Luxurious Leather and Cork turntable mats
Review samples provided by WoodenBull
Retail price:
Black or Brown grip mat: $29.99
It had been some time since I had played LPs, but the thought of reinstating the turntable had been lingering in the back of my mind lately. So it was perfect timing when I was approached by John O’Regan of Wooden Bull, asking if I was interested in giving his Leather and Cork turntable mats a listen. The mats are marketed as “Grip mats” rather than “Slipmats”, but the latter term would only apply to DJ-minded people who actually want LPs to slip on certain high-torque direct-drive turntables. As I am firmly interested in the audiophile spectrum of music reproduction, I will refer to them simply as “mats”.
The mats consist of a layer of gel-infused cork with a layer of cowhide leather on top. The two layers are glued together with special care taken to prevent air pockets. Together, the two materials provide excellent damping and a very firm grip on the record. The leather layer is available in black, as reviewed here, and in brown.
Used to reviewing audiophile tweaks that cost an arm and a leg, I was delighted to find the mats priced on the very affordable side. Given their quality finish, I expected them to be at least twice as expensive.
Sound
Compared with the thin felt mat (not the thick Technics felt mat type) I used since the comparison with the Linn LP12, the Wooden Bull mat is a big cosmetic improvement, making the humble Thorens turntable look a little more serious. Naturally, I adjusted the arm height to compensate for the thicker mat, and luckily this is very simple and fast, and within 2 minutes, listening continued.
Sometimes differences are minute, making it hard for me to describe them, but not in this case: the Wooden Bull mat makes a big increase in sound quality! The biggest improvement is in the bass. The Thorens offers excellent delicacy and fine detail, and it’s tuneful with excellent pace, but it is limited in the bass department, lacking solidity and substance, which can make the player sound thin. The Wooden Bull mat addresses this area to a remarkable extent, filling in the missing body and adding more natural tone (timbre) in the process. Because the bass is the foundation of the music, the midrange also benefits from this, becoming more sonorous and voluptuous in the process.
Importantly, because the Thorens, and my ribbon speakers as well, are so capable of fine detail and nuance, I am very wary of products that improve bass or dynamics, but at the expense of treble air or natural musical flow. Well, no need to worry, as the Wooden Bull mat leaves these aspects fully intact, without adding any thickness or congestion.
The Thorens is originally supplied with a rubber mat, but I used it with a thin felt mat ever since the comparison with a Linn LP12, which also came with a thin felt mat. This was part of a larger turntable comparison. But this was the perfect opportunity to reassess, so on went the original Thorens rubber mat.
Looking at the Thorens rubber mat, it occurred to me that actually only its two circular ridges make contact with the record. And sure enough, the sound is markedly different from both the thin felt mat and the Wooden Bull mat. The Thorens mat makes for a bouncy and exciting sound. In some respect, it could be argued that it makes the sound more dynamic than the Wooden Bull, but I think it is more a case of the midrange being more forward and etched, which creates the sensation of a more direct sound, much like a TV’s sharpness control. With the rubber mat, less-than-stellar recordings can even start to sound a little aggressive, and here too the Wooden Bull mat provides a much more natural balance, preventing transient overshoot but retaining all the excitement. Another important difference is tonality, or timbre. Tonality with the Wooden Bull mat is very natural, but this is not the case with the Thorens mat. The latter has a distinctly thinner tonality and makes instruments sound leaner and arguably less natural.
Quickly, I replaced the Wooden Bull mat, just to double-check my observations. Sure enough, the Wooden Bull brought back the natural timbre and sonorous tonality. The overall sense of attack with the Wooden Bull is indeed slightly less than with the original rubber mat, but much better than with the thin felt mat and, for this turntable/cartridge combination at least, spot on in balance for my taste. With the Wooden Bull mat, my sound is more dynamic than it has been for years, which makes me think the original rubber Thorens mat may let transients overshoot. In any event, I find the Wooden Bull to provide the best set of sonic attributes for my humble Thorens.
No downsides then? Nope, I’m afraid not! But one thing to be aware of is the hole, which needs to fit your spindle size. One would expect all spindles to be the same, but they are not. Thorens is on the larger-than-average side, so if you own a Thorens, make sure to request a larger size. I requested 7mm, and this size fits the TD166MKII perfectly.
Conclusion
The Wooden Bull mat is finished to a high standard, sounds excellent, and costs very little. If you have a turntable that allows swapping of mats (and has adjustable arm height), this is quite simply a no-brainer must-buy product.
Turntable used: Thorens TD160MkII with Denon DL304MKII MC Cartridge
Mat Properties:
Upper layer: Leather (Cowhide)
Bottom layer: Gel-infused cork
Diameter: 288mm
Thickness: 3mm
Default spindle hole size: 6mm (also available in 7mm or 8mm)
Videos on the Hifi-Advice YouTube Channel
Thorens TD1601 turntable compared to TD160 Super, TD160mkII, TD125mkII, and Linn LP12
HFA Front Page
External Links
Manufacturer: Wooden Bull
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