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Anyone ever use the Goldmund Reference Mat ?

Someone left one of these at my house.I know usually they just leave their sunglasses or car keys.Sometimes they just leave(Hooray).Anyway,the mat is about 5/16" thick made of carbon fiber acrylic.It is coupled to the platter with an audioquest sticky sorbothane sub mat.I put it on my Oracle Mark II,Magnepan Unipivot,Ortofon kontrapunkt,into Music Reference,Audio Research,Music Reference and finally to Acoustat 2+2.Certainly added detail.I played "Stagefright" by The Band which seemed a bit muddy to me last time I spun it.Clean and more focused now.Then i played"Nightwings" by Bucky Pizzarelli w/ Joe Venuti.This is a mid 70s flying Dutchman LP.A duet of Bucky on 7 string Electric and Venuti on Violin of course.Initial impression is very favorable to me.I had to raise the arm,but the Unipivot has VTA on the fly so no problem.The only problem is that the mat is so tall that the record is at very top of spindle where Oracle has threading which is of smaller diameter than spindle.Record needs to be centered visually.I'm working on adapting a spindle from junk turntable to heighten spindle .shouldn't be too difficult.Imagine I'll need to recalculate downforce with added heighth as well.Need to spin personal reference LPs to get bigger picture,but seems to have possibilities.
casey33
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,517 posts
 
The mat is actually made from Metacrylate (no carbon), the material Goldmund used for their TT platters, motorboards, and plinths. Goldmund felt this material most closely approximated the properties of vinyl, and when properly clamped, the record became 'one' with the platter. To increase that 'bonding', the surface of the platter (and the mat you have) is slightly concave to help the clamp put even pressure across the record.

I don't think Goldmund intended the sticky AQ sorbothane interface, so I'd get rid of that if I were you. 3 or 4 little pieces of double-sided Scotch tape spaced evenly around the platter are all you need to keep the mat from slipping.

And you will need a clamp.
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casey33 OP
260 posts
 
Thanks.I removed the AQ sorbo and taped the Gmat down.This eliminated the problems of verticality,and allows me to use the Oracle clamp once more.
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,517 posts
 
So does the mat make a difference sonically?
nkj
119 posts
 
I've used one of these on my Oracle (now a Mk V) for about 20years. It's Goldmund Relief Mat made of Metacrylate. It does in fact have a concave "relief" to it for the label area and its impedance is supposed to match that of viynl.

I tossed the sticky original Oracle mat when I bought it. It was quite a cult item at the time amongst our audio group. It certainly makes for a less muddy more accurate presentation.. probably one of the best mats I have tried (I started with Platter Matter, thats how long I've been in this game!) In fact, the use of the Goldmund mat on the Oracle is now vindicated as Oracle themselves have ditched the sticky mat for a hard mat like just like the Goldmund relief mat.

Nkj
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