romanos27 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I figured this topic would have been discussed ad nauseum, but I didn't find any old threads. So, I figured I'd go ahead and ask. What type of mats (material) do you guys like? I've got a Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 and am still just using the felt mat that came with it. But it seems to be incredibly static-y, which I hate. As I'm sure you've all experienced, the way it sticks to the record when you try to remove it (the record) is really annoying. Can't be helping things with all the static. I've seen lots of alternatives, from cork to leather to acrylic, and wanted to get your thoughts. Not looking to spend tons, just want something simple that will hopefully cut down on the static. Thanks in advance for your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 You can find 3mm acrylic mats. Acrylic platters for the 1.3 are pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbrh2001 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Any difference between buying an acrylic mat vs. going ahead and getting the entire platter? The mats Ive found are about 1/2 the price of an Acri-plat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 The acrylic platter will be better than the mat... but the 1.3 platter has to be custom made. Pro-Ject doesn't sell an acrylic platter that fits the 1.3. An acrylic mat will definitely be an upgrade over a felt mat though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbrh2001 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 The acrylic platter will be better than the mat... but the 1.3 platter has to be custom made. Pro-Ject doesn't sell an acrylic platter that fits the 1.3. An acrylic mat will definitely be an upgrade over a felt mat though. Cool, kind of figured that would be the case. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannibal Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I like Herbie's stuff, but it may be more than you want to spend. Check it out. www.herbiesaudiolab.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicondevil Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I tried a cork mat after having just a felt or neoprene one. It seemed better, but I was probably just fooling myself. It is heavier so it doesn't pull up at much with static, but it doesn't really seem to change the amount of static I get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I have a Herbie's mat and I like it a lot. However, I'm currently using a cork mat and I like that a lot too. Both were an upgrade over felt ... but don't expect a huge change in sound. A good mat paired with a weight or clamp will probably tighten things up a bit, reduce unwanted resonance and maybe even improve transient response. Still, it's not going to be a night-and-day type deal. At least not in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanos27 Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thanks for the feedback. Will probably try out one of Reggie's mats at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaizada Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 The choice of mats is really a very personal one...they ALL change the sound of the vinyl rig so read up on it as much as you can before purchasing. I just read the specs on your table and the platter is made of MDF? (If that is correct, I personally think you would do well with a more dissimilar material based platter stack setup). Acrylic would work well, but I would probably go with a harder substance like aluminum or carbon fiber, depending on the rest of your system and analog chain of course. For the most part, soft materials have a softer sound and hard materials push up things like detail retrieval etc. IME. I use a Combak Harmonix TU-8000Exi matte on my VPI aluminum platter. I used to use and still own the acrylic platter. http://www.combak.net/analog_tuning_devices/Clamp_and_Matte.html The matte above cuts down the static about 70% by itself. The Milty Zero Stat alone cuts out static completely 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruckis Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 The choice of mats is really a very personal one...they ALL change the sound of the vinyl rig so read up on it as much as you can before purchasing. I just read the specs on your table and the platter of made of MDF? (If that is correct, I personally think you would do well with a more dissimilar material based platter). Acrylic would work well, but I would probably go with a harder substance like aluminum or carbon fiber, depending on the rest of your system and analog chain of course. For the most part, soft materials have a softer sound and hard materials push up things like detail retrieval etc. IME. I use a Combak Harmonix TU-8000Exi matte on my VPI aluminum platter. I used to use and still own the acrylic platter. http://www.combak.net/analog_tuning_devices/Clamp_and_Matte.html The matte above cuts down the static about 70% by itself. The Milty Zero Stat alone cuts out static completely 100%. Milty Zero Stat is worth the $100? Anyone else use it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaizada Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Milty Zero Stat is worth the $100? Anyone else use it? Functionally, definitely worth $100. Materials and build quality is probably $10 and I'm being really generous! Really cheap,plastic piece of crap actually. Hate keeping it in sight too...frikkin ugly blue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruckis Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Functionally, definitely worth $100. Materials and build quality is probably $10 and I'm being really generous! Really cheap,plastic piece of crap actually. Hate keeping it in sight too...frikkin ugly blue! Haha yeah it's terrible looking. I'm gonna get it. Know anywhere to get it for less than $100? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaizada Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Haha yeah it's terrible looking. I'm gonna get it. Know anywhere to get it for less than $100? http://www.lpgear.com/product/ZEROSTAT.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruckis Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 http://www.lpgear.com/product/ZEROSTAT.html Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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