I dont like them myself, everything works well as it is, I am just looking to prevent vinyl damage, so was looking for views on various turntable matts to find a decent felt one to prevent vinyl damage without having to purchase a range to find out myself.
However it does seem that this is the only way to find out, so I'll report back what worked best.
Listening is the act of aural discrimination and dissemination of sound, and accepting you get it wrong sometimes.
Analog Inputs: Pro-Ject Signature 10 TT & arm, Benz Micro LP-S, Michel Cusis MC, Goldring 2500 and Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridges, Hitachi FT5500 mk2 Tuner
Digital:- Marantz SA-KI Pearl CD player, RaspberryPi/HifiBerry Digi+ Pro, Buffalo NAS Drive
Amplification:- AudioValve Sunilda phono stage, Krell KSP-7B pre-amp, Krell KSA-80 power amp
Output: Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, KLH Ultimate One Headphones
Cables: Tellurium Q Ultra Black II RCA & Chord Epic 2 RCA, various speaker leads, & links
I think I am nearing audio nirvana, but don’t tell anyone.
Changing record sides without stopping the platter is a practice that harks back to early Rega turntables, their dealers used to push the practice as it supposedly gave a longer life to the motor and belt, personally I always thought it was a daft idea.
As to mats I’ve tried just about everything other than the ridiculously expensive ones, some mats work better on some platter types but not on others.
I like cork, it seems to work best with metal platters, thick rubber likewise, both damp any ringing effectively.
I have used the Origin Live mat on metal and MDF platters (Project Debut Carbon and Genie replacing the std thin felt mats) and that works extremely well, being a little under 1mm thick it’s good if you don’t have arm height adjustment, it gave a very taut bass and even mid and treble.
I still use the OL mat on my Rega P3 but it’s under an acrylic mat, put there to prevent slippage that’s possible with smooth acrylic going onto glass, it also gets the vta spot on.
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Don’t worry about a mat - just work on your record removal and refitting technique which needs to be swift and decisive. The only time I place it remove s record from a stationary platter is if the deck in question is automatic. Otherwise, the platter stays running and I’ve never had any scratch issues, aside from my eczema, of course.
It’s all in the wrist...
Engineers: fixing problems you didn't know you had in ways you don't understand.