Turntable people: Anyone use a Ringmat?

Have any of the turntable people here ever tried a Ringmat to replace the felt or whatever other mat came with their TT?

I replaced the felt mat on my Rega Planar 3 a few months ago with a Ringmat I picked up used, and at first I really thought it was an improvement (more detail, less "smeared" bass). But I've just switched back to the felt just out of curiosity, and apart from the impressive tightening of the bass with the Ringmat, I think I like the felt more. The midrange performance in particular seems better, and on "Help Me" by Joni Mitchell (for example) the voices during the bridge really come alive and take on real shape and just float out into the room. I don't really hear that with the Ringmat.

I know the Ringmat's effects are very table-dependent ... but does anyone here have any thoughts on it?

 

I use the felt slipmat with my turntable.

 

The ringmat in many cases, people have felt that the "felt" WAS better, that came with the Rega. I have to say for many different ways, a Rega was built with a lot of thoughtful things, and changes don't always being a smile to your face.

However, on the TNT site, people have used that felty sound barrier stuff and made homeade ringmats out of them, or what have you, with very good results. They call it the Janus? See below... Costs almost nothing...

I've tried the ringmat, a Discwasher white felt'r, and the issued Rega felt mat. I've left the Rega mat on, because I've felt the same as you, Jeff.... But some people do feel differently about the ringmat.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/januse.html

Course, if it ain't bad, experiments withstanding, I woulnd't change much on a Rega except the cart and the preamp for bigger, badder improvements

 

Chances are, I'll stick with the Rega felt too ... Truthfully, the bass issue I have with the felt only really becomes an issue when I make it one (i.e., when I consciously listen for it) ... When I'm just listening to the music -- which we're all supposed to do, right? -- I really like the overall sound.

And BTW ... I did make appropriate VTA adjustments (the Rega felt and the Ringmat are of different thicknesses), through the use or non-use of shims under the tonearm base, to make sure any differences I hear don't result from different tracking angles ...

 

Does the using the Ringmat require adjusting your VTA?

 

Hey, Jeff:

I tried the Ringmat too and couldn't really tell the difference...maybe a little tighter bass. I had the chance to pick up an Audioquest Sorbogel mat for a good price and used that for awhile instead of the original felt...didn't really like that all that much either, and then....I laid the felt mat directly on top of the Sorbogel and...voila!

Sounds real good....real smooth. Definitely discernable difference...

BTW, I run a MMF-5 Music Hall table with a Goldring cart...

Tweakie, tweakie little star...that's what having a hobby is for!

Poet,

Ben

 

Hi Andy,

Only if the Ringmat is thicker or thinner than whatever other mat you'd been using.

To the best of my knowledge, the Ringmat is available in 3 different thicknesses. I have the thickest, but it's still about 2mm thinner than the Rega felt mat that came with my table. My Dynavector 10x4 cartridge requires the use of a 2mm shim under the tonearm base when using the Rega felt mat (Rega arms have no built-in VTA adjustment mechanism) ... otherwise the cart is tipped too far back, and sonics are adversely affected.

However, since the Ringmat is 2mm thinner, the 2mm shim isn't necessary when I use that. That makes A/B comparisons a real pain in the behind, since I have to remove and reattach my tonearm to "hear" each mat at the same VTA.

Actually, since I built myself a new and much more rigid DIY equipment rack some weeks back, I put the Ringmat back on the table just out of curiosity (and removed the shim) and am liking what I'm hearing. I think the Ringmat's performance depends on a LOT of other different factors, including platter material, cartridge choice, the stand the turntable is sitting on, etc. etc. ...