Below is the text of the review in Hi-Fi World. This mat is made from SDS Aluminium which is a noise & vibration damping material from Sound. Visit the web site for videos showing how the material works. With a 7.9mm centre hole. We also make a 285mm mat for Technics & SP12s. To read reviews from enthusiastic end users and reviewers just type isoplatmat or isofeet into your search engine, the positive comments will confirm that this is a “must have accessory”. View the video below to see how effective the IsoPlatMat is at removing vibration, it gives the needle the opportunity to reproduce what is in the groove without external interference. Turntables are literally precision analogue measuring instruments using the cartridge stylus as the sensor. The needle traces the groove, its relative deflection causing the coils/magnets in the cartridge to transducer this mechanical energy into electrical energy, which is duly amplified and converted back into mechanical energy by your loudspeaker voice coils. This is the theory, at least, but in practice the stylus also picks up vibrations from the loudspeaker sound waves via the turntable itself. Indeed, the turntable itself acts as a kind of microphone, capturing all manner of ambient energy and feeding it back into the system (thus muddying the sound). This is why isolation is all important, as is suspension design and also the mechanical quietness of the platter (which is the closest point of contact between the turntable and the stylus). Trouble is, a great many decks still use metal platters usually mazak, cheap kind of. Aluminium alloy which tend to ring like a bell when struck with a fingernail. Manufacturers attempt to damp this ringing with, variously, felt, rubber or acrylic mats, but theres always room for improvement. Sound Damped Steels platter mat consists of two aluminium disks of differing thicknesses, with a layer of polymer sandwiched between, which is then balanced and black powder coated. Its simple to use; you just place the disk on your existing platter, and then (where applicable) put the existing mat on top. Because the disc is only 2mm thick, it shouldnt upset the arms Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA) too much, but if it does, then obviously youll have to adjust the arm height slightly. In decks with no mat (such as the Michell GyroDec), then the platter mat can go straight on the top. Placing the mat on any decks platter is quit amazing; flick the circumference of the platter without the SDS mat and it tings (especially if its metal, or glass rather than acrylic) but then add the SDS mat and repeat the exercise and its far more akin to a dull thunk. This shows how the mat takes so much mechanical energy out of the platter, deadening it down more effectively than any rubber, felt, glass, cork or sorbothane mat Ive ever tried. If the finger test proves its mechanical efficacy, then you should hear the difference it makes when records are spun in anger. Theres a dramatic reduction in clang in the midband, causing a real drop in nasal colouration. The whole soundstage opens out (front to back, left to right), the tonality of the instruments is better discernible, the bass appears tighter and more fluid and the treble smoother and cleaner. Even with a turntable with excellent disc support such as a Michell GyroDec, the SDS mat makes an obvious difference. Taking it a good way towards Orbe performance but with a mazak classic Japanese Direct Drive, its night and day; the SDS mat making the deck sound obviously less bright yet faster and more incisive too. This is the best turntable mat Ive yet heard. It may not work with every deck equally and may require some experimentation (rubber mat on or off, arm VTA up or same etc,), but Ive tried it on a wide variety of decks (budget, high end, belt drive and direct) and every time Ive wanted to keep it on rather than reverting back to stock. The item “Soundeck by SDS PM Turntable Platter Mat Isolation IsoPlatMat Black 295mm” is in sale since Wednesday, July 27, 2011. This item is in the category “Sound & Vision\TV & Home Audio Parts\Record Player/Turntable Parts”. The seller is “soundeck_sds” and is located in North Shields, Tyne & Wear. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Brand: SDS Isoplatmat 295mm Black
- Compatible Brand: Universal standard size
- MPN: SDS Isoplatmat 295 Black
- Type: SDS vinyl record turntable isolation IsoPlatMat
- Unit Quantity: 1
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom