I’ve a turntable where even with the tone arm height bottomed out, it’s still a bit high to get a level tone arm and head shell. To solve it, I just stacked another unused platter mat on top, and the level is bettter, but not perfect. I just heard about these Herbies Way Excellent II mats in assorted thickness’s. I could simply get a thick Herbies mat at the exact height needed, and use just that one mat, or do what I was doing and add a Herbies mat to the existing mat to bring up the total thickness to where it should be. Any difference between the two approaches?
I don't know whether the Herbies mats I have are version II or version I but I bought two. One for normal thickness records and a thinner one for those 180-200gm records. That works well for me. I had the same problem as you.
my preference is for one mat. i use a herbies 4mm and it looks great and sounds better than every other mat i tried.
You might consider trying a headshell spacer too. I have to use a combination of thicker mat/mats and headshell spacer to get correct VTA with some of my shorter cartridges. When I tried taking care of the issue with just stacking mats, I was left with very little spindle. Not a big deal unless you like to use a clamp or weight. There's a lot of cool headshell spacers on ebay. I like this seller's stuff from Germany. Great deals from Stanley Engineering Shop in UNIVERSAL-CARTRIDGE-SPACERS- | eBay Stores I'm sure that ordering anything from abroad is taking much longer now with the Covid shipping delays.
Same here, not sure which version I have. I recommend using one mat (Herbies has a return policy). It does improve sonics and I think it prevents static from being transferred from record to mat.
I was thinking about the 5mm size but the price jumps quite a bit to over $80. I use a combination of 4mm cork mat(Turntable Toys) on the bottom and the 2mm Technics rubber mat on top. Total cost about $15 since I grabbed the Technics mat off an old table. Now perfect VTA and silent platter.
I would order a single matte at the thickness you need. I’ve been using Herbie’s mats for 6 years, an excellent product.
It’s designed to be used alone, and as long as you are ordering one anyway, I think you might as well get one that is thick enough. I would maybe go just a little thicker than you need so you have room for some adjustment in either direction.
Right now, I use just a 1.5mm cork mat on one table, with that spare rubber mat being stacked on another table (so it has two) A little thicker would keep me tail down too. I'm a bassist, so for me, that's a good thing. Thanks for reminding me. I have some 1.90 mm shims that I could use.
IMO these are the right answers. I don't use a mat on my current turntable, but when I did use one, the Herbie's handily beat rubber, sorbothane, cork, felt, "none felt" (shelf liner type of thing), and leather. There are various theories on what a mat should do-- isolate, absorb, couple, or drain etc.,-- and none of them would suggest that two separate mats made from totally different materials and laying on top of each other is the best solution for the job at hand. The Herbie's mat is great and if budget permits don't think twice, just try it. If your tonearm is easily adjustable for height and it's now at the bottom end of the range, absolutely go with a slightly thicker mat to give yourself flexibility in the event you change cartridges, etc.
When I have stacked mats, it was simply because I didn’t have one mat as thick as I wanted for VTA adjustment. I went through a few combinations of mats and shim. I never really found any problem with two mats stacked, but no advantage, either, other than the thickness. A thick Herbie’s mat is not really much more expensive than a thin one, so, really, I see no point in getting a thickness other than what is needed (which I would consider just thick enough to leave some adjustment room at the bottom of the range).
Make a decision and order it soon. I ordered mine 6 weeks ago and it still hasn't arrived. I get it with the border & Corona, but wow, painful.
I’d be curious to know whether it’s a border thing or a slow-down in their fulfillment. I ordered mine just a few months ago, and it came within a few days. I’d hope OP ordering to Wisconsin (OP, I’m assuming your location means Appleton, WI?) would have a similar experience to mine, but of course it’s possible something has changed on their end since my order.
Your post made me go back and actually look at the order & details. I ordered it December 4th & it shipped on the 6th. USPS connecting to Canada Post moving at warp 9
One of my platters has a recess in it for the mat that’s exactly 290mm in diameter. I emailed them to find out if their 290mm diameter one will be okay, or if I should go down to the 285mm mat. Haven’t heard back yet.
On my Technics SL12000MKII and SL1210MK5, I use mat sandwiches. I leave the hard rubber mat on the bottom and use a mat that I tooled up myself, stamped out of EPDM sponge, 50 durometer, 2.4mm thick, 11.625" in diameter for the top mat. The tables are totally isolated from any rotational born noises or effects. The mass of the Technics mat is ideal for isolating any potential platter ringing or noises, the soft EPDM mat is a perfect resting surface for the record. It doesn't suck out the music as some over-damped mats can.
285mm is better regardless of platter. the outer diameter lines up exactly with the beginning of the grooves and supports the lp evenly and perfectly. a larger diameter that extends to the edge of the lp makes contact with the outer bead which is thicker than the main grooved surface. a mat making contact with the bead will slightly raise the beginning of the record leaving it unsupported.
Good timing on this thread. Ive been toying with getting one of these mats for a while now. I’ve got a PLX-1000 direct drive, and use the rubber mat and don’t hear any turntable hum, at least not thru speakers and even with headphones. With taxes shipped it’ll be $90 for a 4mm / 285mm. I can’t quite make myself pull the trigger. I can’t say I’ve ever noticed a difference in sound between a cork mat, cork/rubber mat and a rubber mat. The rubber mat helped platter ring and a little motor Hum on my old LP120 but The PLX-1000 is a lot better in that regard. so what will going to a herbies do for me? A little less static and a little quieter noise floor that I may not notice with my mat today?
I bought the same mat recently, same size and thickness. It was originally intended for a Technics table but it works just fine on my Acoustic Signature. I do like the smaller diameter to allow for lead-in groove thickness. Honestly, it doesn’t really sound better than the cork/rubber composite mat (Hudson HiFi) that it replaced, a little different but not overall better. I’ll probably stick with it for now because its diameter allows for easier record flipping without touching the aluminum platter. I will say it’s one of the best mats I’ve used, the only one I like as much cork/rubber composites. I think I’d definitely prefer it to the stock Pioneer PLX mat which I did own in the past.
i have judged mats by how they make bass, midbass and resulting midrange sound. poorly damped mats can let the tonearm, cartridge and lp resonances affect the sound. a well damped mat will reduce the energy of those resonances and ideally not over damp the sound. to hear the affects, play records with lots of bass as well as midrange, vocals or horns, etc. play at higher volume to exaggerate the differences. the worst mats i have tried have done everything from make the bass blurry, ill defined and reduced sharpness and impact to congesting the midrange sounds. the best mats let the bass sound sharp,well defined and proper impact. at the same time the midrange is not smeared or congested but clear and natural. A to B comparisons at higher volume with the same music will let you hear the differences. the herbies mats have done the best on the different turntables i have owned.
Another satisfied Herbies mat user here. Needed to lower the platter height for a tall cartridge (non-adjustable Denon DP-47f tonearm). Works great.
