Mike New platter, Oyaide MJ-12 mat & STB-MS stabiliser arrive at Marco Towers...

Hi Colin,

The improvement the Oyaide stabiliser makes could be down to a number of factors, including what you say, but it is undoubtedly the best record weight I've used to date. The fact that you can tune the level of added mass to suit your T/T and system is also invaluable.

TBH, it's worth buying one for that reason alone, and the fact that it's so beautifully made!

The stabiliser is supplied with six individual weights. I took out two of them, and that's what seems to work best on my T/T with the Mike New platter. It's definitely one to suck and see, though.

However, one thing I would ask is that if you are going to buy one, give the business to David, as he was kind enough to loan me the Oyaide items in the first place, and so deserves any sales that result from my review :)

Oyaide mat and stabiliser can be obtained by contacting David Brook at:

www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk

Cheers! :)

Marco.

I agree. Very honorable thing to do giving you a review model. He also does good prices on Nordost cables for those who like them.

Hi Andrew,

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Any further information regarding your experiments with Mike's platter? I'm getting exactly the same platter as yourself this Tuesday if the weather holds out. I'll also have the bearing brace and a better armboard plate, hopefully a solid copper one! I'll also be mounting a SME V. I'm interested in your mat combinations to see if they can further enhance the techie!!

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I'm coming pretty firmly to the conclusion that the best mat to use with my version of the MN platter, with bonded copper mat fitted, is NO MAT.

Firstly, there's a finite level of mass one can add to the drive system before you go too far and the life is sucked out of the music - and that limit is pretty much reached with the MN platter and Oyaide stabiliser in place. This is the reason why I specified to Mike that I wanted my platter to be 1kg lighter than the one he supplied to Martin.

Secondly, IMO, adding a further interface between the MN platter and the record defeats the purpose of the copper mat being bonded to the platter, and thus nullifies, or at best, dilutes its sonic effect.

No, you can take it pretty much as read that if you've got an MN platter with copper mat bonded to it, then you need nothing further in terms of any mats :)

As for the MN platter itself, it is simply wonderful and catapults the sonic performance of the Techie into a totally different league. Yes, it isn't exactly cheap, but let's put it this way, the sonic improvements it offers, IME, far and away exceed those of going from, say, a £450 Jelco SA750 to a £2100 SME V ;)

That's not to say of course that the SME V isn't a superb tonearm - it undoubtedly is, but simply that, in my experience, the £1650 price difference between the above doesn't give anything like the 'bang for your buck' spending £595 on an MN platter does, which thus puts the cost of the latter into perspective.

Therefore, if you want to max-out the performance of the Techie and don't have a bottomless pit of cash, it makes more sense to spend a bit less on the tonearm, as the sonic influence of the platter is more fundamental (source first and all that), providing that the tonearm used is not something which excessively hinders the overall performance of the turntable.

In summary, in my view, a Techie fitted with a Mike New bearing and platter, and say, a Jelco SA750 (or even 250ST), in the majority of areas would outperform the same fitted with a stock platter and an SME IV, or V.....

An Oyaide T/T mat and stabiliser added to the stock platter, however, would level the playing field considerably, but not to the extent that it would negate the unique sonic benefits of the MN platter - and let's not forget that this particular combo itself costs £450..............

Ultimately though, it's a question of balance and individual priorities. Do let us know though how you get on with your platter when it arrives! :cool:

Marco.

Interesting, Marco. I haven't tried placing a record directly on my MN platter but will test it out. I shall also, for the sake of completion, bring out the Herbies mat again and try it against the Achromat and nude platter as something is not quite right for me and I can't put my finger on it.

Still awaiting the Paul Hynes PSU which I'm really looking forward to receiving.

Hi Martin,

Try that by all means, but I suspect it will be worse. The reason why no added mat works on my T/T is because the bonded copper plate/mat on my MN platter basically acts as the mat. After all, copper mats are normally sold separately for that purpose. Do let us know how you get on, though!

As far as your Achromat goes, don't forget that I tested it on the stock Techie platter (where it performs superbly), not on the MN one, and I feel that this is quite an important variable.

The good news though is that you don't need to buy an Oyaide mat to put on your MN platter!

However, I'd recommend that you try the stabiliser. I'll bring it down with me when I visit. I suspect you're going to love its combined effect with the bonded copper mat on my MN platter ;)

Marco.

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Originally Posted by Marco

As far as your Achromat goes, don't forget that I tested it on the stock Techie platter (where it performs superbly), not on the MN one, and this is quite an important variable.

The good news though is that you don't need to buy an Oyaide mat to put on your MN platter!

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And isn't another important variable that Martin's MN Platter doesn't have the bonded copper mat - the Oyaide may perform differently directly on the heavy aluminium platter? Sorry, just stirring it up some more! ;)

Hi Alex,

You may have a point (and Martin would need to try it himself to be absolutely sure), but the reason why I feel that the Oyaide mat doesn't work with the MN platter is because too much mass is being put onto the drive system of the turntable.

I asked Mike to make my platter 1kg lighter than Martin's because I felt that sonically it would possibly be better that way, and also to accommodate the bonded copper mat, which is really more like a thin-ish copper plate and much lighter than the 'fully-fledged' copper T/T mat that's sold separately.

Remember that the main purpose of the copper plate/mat was simply to shield the cartridge from stray eddy currents.

As the bonded copper plate/mat on my MN platter is much lighter than an Oyaide T/T mat, I would *suspect* that the added mass on Martin's already heavier platter would tip things over the edge.

Do you see what I mean?

However, the only way to know for sure is for Martin to try it. Perhaps if David allows me, I could send the Oyaide mat to Martin and let him try it for himself and report back? I'll probably be buying the stabiliser, but he could use it with his Bruil :)

Marco.

Hold off on that thought, Marco, while I do battle with mats 'n things. I just want to get my deck working at its max first before I start fiddling with things again.

I don't disagree Marco, I was just pulling your leg really, and logically your thoughts are spot on - but whenever did logic become part of this game? ;) All very interesting stuff, though, from an outsider's point of view so thanks for the good work so far. :)

Alex, glad you're enjoying reading the results of my findings so far :)

No worries, Martin - I understand where you're coming from.

Marco.