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CHEAP turntable mat

G

Garrard201

Well-Known Member
SO, for $1.99 today at IKEA I found this mat that is turquoise (which I LOVE) and it works really well as a turntable mat on my Technics SL-B2. It has ridges in it, so it even looks like an LP (albeit one whose songs are all 20 seconds). I think it comes in other colors too. I didn't get to listen to much tonight, so I'll have to do some A/B sound testing tomorrow.

Also, you have to get an exacto knife to punch out the center hole, and to cut it down to the right size (but the ridges make this easy). The edges aren't the prettiest things, but they'll do. And if you have a Rega 'table in one of those funky colors, this could be just the ticket!

By the way, these are actually labelled as placemats, and work great! Made of some weird semi-spongy material.

Anyone not near an IKEA, drop me a line and if enough people are interested, I'll go back and get more.
 
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OK, I just realized I didn't include the NAME of the item... my receipt says it's a "Pann+," item #100.844.43 according to the bottom of the mat. The other numbers there are "16578" and "0735." And note that it is made in Vietnam, which I didn't see till just now.
 
I've seen those style of placemats and they are the same type of material as the "None Felt" turntable mats by Extreme Phono that were written-up in Stereophile. I know that Orchard Supply Hardware stores here carry these types of placemats in a variety of colors as well. I would expect that Lowes Hardware or any other store that carries a large selection of Housewares would also stock them. I am currently using the "None Felt" mat on my Linn LP-12 and I love it. I have also thought about buying/making one for my AR too. However, I understand the None Felt mats had some issues with leaving a residue on records in hot and humid climates, so I would expect mats made with these placemats to have a similar issue. Stereophile mentioned this issue sometime back as a followup to their review of the None Felt mat, but I'm afraid I can't tell you what issue that was in. I have never experienced this problem with mine, but our climate here is pretty mild. Just something you should be aware of..... :yes:
 
Interesting according to the Ikea web sit this mat which is a little over 14" in Diameter is made from Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) Plastic So it's some version of vinyl!

The wife has been talking about going tot he new Ikea that have in Portland I might pickup one. Not in that ugly green but I'm sure one of the others could be a possibility. HOW thick is it? I'm not keen on changing my VTA unless I hear some real promise.
 
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50084441
36825_PE128079_S4.jpg
 
About the NONE material + shelf liner stuff leaving a residue: I read one article where someone noticed the residue eventually goes away.

Someone else recommends this:

"Be sure to spray it with Alcohol and soak it in some Dawn rinse with Hot water 2 or 3 times to get rid of the tacky crap that will leave an imprint on records if they're left on the mat for more than a few hours."

That sounds like a good idea to me.

I made one of the mats out of shelf liner, and what I noticed is, when you pick up the record, the mat wants to come up with it. Maybe a couple pieces of tape would help.
 
IKEA does also have a corkmat that in my experience is perfect as a TT mat.
I have tried both and I really like the cork.Comes in a package of six and is rectangular but is very easy to cut in right diameter.A real high end mat that for once is cheap.
/gusten
 
great idea!:thmbsp: i'll be looking for a few of these in ikea next time i visit...
i kinda like that green too...
an art 'compass cutter' that does 6 inch radius should be able to reduce the circumference neatly...:scratch2:
my rega felt mat is feeling nervous..:D
 
Garrard201 said:
SO, for $1.99 today at IKEA I found this mat that is turquoise (which I LOVE) and it works really well as a turntable mat on my Technics SL-B2. It has ridges in it, so it even looks like an LP (albeit one whose songs are all 20 seconds). I think it comes in other colors too. I didn't get to listen to much tonight, so I'll have to do some A/B sound testing tomorrow.

Also, you have to get an exacto knife to punch out the center hole, and to cut it down to the right size (but the ridges make this easy). The edges aren't the prettiest things, but they'll do. And if you have a Rega 'table in one of those funky colors, this could be just the ticket!

By the way, these are actually labelled as placemats, and work great! Made of some weird semi-spongy material.

Anyone not near an IKEA, drop me a line and if enough people are interested, I'll go back and get more.
Click to expand...

You might want to be careful to see if it leaves any residue on an LP. I used some "vinyl" shelf paper lining in the same way. Spaced out and left a record on it overnight, completely ruined it.
 
meggy said:
You might want to be careful to see if it leaves any residue on an LP. I used some "vinyl" shelf paper lining in the same way. Spaced out and left a record on it overnight, completely ruined it.
Click to expand...

