Petition launched to reintroduce Technics turntables (Update: The SL-1200 is Back!)*

"a gutsy sound that's solid as a rock, with bold images and plenty of detail".

I agree

 

Gotcha, missed that

 

Interesting write-up. I'm not sure that I agree with you regarding the quality of the stock technics mat yet as I have only just barely begun my comparison of a herbies matt against the stock mat on my GR.

However my initial sonic impressions of the herbies on my 1200GR have been quite positive. And I can also say that thunking the platter with my fingernail, attempting to get a ring out it, seemed to elicit noticeably faster dampening of the platter when using the herbies mat as compared to the stock mat.

 

To be honest based on past winners that does not necessarily mean a lot.

 

The 1200GR doesn't need awards, magazine or professional reviews when there are so many satisfied owners posting on forums like this. 'User' feedback without any marketing or financial bias is far more reliable IMO.

(I just changed my avatar picture by the way)

 

After listening to the stock mat with my current setup, I am starting to thing you are right. It is much better than people give it credit. It captures natural timbre of instruments very nicely.

 

I like the stock mat too. I think the Herbies is also very good and has some interesting features like its "stickiness" which seems to lock down the lp.

 

A good mat helps the tonearm and cartridge send the most accurate signal they can to the phono preamp. Technics supplies a good mat.

 

Do you have more impressions of the Herbie's vs. the stock mat? I'm really on the fence about trying the Herbies. I really just want an Auditorium 23 Hommage Mat, but it's 12" diameter is too large for the 1200G and the mat is too expensive for me to try and cut to size.

 

Not really. I'm not good at parsing fine differences. I was happy with the stock mat and since I paid $75 for the Herbies I'm biased towards keeping it on since it might be slightly better and definitely not worse.

 

of course not but it is worth something to see such mention. lots of competition in turntables in this price range.

 

FWIW the stock mat sounds slightly less refined / more "muddy" in the bass than the Herbies which gives a more cleaner, clearer sound. I have had the Herbies 4mm for several months now and just re-checked vs. the stock mat. After some back and forth between the stock mat, the bull mat and the herbies the herbies was the winner (again).
Best way to compare mats is listen at higher volume with music that has lots of bass- both bass beats as well as bass rhythm. Listen for the clarity of the notes in the beats and rhythm and clarity of the midrange / colorations.
Quite honestly the differences were easy to pick out. Mats affect bass more than anything else- which makes sense because they deal with low frequency tonearm resonances differently.

 

Speaking of isolation, here's something new:
TRBxM Turntable Isolation System

 

That looks like a very polished version of what I built for myself although I have no idea what they sandwich between the plates. Their frequency range is awfully small since audible is generally considered up to 20,000Hz and they only isolate to 450Hz! In my approach I use springs between the platforms. The TT sitting on the springs will only react to vibrations close to the natural frequency of the sprung platform which in my case is a few Hz. I know that some higher frequencies get through the springs but the 1200G's feet are pretty good and mop up the rest. Not perfect but I have had very good performance from my system.

 

as the 1200G runs in I am enjoying the original rubber mat more than any of the other mats I currently have, go figure.

 

Good to know!

 

That kinda jibes with what I heard at the new SP-10/SL-1000 demo where the Technics rep said they did there own in-house testing of several types of mat materials and ended up sticking with the original mat formulation for what tested best.

ymmv...

 

I’ve found the same. Also, I’ve experimented with a lightweight clamp (the “clever clamp”), a weight of 215 grams, and nothing at all, all with the stock mat...it almost varies from record-to-record which I prefer, but generally no clamp/weight should be tried first. If it sounds a bit edgy or harsh the weight smooths it out and makes it sound a bit warmer, with a touch tighter bass. I didn’t prefer the light clamp under any conditions. YMMV.

 

I have an old orsonic clamp that weighs 200 grams. I will give it a try. I go back and forth between the Boston audio Mat 1 and the technics mat

 

I’ve really been enjoying the Auditorium 23 Hommage mat on my 1200G. It provides more presence on the mids than the stock mat and is very balanced top to bottom. And best part is no static when flipping records.

 

That sounds about right to me.

 

The arm on this table is fantastic. I use the stock headshell for my ADC and Pickering MM Cartridges and the Arche' Headshell for my Lyra Cartridge. Both sound fantastic.

 

I like the mat, but it is thin. This makes VTA a bit of a challenge - even with a 17mm cartridge height. My tone arm is tail up, even with the height adjustment at “0.” Because of this, I either need to shim or go with a thicker mat. After looking at my 3 carts (V15 Type III - 15mm, VM750SH - 17mm, and 2M Res - 18MM), I decided to buy a Poly-Metal mat from KAB and use it in conjunction with the thin stock mat. That is perfect for the VM750SH; an easy adjustment for the 2M Red; shim required for the V15 Type III.

Now I know I’ll need to consider cartridge height when purchasing any other cartridges. I’m such a noob. On my old Kenwood, I was probably way off on VTA and I didn’t even think about it. Getting this SL-1210GR has opened my eyes and made me cognizant of VTA - for better or worse!

 

The Herbies mat is the same thickness as the stock mat. I ended up putting shims between the headshell and cartridge on a couple of my setups for the same reason. I didn't go with a thicker mat since the G spindle isn't very long and I use a clamp that needs a certain amount of spindle length to grab.

 

While I’m waiting for the Poly-Metal mat from KAB to arrive, I’m doubling up with the stock mat and the mat from my old Kenwood KD-2070. It comes close to what the KAB mat + stock mat will be with regards to thickness. Just enough of the spindle sticks out for my Record Doctor clamp to easily latch on, so I’m lucky.

The next thing I need to do is find a clamp with a lower profile so I can leave it on the platter and lower the dust cover when I’m not spinning any LPs!