Finding the perfect turntable mat for your setup can be more work than you originally did picking out the perfect turntable. Do you want a slipmat or a turntable mat? Rubber turntable mat? Leather turntable mat? Cork turntable mat? Felt turntable mat? As always, the answer is, “it depends.” Record slipmats are fine for home listening, but they’re traditionally designed for DJing. Turntable mats come in a variety of materials that will each affect the sound of your records differently, and we wrote this list to help you make a little more sense of something that feels a little more complicated than it needs to. These are the 7 best turntable mats and slipmats for everyday use.
Turntable Lab Spacemat Record Slipmat
Turntable Lab is a one-stop shop for everything record related, so it should come as no surprise that they have plenty of great mat options. Our favorite is the Spacemat because of the cool, sublimated star field print that looks great when there isn’t a record spinning and the medium weight, soft felt construction that’s equally suited for living room listening and DJing.
$15
Sicmats Obey Slipmats (Pair)
Sicmats Obey Slipmats are made of medium thickness felt and sold in a pair, so they were clearly designed for the DJ in you. Even though we haven’t spent time behind the decks in years, we like these mats for the signature red, black and cream Obey design emblazoned on the top.
$20
Pro-Ject Audio Cork It Turntable Mat
Cork turntable mats like this one from Pro-Ject Audio reduce static, dampen resonance, prevent slippage and can really open up the sound of a record. The Cork It is also constructed with a cutout in one side to prevent your vinyl from floating on the label, and because of the cork construction it won’t stick to your records when you take them off.
$25
Hudson Hi-Fi Swiss Leather Turntable Mat
Hudson Hi-Fi’s Swiss Leather Turntable Mat reduces noise, avoids static load and dampens resonance from metal platters much like a cork mat, but it also broadens the sound, opens up the bass and improves clarity with the unique sound characteristics you’ll only find in leather. Bonus points because it also looks really good on your platter.
$25+
Technics Rubber Mat
Technics is one of the biggest DJ companies in the world, and this thick rubber mat is the one that ships stock with their 1200 models which should be a pretty good indication of its quality. Technics rubber mats are highly sought after because they’re especially good at dampening vibrations, holding records in place, reducing dust and you can actually clean them.
$40+
Herbie's Audio Lab Way Excellent II Turntable Mat
Spend any amount of time discussing turntable mats on audiophile forums and Herbie’s Audio Lab Way Excellent II Turntable Mat will come up. Made with open-cell silicone foam and a black elastomer “donut,” Herbie’s mat absorbs vibration, kills unwanted platter micro-vibrations, reduces vinyl/stylus feedback and eliminates lateral slippage. Put all those features together and you get a listening experience that will leave you feeling like you were there when it was recorded.
$60
Achromat by Funk
Deeper bass. Better mids. More space and air. Science that we don’t quite understand that turns vibration energy into heat to reduce resonance. Funk Firm’s Achromat is a great way to give your metal platter turntable upgrades in the audio department similar to what you’d find in a much pricier acrylic platter table. You’ll hear so many new parts of your records you’ll wonder why you didn’t upgrade earlier.
$115
