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  1. #1
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    Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Quick question... on an inexpensive turntable that has an acrylic platter and comes with a felt pad, should I use the pad or put the album directly on the platter. I have heard in the past that placing an album on a glass or acrylic platter is better then using a pad. The manufacture states that either work nicely. They state that the tonearm is adjusted for the 1/8" thick pad but that some users prefer to put the album directly on the acrylic platter. They conclude that either is fine.

    Any opinions???
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  2. #2
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Whichever way doesn't cause static buildup. I myself would use a pad because it helps me grip the record to get it off the platter while it spins.
    Doug



  3. #3
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    I use cork. I find that here in Florida that I get noise with the felt pads or use a rubber pad


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  4. #4
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Quick question... on an inexpensive turntable that has an acrylic platter and comes with a felt pad, should I use the pad or put the album directly on the platter. I have heard in the past that placing an album on a glass or acrylic platter is better then using a pad. The manufacture states that either work nicely. They state that the tonearm is adjusted for the 1/8" thick pad but that some users prefer to put the album directly on the acrylic platter. They conclude that either is fine.

    Any opinions???
    Try both and go with what sounds better.

  5. #5
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    With my Rega I kept the felt mat on the platter. I didn't like the idea of LP's laying on the hard surface. Thinking back, I think that is actually a glass platter.

    I do not use a mat with my Clear Audio, The platter has a different type of hard surface and I use a clamp to hold the LP in place.
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  6. #6

    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    On my Vpi Prime I played records directly on the aluminum platter. With the AMG directly on the vinyl surface of the platter.

    I would argue it depends on your system, cart and personal preferences. Typically a platter mat of some sort softens the sound a bit. Therefeore, if you have a bright sounding system, I would try a mat.


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  7. #7
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Thanks for the input. Another opinion a vinyl head friend gave me is that he thinks a felt mat can be a dust collector. He also suggested trying them both to see if I hear a difference.
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  8. #8
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    I’m interested in this and have little to zero experience and like to see further comments.

    Here are my thoughts:

    Delrin seems to be a material used in making platters and it’s expensive, similar to that of the record. So I get why people would not use a mat under this scenario. Acrylic is used as well, what’s the difference in materiel, I’m not sure, to me it’s all a composite.

    From my understanding the raw material against each other will provide a more balanced frequency response whereas the mat will tone things down.

    As weight is used in setting, that’s where it gets even more controversial. Mat no mat, 110 gram to 200 gram weight affecting thickness.

    When my new table arrives, My thought is to stick with the mat, and have all settings for middle of the road and call it a day.








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  9. #9

    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Quick question... on an inexpensive turntable that has an acrylic platter and comes with a felt pad, should I use the pad or put the album directly on the platter. I have heard in the past that placing an album on a glass or acrylic platter is better then using a pad. The manufacture states that either work nicely. They state that the tonearm is adjusted for the 1/8" thick pad but that some users prefer to put the album directly on the acrylic platter. They conclude that either is fine.

    Any opinions???
    Mr. No Turntable now has a turntable?
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  10. #10

    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    I use the derenville magic mate and being hypnotized by the result.


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  11. #11
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Quote Originally Posted by mep View Post
    Mr. No Turntable now has a turntable?
    Not yet but soon. Digital will be my main source, but I am caving to my friends to once again try a table. I have had turntables back in the day. Ed pointing out a good inexpensive table just to play around with seemed to make sense.

    Again, for the record, I never once said it was a bad thing for those who enjoy their turntable, but instead have stated that I am happy with the ease, convenience, and quality of digital.
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  12. #12
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Quote Originally Posted by UltraFast69 View Post
    I’m interested in this and have little to zero experience and like to see further comments.

    Here are my thoughts:

    Delrin seems to be a material used in making platters and it’s expensive, similar to that of the record. So I get why people would not use a mat under this scenario. Acrylic is used as well, what’s the difference in materiel, I’m not sure, to me it’s all a composite.
    Acrylic and Delrin are not composites, its all one material through and through. Acrylic is polymethyl methacrylate, and Delrin is acetal homopolymer, a crystalline plastic which offers an excellent balance of properties that bridge the gap between metals and plastics.

