Cork Mat v Rubber

Can we have one thread in this section without someone turning it into blind-test advocacy, as if it's the only way to denote differences? Leonthepro, i'm looking at you!

 

Not only that, but once disturbed I have noticed it appears on the stylus.

 

Ive tried acrylic, cork, rubber, cork&rubber, & herbies. Pro’s and Con’s with all of them.
Still searching for one with con’s I can live with. Just ordered a deer hide.

 

For those of you who are fans of cork/rubber mats George Merrill sells one made of two different types of rubber with different absorbing characteristics + cork. www.hifigem.com.

 

I've been using a Ringmat on my LP12 For over a decade. I still have the felt but adjusting the VTA on the Ittok is a pain in the butt so I've never done a true 'mat vs. mat' comparison. Don't know if its the mat, the cart, the arm, the deck, the stand, or the Lingo, but my LP12 sings like an Angel!

 

No. I took off the Rega supplied felt mat a few years ago and will not be putting it back. Perhaps not all felt mats do that but, the cork mat is the way to go for me.

 

When an "audiophile" spends money on an accessory, the difference in sound, and there will be a difference, is more often than not deemed an improvement. Strangely when the original component is fitted in a blind dem, the original is often preferred!

I used felt mats on two Regas and 5 LP12s. Despite using anti-static sleeves, the Rega mat occasionally lifted, the mat on the LP12 never did.

I remember a technical review of a number of mats with measurements years ago, from memory, the initial ringing on the felt mat was slightly higher, but the decay less severe and more natural. A number of manufacturers use the materials they do after lots of listening and measurement, not cost. This doesn't mean that others will not prefer a different solution - a felt mat is a good compromise, a cork, or rubber mat a different compromise.

For various reasons, I highly recommend anti-static sleeves!

 

I add speaker cables (not tiny 20-24 gauge), high-end fuses and high-end 120 volt outlets yield very little if any improvement. I think the audiophile can hear an improvement though because they expect an improvement.

 

I have an old Revolver that has a much stiffer felt mat that is supposed to eliminate static. I think I'll try it on my P6.