Ringmat Developments Anniversary Real Ale Version 3mm Turntable Platter Mat

Turntable mats can seen to be something of a dark science, and few appear on the surface to be more 'out there' than the Ringmat designs. However I would wager too that few if any have had as much listening and experimentation invested in them to perfect the end result.

Exactly what it does, and how it does it I am not sure, but this UK made patented design is the best all round mat I have ever heard, and one has been in constant use in my own system since the original design appeared in the early nineties.

The design centres around a paper pulp disc with unlinked fine cork rings, that I presume act as a form of mild suspension of the LP.

Sonically I find the results are very detailed, fast and immediate, backgrounds are quiet, bass smearing reduced, timing is spot on and tonally they are neutral. Most other mats sounds over damped, messy and incoherent in comparison. 

They are consistently successful across almost all turntables, the only time when I would be sure of the benefits is on a turntable with a very resonant platter, as due to the low mass and small contact area it will not damp resonance as strongly as something heavier, but I find any well designed deck should respond well. I have used them on a wide variety of decks including Nottingham Analogue, Garrard (301/401), Roksan, Linn, Rega, Pro-Ject, Manticore and many others.

The mat is approximately 3mm thick so is a straight replacement for many existing rubber/felt mats. This is the latest 'real ale' version, its dark brown colouring coming from the beer grains and other authentic brewer ingredients in the paper, rather than the cotton mix found in the earlier lighter coloured versions.

We also sell the top of the range model in our ebay show, please search in our ebay shop for "Ringmat Goldspot Deco"

This mat is suitable, and works well, with 12", 10" and 7" records (excluding flexidiscs naturally!)