One of the most affordable and best upgrades to my Woodsong Gerrard 301 is the British made Ringmat! Man, I had almost forgotten about mine. It was still on my old TT (Kuzma Stabi Stogi). It was a great improvement back then but I thought I didn’t need it on my new 301 since it already had the cool Puresound Tenuto gunmetal mat. That was $400. The Ringmat is under $100. But the difference in sound is huge! everything just came into focus and it is punchy as hell. Why did I wait so long to check it out!
That's a Garrard sic With the rumbling idler wheel. The Ringmat damped some of the rumbling, that's all, so it did sound a bit quieter. Why love this kit born when I was in short trousers? I had some Garrards myself. Pre '66. Things have moved on a bit, boomers. Those lucky of us still left.
I just replaced a copper mat for a cork/rubber mat on my Garrard 301, this was done because of a newly mounted cartridge. Metal mat tends to accentuate certain frequencies, in some setup, the copper will sound better. It all depends on the turntable components as a whole and your listening preference.
I'm experimenting with a magnesium mat on my Ariston RD11 TT. That's a very dead-sounding metal! So far the results are very good! This TT uses two very thin rubber rings embedded in the alloy platter for minimal contact with the LP. I also use a record weight.
Turntable mats are like seasonings on food. They certainly make an important difference, but no one of us is in a position to say whether the perceived difference that one guy hears is right or wrong. Like salt and pepper, it’s a matter of taste. Or as Frank Sinatra said about his favorite bourbon, I’m for whatever gets you through the night. Especially during these times.
Turntable mats are like seasonings on food. They certainly make an important difference, but no one of us is in a position to say whether the perceived difference that one guy hears is right or wrong. Like salt and pepper, it’s a matter of taste. Or as Frank Sinatra said about his favorite bourbon, I’m for whatever gets you through the night. Especially during these times.
Excellent post
I guess I could say the same thing for any difference one perceives in any one TT design.
No.
The difference is that a turntable is designed by an engineer who knows the parameters of a vinyl record.
When someone designs a mat, unless it is designed for a specific turntable and the underlying platter structure is known, then the aftermarket mat will always be a lucky dip - or seasoning as Lewm calls it.
I have heard the ringmat on many turntables - it does not support the record properly, its only use is to paper over the cracks of a poorly designed turntable, or turntable that is low in resolution.
When I bought my first Linn LP12 about 25 years ago, the guy selling it demoed the turntable with a Ringmat. It sounded awful - thin, lightweight, no midrange. I was disappointed and asked him to put the stock felt mat back on and suddenly the LP12 magic returned. It sounded great and I bought the turntable - with stock mat (that TT is now sadly long gone). Years later I bought a Ringmat to try myself and had exactly the same experience with a few different turntables.
It was one of those tweaks that became popular for a few years and got good reviews - as happens often in the faddish world of hi fi - and then thankfully disappeared without trace.
To the OP, live with the Ringmat for a while. My guess is that in a few weeks or months you will remember why you put the Ringmat away years ago.
I have to agree with Stringreen. It is hard to just say, "that xxxx mat is a bad one" It just did not gel with your particular setup at that time. And that is about all you can say. I have a cupboard full of different mats I have tried and I am still trying out from over the years. Do I have a fave for my present Garrard 401? Sure but does not mean I might not find something I like better or I change tonearm or cart and feel the need to experiment again.
Above all just have fun, enjoy the music and stay safe!
Sooooo glad I posted this. I removed my Puresound Tetuto gunmetal mat on Forum advise and, bingo, the sound got more solid and better! The 301 came with the Tenuto and, since it was $400, figured it was best. No way. The original 301 has a rubber built in mat. Just tried the Sakura Systems Boston Carbon Mat. This is the one. Tighter bass and more control. Much better than without and better than the Tenuto or no mat.
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