How did the LP get ruined?

I just made a TT mat with the "Duck" brand "Grip it" Shelf liner from Walmart and I have not been getting any residue. I actually use two of the mats together as it closely matches the thickness of the original mat. One side of the liner is flat and makes stacking the two mats easy and affective, and it looks better IMO. I used the old mat as a guide and cut two nearly perfect circles.

The one thing I noticed about the sound was that the bass seems better defined and not as muddy as before. Its just my observation but I like the way it sounds. It definetly does not make it sound worse.
 
It is pretty amazing how something as simple as the turntable mat can make such a difference in sound. You would think the TT manufacturers would wake up and engineer a better one to enhance the sound quality of their respective tables since making one better than stock can be done so well and best of all, on the cheap.
 
Am I missing something? Is everyone losing their original mats, or just looking for something "different"?

I couldn't imagine using my table with a mat other than the original. It's a really nice mat, and flat, and won't leave residue, or ruin albums..
 
similost said:
Am I missing something? Is everyone losing their original mats, or just looking for something "different"?

I couldn't imagine using my table with a mat other than the original. It's a really nice mat, and flat, and won't leave residue, or ruin albums..
Click to expand...

James, different mats made of different materials can impart a different sound to your music. I.E. better, clearer bass, more detailed highs or maybe even more defined mids. If you are happy with what you have, don't change it. But it is worthwhile experimenting with different mats to see which you like the best.
It is funny how a different mat can make such a difference in the way your music sounds! :D
 
Garrard201 said:
SO, for $1.99 today at IKEA I found this mat that is turquoise (which I LOVE) and it works really well as a turntable mat on my Technics SL-B2. It has ridges in it, so it even looks like an LP (albeit one whose songs are all 20 seconds). I think it comes in other colors too. I didn't get to listen to much tonight, so I'll have to do some A/B sound testing tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Hey Garrard... not to get off topic (as i might grab one of these mats myself) but i also have an SL-B2. Seems like an uncommon model. I'm curious as to what cart you're using, and what is your overall impression of the TT? like pros/cons, etc. Feel free to PM me if this is an inappropriate tangent for this thread. Thanks!
 
chillwolf said:
James, different mats made of different materials can impart a different sound to your music. I.E. better, clearer bass, more detailed highs or maybe even more defined mids. If you are happy with what you have, don't change it. But it is worthwhile experimenting with different mats to see which you like the best.
It is funny how a different mat can make such a difference in the way your music sounds! :D
Click to expand...

Its cheap too if you make your own. Theres no real reason not to experiment as long as your not dumping $100+ on a ring mat or the like.
 
I don't know.. My table has an excellent sound.. I think I'll just keep riding it out like I am.. I figure when Pioneer made my table, they know what sounded good.. and the mat sure looks better than a piece of cork or foam or felt or what ever..

Hope everyone else finds their nirvana..
 
twist72 said:
How did the LP get ruined?
Click to expand...


Just from sitting on the mat at room tempurature overnight, some of the mat's "vinyl" came off on to the lp almost like a paint/goo in blotches. Scrubbed and scrubbed by couldn't do anything about it.

I don't know how you could test for that. Maybe take a white bartowel and try scrubbing what you're working with. See if anything comes off.
 
penkosey said:
About the NONE material + shelf liner stuff leaving a residue: I read one article where someone noticed the residue eventually goes away.

Someone else recommends this:

"Be sure to spray it with Alcohol and soak it in some Dawn rinse with Hot water 2 or 3 times to get rid of the tacky crap that will leave an imprint on records if they're left on the mat for more than a few hours."

That sounds like a good idea to me.

I made one of the mats out of shelf liner, and what I noticed is, when you pick up the record, the mat wants to come up with it. Maybe a couple pieces of tape would help.
Click to expand...

My None Felt mat wants to come up with the record too! For that reason, I usually change records with the turntable running. I don't use a record clamp, so I can get away with that.

After seeing the photo Face posted and then rereading the original posting, I realized that I was not on the same page as everyone else. The material that I was talking about was the rolled shelf liners/placemats sold in hardware stores.

After reading the Stereophile followup on the None Felt mat, I never leave a record on the turntable overnight. Just don't want to take chances with my vinyl....
 
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