Further 'top mat' shenanigans.....
Hi Neil,
I'm with you, and will give it a try, but I'd rather not use any more than one (very thin mat) on top of the bonded copper mat/plate of the MN platter, as I suspect that's the best way to go :)
Well..... I tried putting the thin rubber mat, which originally came with my Techie, on top of my MN platter - and then results were............very good!
First of all, there's something I have to mention about the bonded copper mat version of the MN platter that before now I hadn't realised or considered, and it's that Mike has obviously designed it to be used with some sort of mat on top, as unlike the Rubato copper mat, there is no centre recess for the record label...!
Therefore, this results in records not sitting flat against the surface of the copper mat/plate of the platter, which of course is far from ideal. I was wondering why some of my records that I thought were pretty flat seemed a little warped!! :doh:
Thing is, despite that, things sounded so bloody good, and until now I hadn't really given much thought to the lack of any centre recess cut into the copper plate/mat of my MN platter...
So, anyway, when the thin Techie rubber mat is used (which has a label recess), it therefore allows the record to sit flat on the platter, which of course makes a big difference - and I can clearly hear the sonic benefits of this (less noise, greater detail and clarity).
What I don't know is whether the rubber mat is removing any effect of 'chatter' between the record and the metal surface of the MN platter, and I doubt I'll ever find that out unless I can somehow get a label recess cut on the copper plate/mat of my MN platter and compare the difference between using it with another mat or not.
However, what I can say for sure is that anyone buying a Copper Composite platter from Mike will have to factor in the use of a thin mat to put on top, to allow the record to sit properly flat, unless Mike decides to incorporate a recess for the record label into his future platter designs.
The question is now, which mat is best for this purpose? Well, the thin rubber Techie one which came free with my T/T, is giving very good results, so we'll see if the Blue Horizon mat David's sending me does a better job, or perhaps the Origin Live......
Anyway, it's all interesting stuff, and of course I'll continue to keep everyone informed of my progress! :cool:
Marco.