decks or unsuspended belt drive units. I haven't read much, if anything, here from someone with, say, a Linn, Heybrook, or similar.

I'm curious to know if it's worth spending a bit extra to get a Ringmat or Hebie's. The Ringmat seems like nothing more than stiff paper with cork rings, and hence seems a bit spendy for what you get...besides, I already have a cork mat. Herbies is silicone foam, and that does seem like a sensible option for an aluminum platter deck like the TT2.

Any thoughts, suggestions and recommendations most welcome! Many thanks in advance.

Best,
Svend

[hifi_dave]

Funk have a couple of mats which work very well with every TT I have used them with.

[Svend N]

Funk have a couple of mats which work very well with every TT I have used them with.

Thanks Dave. Is that the Achromat? As far as I can tell from the description, it seems to be made of a hard acrylic...is this correct? Do you think it will work better on the TT2, than, say, a cork or silicone foam one? Appears a bit counter-intuitive that hard and rigid would absorb vibration better than softer material like cork or foam. The proof is in the listening, though.... And those mats get a lot of good reviews it seems.

[hifi_dave]

That's the one - Achromat. I believe it is some sort of hard foam. I have used it on many turntables and found it rather good. It is clean and open balanced and not soft and warm as some are.

[Svend N]

Cheers Dave -- I'll check into that one. It's rather pricey here at C$150...almost as much as I paid for the TT2. It'd better be darn good for that price :)

Any experience with the Ringmat, Herbie's or any others? Origin Live has an interesting looking mat as well, but seems rather thin (only 1mm) to do any real damping of resonances(?).

[Scooby]

Achromat:

I've tried the Achromat on a few decks (Systemdek, LP12, Axis, Basik, Rega, Mantra) and in all cases it robbed the music of bass and drive. It made everything sound pedestrian. It was a fun-free experience every time, with no "up-side".

All of these decks use felt mats as standard, so I have no idea whether the results would be different with something like an acrylic or Delrin platter. I had better results with a Ringmat and best of all with the Origin Live mat. Neoprene and standard cork mats were also pretty poor and worse than felt.

YMMV though. If you buy a used one, it won't cost you anything if it's not to your taste. They look pretty cool, so I was disappointed to have to let mine go.

[Svend N]

Hi Andy,

Interesting observations. Thanks for the feedback.

The fact that the Achromat on the Linn (which is similar in design to the TT2) sounded as described to your ears really makes me wonder if it's the right choice. Always good to have another point of view. I wonder if I can find a used one here to lessen the dollar hit? Will look around....

BTW, your impressions of cork vs. felt are pretty much the opposite of mine. I find felt on the TT2 to sound hazy and indistinct, airy and light. Cork really improves the imaging, soundstage, bass, midrange, treble clarity. Better in almost every way. Voices have palpable presence that is really something.

Cheers,
Svend

[Scooby]

My cork mat was quite thick (maybe 2-3mm?). Not sure if that had a lot to do with it. The Ringmat uses a small amount of thinner cork and it sounded good. Not as good as the OL mat though. That really made the felt mats sound dull and thumpy in comparison.

[Svend N]

Good feedback - thanks Andy. TBH, I haven't looked at the OL mat in any detail at all...I'll definitely take a closer look. I seem to recall they have a dealer here in Toronto - great excuse to go into the city and hang out at an audio shop :)

[speedracer]

I use an Origin Live mat on my Rock TT & like it very much, it does have an effect on the sound but whether that is for better or not is very much an individuals choice.

[Svend N]

Thanks Brook -- another recommendation here for the OL mat. I'll check that out and see if I can find one here locally.

I wonder if there are any TT2 owners here that have played with mats and can share their experience?

BTW, I did some more A-B testing between the leather and cork today, and the cork still wins hands-down. I even tried the thin leather on top of the cork, and the soundstage just closed right in, imaging suffered...not a good combo.

OTOH, I notice that the cork can have a tendency to be rather forward, in your face, and a touch harsh at times. I'm hoping I can improve on this with a better mat.