Felt Mat vs Bare Acrylic Platter

So you have an acrylic platter. Should you run it bare, or should you slap a felt mat on there? Listen to this comparison to see if you hear a difference.

Check out my other comparison videos.

[mcflopper]

I’m surprised. I just ordered a fluance rt-85 with the acrylic platter for appearance and less static reasons. But after watching your video I’m looking forward to the actual difference in sound as well! Thanks!

[jworthe]

Makes me wonder how much of this difference is due to the VTA difference caused by the thickness of the mat.

[teadm]

The acrylic platter makes the music brighter.

[benthomas]

There is about a .5 db difference in the 1200 - 1350 kHz range.

[paolomarcelogalvan]

It depends on pre amp and vinyl records pressing on sound quality

[MrPortwinestain]

I got a Hudson HiFi acrylic Mat with a label cut out in the center of the disc. Sounds awesome! It really just comes down to personal preference.

[gregszful]

Would love some clamp vs no clamp tests.

[Alvarochahin]

Could be placebo, I like the sound of acrylic better

[andrewhaines]

Prefer the felt mat seems less harsh and not so much distortion.

[safmyk]

Hey dude what is the name of that song! You never reply anyone's question about it on any of your videos 😂

[Chris_Porro_Land_o_Naps]

i can hear a difference but it's mostly in volume. the felt is maybe 2db quieter. wish there was less distortion in the recording because you can confuse it with system distortion. i appreciate the effort! videos like this confirm what i already suspect....too little to care. ha. bigger audio fish to fry.

[fredmccarroll]

I purchased a Music Hall turntable in 2010 and it came with a felt mat. My cartridge is a Shure M97xE. My turntable is connected to a Yamaha A/V 7.2 receiver. And I have a Klipsch 7.1 speaker setup. For alignment I used a Shure cartridge alignment protractor and a Shure SFG-2 Stylus Force Gauge. When playing my records I use a Bren1 record clamp. I have never noticed or heard any distortion that may be caused from the mat. I would suspect that any distortion would come from misalignment and not the mat.

[christerpedersen]

Felt crap I must say. Had P3 with that pullover and not, not impressed. Had to go...

[audiowatches]

Minimal difference not worth the hassle.

[tobinmummert]

I for one prefer a more "laid back" approach to my sound so I use a felt mat. Also there is definitely a more "warmer" sound and better defined highs along with smother mids and snappy bass when using a felt mat. Acrylic mats will make the music a bit louder but fortunately a lot brighter than my anal audiophile ears desire!

[TDdd]

I don't wish to disappoint you, but that acrylic you're using is not setup for record contact. The acrylic platters that are made for that have a 1/2mm indention where the record label sits. Otherwise the record does not properly make contact with the platter. I'm afraid what you have is for looks only.