    Clearaudio used to use acrylic, but has now switched to the use of POM for platters for many TT models, as it is harder than acrylic. POM is Polyoxymethylene, and has properties very similar to Delrin.

    On the whole, my experience is that platters made of harder materials tend to sound better than those made of softer materials. Delrin, POM, glass, aluminum, and ceramic are all harder than acrylic. But, its part of a system, so there can always be exceptions.

    As for mats, that is very highly dependent on the turntable. Its important to remember that turntables are designed by engineers to function as a system. In the case of many Rega models, the felt mat is required to obtain maximal system functionality. So, if it comes a felt mat, my recommendation is to use it with the felt mat it comes with. I tried cork on my Regas, and did not like it, it made the presentation sound dead. Turns out but all my Regas sounded considerably better when the OEM mat was used on the stock platter (and yes, I tried some aftermarket platters).

  13. #13
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Peabody View Post
    With my Rega I kept the felt mat on the platter. I didn't like the idea of LP's laying on the hard surface. Thinking back, I think that is actually a glass platter.

    I do not use a mat with my Clear Audio, The platter has a different type of hard surface and I use a clamp to hold the LP in place.
    The Rega was specifically designed to use the felt mat in conjunction with the glass platter. The P10, RP10, and new Planar 10 use a ceramic platter, but I can't remember if that specific model uses a felt mat. When it comes to Regas, I've found it best to follow what Rega says to do.

  14. #14
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Trying back and forth I don't really notice much of a sound difference with or without the felt mat, maybe a touch livelier directly on the acrylic platter. One thing though, it seems like the felt mat is a bit of a dust and static gatherer.
    McIntosh C49, MC152, MR85, R778 | T+A DAC 8 DSD | KEF LS50 Meta w/S2, KC62 (x2) | Rega RP8, Ania Pro, NEO PSU | Technics SL-1500C | Audio Technica VM750ML | Hexmat Eclipse, Yellow Bird, Molekula, Molekula Mini | Pro-Ject VC-E | Falcon NW PC Server (Roon Core & HQPlayer) | Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Roon Controller) | Abyss Diana Phi | Schiit Jotunheim 2 | Astell&Kern SE200 | Oppo BDP105

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  15. #15
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Trying back and forth I don't really notice much of a sound difference with or without the felt mat, maybe a touch livelier directly on the acrylic platter. One thing though, it seems like the felt mat is a bit of a dust and static gatherer.
    As someone with a TT that does not use a mat, I can tell you their platters gather dust as well.

    That's what dustcovers are for.

  16. #16
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    Quote Originally Posted by Puma Cat View Post
    Acrylic and Delrin are not composites, its all one material through and through. Acrylic is polymethyl methacrylate, and Delrin is acetal homopolymer, a crystalline plastic which offers an excellent balance of properties that bridge the gap between metals and plastics.

    Clearaudio used to use acrylic, but has now switched to the use of POM for platters for many TT models, as it is harder than acrylic. POM is Polyoxymethylene, and has properties very similar to Delrin.

    On the whole, my experience is that platters made of harder materials tend to sound better than those made of softer materials. Delrin, POM, glass, aluminum, and ceramic are all harder than acrylic. But, its part of a system, so there can always be exceptions.

    As for mats, that is very highly dependent on the turntable. Its important to remember that turntables are designed by engineers to function as a system. In the case of many Rega models, the felt mat is required to obtain maximal system functionality. So, if it comes a felt mat, my recommendation is to use it with the felt mat it comes with. I tried cork on my Regas, and did not like it, it made the presentation sound dead. Turns out but all my Regas sounded considerably better when the OEM mat was used on the stock platter (and yes, I tried some aftermarket platters).
    Thanks Puma!


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  17. #17
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    Re: Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

    I ended up getting a cork mat. Ben from U-Turn recommended it. He said that playing records directly on the acrylic platter was not an issue, but a cork mat was better at resisting static and the tone arm is adjusted with the 1/8" thickness of the mat in the mix. He said it is not a big difference but is slightly better for the table using a mat.
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Acrylic Platter with or without felt pad?

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