REVIEW - A new giant killing platter mat
The SPH SSS platter mat.
A couple of quick shots on two of my decks, my highly modded Technics 1210 and a Lenco GL75
1210.jpg rough75.jpg
Read this as is, spelling mistake and grammatical errors, warts and all. I make no apologies. Enjoy.
The SPH SSS Platter Mat
The first thing that struck me about this new mat was the energy that it throws out, the second thing was that it also managed to
dig a little deeper into the grooves than my previous mats that I have tried. I have tried numerous mats on various systems over the years with
each progressively advancing the performance of my turntables. The SPH may is available from Sien (SPH) over on Lenco Heaven. It weighs 1.9kg is 4mm
thick and is non-magnetic which should help with people using MI carts (DECCA's for example). It does look a lot like the "OY-YEAH-DADDY" mats which
are available at considerable cost. My sample arrived a little dirty but scrubbed up well with some metal polish, a minor niggle but at the price of
this mat it's something that I'm perfectly happy to forgive. The cost is £75 (I think).
LISTENING NOTES, LET THE SHOW COMMENCE....
Listening to my favourite Iron Maiden album (Powerslave). I noticed that Bruce Dickinson's vocals improved clarity and I noticed a more pronounced echo effectwhich I had heard previously with my Analog studio Crystal reference mat but was now made more so. Bass was a little lean but it seemed right and had a smidge more agression and propulsion. Nicko Mcbrain's drums sounded a little clearer and it was easier for me to see into the intricacy of his playing. The whole soundstage just seemed a little more cohesive and engaging. I certainly had a few "WOW" moments where I heard previously unlocked details. I must have heard this song many thousands of times now and I still get a tingle down my spine when I hear it and especially when I hear new things. Overall a very enjoyable romp!
Moving over to a DECCA gold recording of Three Centuries of Guitar by Andreas Sergovia showed the mat's ability of transcribing timbral qualities of the
classical acoustic guitar. The mat gave this recording air, poise, the leading edge of each note serenely trailing off into the air. You get a great sense
of depth to this recording, Sergoviua feels pushed back into the soundstage. This mat sures does play around with each recordings perception of depth and
width. I now wanted to test the intimacy of the SSS and went to my goto recording, mainly a closed mic Chris Conor set. I immediately noticed the enhanced propulsive nature of the double bass, like a piston! Sibilance seemed less, the intimacy was still intact and I would even say the SSS mat seemed to have a firm controlling hand over the recording, nothing excessively forceful, just enough to show you that it was in control. The piano seemed to be presented with an increased sense of calm and tranquillity.
Next I decided to move over to a nearly mint copy of the Rossini Overtures (DECCA FFSS SXL2266) I wanted to see how much bluster and pomp this thing could throw out so I listened to The William Tell Overture and The Thieving Magpie. I also included Holst Mars Suite and Wagner Night of the Valkyries. The Cello on the DECCA label just sounded so deep and tuneful. The prelude to the famous crescendo could easily be picked apart and the brass section, well just sounded like the powerful brass section that it should be. The was backed up when comparing the Hi-Q records Supercuts recording of Andre Previn and the LSO when playing the Mars suite. The mat conveyed power, urgency, strength, thrust, propulsion, VERY enjoyable, one to get the adrenalin pumping. Imagine this across a room wide soundstage with a sumani like propulsive progression deep into the depths of the soundstage. This was not a one track pony experience. Fast forward to the 45rpm EMI cut of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries (HMV 10 STEREO OC 051-07 2672) and the whole experience was magnified to even greater proportions. This mat can do pomp and bluster with aplomb.
The SSS mat does have it's downsides and I noted that it is capable of producing a searing high treble, Steve Rotheries playing on Forgotten Sons and
Richard Blackmore (Made in Japan) proved to be a recurrent theme. So, after having my ear's sonically pierced I decided to listen to a little prog.
Enter stage right, Marillion, Forgotten Sons. This song has it all, you can check to see the Bass authority (in spades on this recording), you can try and
delve deep into a complicated mix if you want, you can assess high searing vocals or intimate whispering passages. Timbral qualities and echo effects can
be reviewed. Overall the SPH reproduced this track better than anything I've heard before. So, now I decided to try my prog torture track, yep, It's
Mr. Dream Theater (Lost not Fogotton) from the Dramatic Turn of Events album. This track is quite simply the most complex thing I have in my collection
I've been using it for years to try and wrong foot platter mats and it's worked on every single one, including the SSS mat. BUT, the SSS mat has unlocked
more detail than anything else in the past, it's dissected the track better than anything else in the past and it's presented the track better than
anything else in the past.
I've just had one of those album after album after album listening sessions and the SSS mat has demonstrated very positive sonic characteristics
no matter the Genre, artist, speed, decade, record label. This is a truly excellent mat. I've now stopped listening to multiple albums and have just
decided to accept the fact that the SSS mat is a level above my previous platter mat reference. I'm just enjoying the music in the knowledge that
experiencing something better than before.
It has faults......
-------------------
I tested the mat out on my Technics 1210 and Lenco GL75 decks, both very highly modified. The Lenco does have a high output Shure MM cartridge coupled
to the EAR Clone which to some ears can produce an overly energetic treble. I had to calm this down with an Oscars GIMP mat which worked wonders in
calming the treble. Bass on the Lenco sounded a little bloated but the GIMP mat under working alongside the SSS platter mat worked well. I used the SSS
platter mat directly coupled to my custom Mike New Cu/Al platter on the 1210 with vinyl sitting directly on top of SSS mat, as suggested by the Sien who designed the SSS platter mat. The 1210 became more forensic in nature and enabled me to see further into the mix of several of my favourite albums. I would add that the SSS mat seemed to give my 1210 an extra soupcon of depth to the soundstage whilst still maintaining the width that I'm so used to on the 1210. The Lenco is purposefully hamstrung by an ancient Shure M55E cartridge and as such gives me the ability to detect minor variations in sonic presentation when I modify my Lenco, this method enabled me to see that the SSS was a step above my current platter mat selection on the GL75 whilst being in a lower league in forensic data retrieval compared to the 1210. So, the Lenco with a half decent cart should sonically improve above it's current levels. The SSS does not fully cover the platters on my Lenco or my 1210 and as such this means that the total coupling surface area is diminished, this is something that Tenuto addressed with it's Gun Metal offerings and something which I think Sien should address as well. I reviewed the 4mm 1.9kg version, Sien is developing a 5mm 2.3kg version which I think should improve things further, certainly this phenomenon has been reported on the thicker, heavier versions of the Tenuto platter mats. You may need an upgraded thrust plate on your turntables bearing so it is important to check before purchase. I did notice a slightly overall leaner presentation on the 1210 but this was a very very small sacrifice for all the additional benefits that the SSS mat fetched to the table.
PRO'S
* Great quality.
* Cheap (It's a stupidly cheap bargain at this price). DO NOT LET THE PRICE PUT YOU OFF!
* Giantkiller - Performance WAY above it's price point.
* It instils a certain authority and directness to the soundstage.
* It's greatest attribute is data retrieval. It's trumped anything that I've had in the past.
* The extra detail revealed more pronounced echo effects, drumming appeared a little crisper.
* Propulsion, authority, speed, precision it has it all.
* Great with timbral detail.
* It achieves a wide soundstage and has increased the soundstage depth of my reference system.
CON'S
* Produces high searing treble, may need some calming down in some systems.
* Could do with a little cleaning before dispatch.
* Could do with being the full diameter of the Lenco / 1210 platters to maximise record coupling to the platter.
* You may need to upgrade your thrust plate on the Lenco's if your using dual stacked heavy platters.
* Make sure yout VTA is correct. The 4 or 5mm thickness may upset careful geometry and setup for fussy cartridges like the Ortofon black series.
Overall this mat is worth the money and highly recommended.
SS
CD Teac VRDS25X(Audiotuned) DECK 1210 Mat Crystal Audio Mods MN Base/Bearing/Platter+Ebony armboard Feet Isonoe PSU Paul Hynes SR7EHD-27XL/DCSXL Ag DC lead/3 Stage Regs/Recap PCB+No Pitch/Strobe/Light ARM SME V(Kondo Ag Rewire&Tags) MC Cadenza Black FGS CABLES Arm Yannis SPD-4 IC Yannis 222 Litz+Ag bullets Power WAR PRE ATC SCA2 SPEAKERS ATC 50ASL STANDS Atacama PHONO Sugden Masterclass PA4 SUT Ortofon ST80SE POWER PSAudio P10
VALVE
PRE Croft Epoch(Modded) AMP Sondex S100 (Modded) SPEAKERS Tannoy 15"MG+RFC Warwick cabs+ Ref XO + Batpure supertweeters DECK Garrard 301 Mat Teunto Bearings 401(Bastin) Plinth Bamboo Arms 3009/3012 PSU Eagle+Tachometer MC Ag Meister II/FGS + Ortofon SPU MONO CABLES Arm Yannis 420.5 Litz+ SpeakerPC Tripple C+WBT-0681 Ag IC Oyaide FTVS-510 AgWBT 0110Ag Phonostages Paradise(4 Box Mega-Modded) / Croft Musicmaker
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by brian2957
