Best Turntable Platter Mats to Supercharge Your Deck

The power of a simple turntable platter mat upgrade to improve the performance of your deck is often overlooked.

After all, can the material between your records and the turntable platter really make a difference to the sound?

The truth is, when it comes to a physical format like vinyl, everything affects the sound!

We look at some of the best turntable platter mats to suit all budgets. You'd be supprised how much difference upgrading your platter mat can make. If you're coming from a simple felt slip mat, even better, you're in for a sonic treat!

Recommended Mats:
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Cork Turntable Mat: (AAF)

Leather GrooveWasher Mat: (Get 10% off with code SOUNDMATTERS10 )

Acrylic Hudson HiFi Mat: (AAF)

Funk Firm - Achromat:

Soundeck Platter Mat:

Hexmat Eclipse:

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#vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #turntable

[soundmatters]

Thanks for watching! 🎶🎧 Do drop your comments and questions below. If you'd like to support the channel, check the video description for many DISCOUNT CODES codes to enjoy money off various products and feed your vinyl habit! (I earn a small commission - no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!

[mikequinlan]

I just added a rubber mat to my turntable tonight and it made a big difference. I previously had a felt mat, and for this particular turntable, the heavy rubber mat worked! 👍

[scottchegg]

Achromat. Works on every turntable. Regardless of platter material, or turntable cost. Genius product!

[jessicalawson]

Have been playing records my whole life (I'm 40) and never knew that you could replace the mat on a turntable, My vintage Sony record player now has a fancy cork mat on it. The depth it adds to the bass is kind of astounding.

[Rosco]

I had a 5mm raw leather matt made and use it rough side up. It is outstanding to be honest

[DrGIzmoBRad]

Excellent summary of platter mat options. Might have to try the metal polymer mat on my Thorens TT. I've two belt drive turntables with aftermarket platter mats. To test different mats I removed the belt, turned on the TT, then dropped the stylus onto the bare platter to get baseline noise levels, then tried out various mats. For acrylic platters, I found the Hexmat 'Yellow Bird' was very effective at lowering both motor cogging and external plinth transients. For glass platters, a Herbie's 3mm two layer silicone mat dampened high frequency motor vibration quite well. Lower frequency vibration was also reduced, but not to the same extent. The acrylic platter is on an acrylic plinth TT with an AC synchronous motor, and the glass platter is on a Roksan Attessa TT with electronic PWM speed control. Both decks use MC cartridges.

[TDdd]

My Rega RP1 was rebuilt with a new inner platter resting on a jewel bearing, the wiring was replaced with better wiring, better connecting cable to the amp, a near perfect acrylic platter ordered from England to the USA. I did this for a reason when I bought the Audio-Technica AT150 Mlx cartridge.(no longer available). It is the best sounding turntable/cartridge combination I've ever heard. The acrylic platter is perfectly turned and balanced (at the time it was only $125 US plus shipping. The RP1 turntable is better than many of Rega's turntables made today, and I especially like the AC motor (rather than DC). Those motors can only be special ordered today, and it works well with a speed control. Still, it was the acrylic platter that closed the deal.

[LuckeGabriel]

I find the stock Technics rubber mat to look so good I can't bring myself to replace it with an acrylic one.

[StonefieldJim]

Spoke to a chap from Rega who said they all have pros and cons, except wool ones, which only have pros.

[JumbleTasteSpinning]

Just got the Funk firm's APM achromat.
It have heavy glass under and the achromat on top.
Brilliant mat. Highly recommend.

[sgx]

Been using the SDS Soundeck for 3, 4 years now - tried all stuck with that

[LukeFisherGAS]

Here in the US we have the Uturn Orbit, which offers an optional acrylic platter. However they also ship it with a thick felt mat, and it doesn't have a label recess. Basically it's designed to have felt over acrylic.

Well, I wanted to replace it so I found a 2.7mm clear acrylic mat that I use with mine, but is slipped horribly, between the record and the mat against the platter. Even using my trusty Mitchell Engineering clamp, there was still audible slipping, not at all acceptable.

How I solved it is just amazing to see in action. I put a small oring on the spindle, between the mat and the record, and then forcefully clamp it down. This solved the whole thing. The record does not slip at all, sound quality is very much improved, especially clarity of the low frequencies.

Also, with this method the warps are greatly diminished, it's quite noticable.

If you are not happy with how flat your records when clamped, find a tiny oring to put on the spindle, under the record...it's a fantastic trick.

[marcgoecke]

I've seen discussions about all kind of platter mats for years now, but I will stick with a proper rubber mat, because it's perfectly fine.

[PaulSelka-bb]

I’m gona try the cork, maybe acrylic, and the metal dampening too! Half the fun is experimenting with different things to perfect the’sound’ we are chasing!

[johndonnelly]

I have a vintage Pioneer PL-707 turntable, I thought was some how generating a static charge and transferring it to the LP. I tested this with a static charge meter and was correct. I changed the original rubber mat to a AM Clean Sound anti static mat and it made a world of difference. The pops and crackle went away and when I checked the LP surface with the static charge meter it actually reduced the charge from the record surface. The anti static mat is made from carbon fiber.

[awbzerver]

This was my first time watching your channel. This was a very straightforward and informative video. I like your presentation style, it's articulate and understandable.

[therobesse]

Excellent comparison video of turntable mats, good stuff. Can vouch for leather mats, they look great and help keep static to a minimum. A nice leather mat on an acrylic platter is a favourite.

[stephenchen]

I use a 3mm thick carbon fibre mat on my heavily modified Thorens TD-160 super. Replaced the Ringmat when the cork rings fell off.
Have been doing so since 2004 - basically game over, as I haven't discovered anything better since. (Living Voices Mystic Mat - long out of print)
I use a 3mm cork mat on my second standard TD 160 (aka Mk 1), but would like to try leather, Funk Achromat & others.

[cify]

I upgraded the Audio Technica LP60X felt mat to a beautiful blue acrylic. Definitely better rotation stability, less static, tighter bass response and less surface noise. The Achromat looks great and the Soundeck Steel looks a gooden too, (both reviewed by Paul Rigby). It's just that new companies seem to be getting on board with the production of acrylic platter mats for turntables, and I think the LP60X has benefitted greatly. I also swapped out the conical stylus and replaced it with an elliptical from LP Gear. I think these new additions probably increase the value of what has been one of the top beginner's turntables for the last 5 years.

[rod]

Greetings from the U.S. After some experimentation with different mats I have settled on a cork mat with one side coated wth a rubberized coating under a Hudson Acrylic mat. this is on a "The AR Turntable" with a Linn Basik Tonearm, which is height adjustable.