Guys if anyone would like to be in the loaner program for the funk firm Acromat please list your name below, the deal is you get and try for 2 weeks and then post onwards via signature delivery to the next in line, let me know whos interested

Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI

May 29, 2017 21:44:13 GMT 12 deano1974 said:

Guys if anyone would like to be in the loaner program for the funk firm Acromat please list your name below, the deal is you get and try for 2 weeks and then post onwards via signature delivery to the next in line, let me know whos interested.

Yup I'm in.

I am a non-recovering audioholic, and Ivor is my higher power.

hi linnboy,

were you formerly ivor's bitch ?

looks like your next on the list.

pm your address details and i'll forward the mat

The artist formerly known as Ivors Bitch,

I am a non-recovering audioholic, and Ivor is my higher power.

Your forum pic doesn't look anything like a Linn!

Jun 7, 2017 17:15:24 GMT 12 Me said:

Your forum pic doesn't look anything like a Linn!

Its not a Sondek? Ive been duped!

I am a non-recovering audioholic, and Ivor is my higher power.

Jun 7, 2017 18:46:25 GMT 12 LinnBoy said:

Jun 7, 2017 17:15:24 GMT 12 Me said:

Your forum pic doesn't look anything like a Linn!

Its not a Sondek? Ive been duped!

 alternate universe sondek...

www.trademe.co.nz/electronics-photography/home-audio/turntables/auction-1337659140.htm

Jun 7, 2017 19:14:23 GMT 12 michaelw said:

Jun 7, 2017 18:46:25 GMT 12 LinnBoy said:

Its not a Sondek? Ive been duped!

 alternate universe sondek...

www.trademe.co.nz/electronics-photography/home-audio/turntables/auction-1337659140.htm

Pffft.  You cant fool me.  Thats a terrible copy of a Linn, like Ariston or Thorens used to...

I am a non-recovering audioholic, and Ivor is my higher power.

You gotta hope the guy that bought that for $500 was clear on what he was buying... Ick!

yeah that was an interesting one. At first look I thought it was a Linn SME that the seller didn't know what it was, but reading the Q and A it appears that it is a home made Linn copy. Aesthetics are a personal and changing thing but looks wise it worked for me. Will keep on looking for an unmolested early LP12 at a price I can afford.

enough of that fake linn, back on topic...




funk achromat listening notes.

the mat looks nice, a bit like some of the more expensive after market mats.
it's a hardish material, albeit not as hard as acrylic.

the surface finish was good.
edges a bit rough.
and it was a perfect fit for the lipped platter of my technics.

however... my example was not flat.
it was slightly dished, by about 1mm.
and the surface appeared slightly rippled when the platter was spun.

the mat was auditioned on a technics sp10 mk2 with oracle sme 345 tonearm, dynavector dv20x2 low cartridge.

first impressions were of a very clean, very well controlled sound.
lateral imaging was very good, with good focus and immediacy.
dynamics were good. music had punch but...

further listening reinforced the feeling of control, maybe too much so.
after a while it was all a bit clinical sounding, especially in the bass area which took on a lean, clean digital flavour.

compared to the other mats i had inhouse...

stock technics rubber mat.
this has seen better days, it was dark and warm, less detailed and a little confused.

graham's demon.
an excellent diy mat, good rhythmically with plenty of life and bounce, a bit constrained spatially.

my current mat a herbie way excellent 2.
tuneful and excellent spatially, it lets the music break free of the speakers.

conclusion.
the achromat is a good mat that achieves it's aim of providing a low colouration interface between record and platter.
it wasn't a total sucess on my sp10 and i suspect it may work better on a belt drive, with perhaps with a record clamp or weight.

many thanks to deano for the opportunity to try it.

the mat has been sent to the next participant.

Thanks for the review michael, it still amazes me how different mats sound they way they do on different decks, its great to get feedback 😉

Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI

Jun 8, 2017 16:02:58 GMT 12 michaelw said:

enough of that fake linn, back on topic...




funk achromat listening notes.

the mat looks nice, a bit like some of the more expensive after market mats.
it's a hardish material, albeit not as hard as acrylic.

the surface finish was good.
edges a bit rough.
and it was a perfect fit for the lipped platter of my technics.

however... my example was not flat.
it was slightly dished, by about 1mm.
and the surface appeared slightly rippled when the platter was spun.

the mat was auditioned on a technics sp10 mk2 with oracle sme 345 tonearm, dynavector dv20x2 low cartridge.

first impressions were of a very clean, very well controlled sound.
lateral imaging was very good, with good focus and immediacy.
dynamics were good. music had punch but...

further listening reinforced the feeling of control, maybe too much so.
after a while it was all a bit clinical sounding, especially in the bass area which took on a lean, clean digital flavour.

compared to the other mats i had inhouse...

stock technics rubber mat.
this has seen better days, it was dark and warm, less detailed and a little confused.

graham's demon.
an excellent diy mat, good rhythmically with plenty of life and bounce, a bit constrained spatially.

my current mat a herbie way excellent 2.
tuneful and excellent spatially, it lets the music break free of the speakers.

conclusion.
the achromat is a good mat that achieves it's aim of providing a low colouration interface between record and platter.
it wasn't a total sucess on my sp10 and i suspect it may work better on a belt drive, with perhaps with a record clamp or weight.

many thanks to deano for the opportunity to try it.

the mat has been sent to the next participant.

 

Notices the red plastic 1981 Practical HiFi spirit level in pride of place 

Never play Leapfrog with a Unicorn.

only a fellow owner would have noticed, from the good old days when mags would give away free stuff.

i remember every few months a mag would have a nice freebie stuck on the cover

Jun 8, 2017 22:51:48 GMT 12 michaelw said:

only a fellow owner would have noticed, from the good old days when mags would give away free stuff.

i remember every few months a mag would have a nice freebie stuck on the cover

Yeah gone are those days...unfortunately

Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI

and a classic technics direct drive motor unit,

win !!!

Jun 8, 2017 16:02:58 GMT 12 michaelw said:

funk achromat listening notes.

however... my example was not flat.
it was slightly dished, by about 1mm.
and the surface appeared slightly rippled when the platter was spun.

I put mine in the Vinyl Flat

My secondhand Achromat was slightly "dished".

It was fairly flexible so I thought a bit of heat treatment might work. A day in and it was 95% flattened.
Tried again, this time for 4 days cook time. Nice and flat.

On my Aura, the preferred mat is my Auditorium A23 Hommage mat (3mm)

The Achromat has slightly less weight/mid fullness cf to the A23. But it does have an air and openness that is preferred on some lps. So it depends on which cart I use as to which mat I prefer (on my Aura, belt drive, with record clamp).

How about thickness, VTA?

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

the loaner is the full 5mm version.

slightly thicker than my 3.7mm herbies.

minor vta adjustment once i located the sme tool

Jun 14, 2017 21:43:55 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

How about thickness, VTA?

Both vta and down force adjusted

any comments from down south ?

Hope to slot it in this weekend.

I am a non-recovering audioholic, and Ivor is my higher power.

he's alive !

After just one song the Achromat is demonstrably better on the Garrard, and demonstrably worse on the Sondek. If no one else wants the mat on the loan scheme, is this one for sale?

I am a non-recovering audioholic, and Ivor is my higher power.

Jun 25, 2017 16:31:47 GMT 12 LinnBoy said:

After just one song the acrobat is demonstrably better on the Garrard, and demonstrably worse on the Sondek. If no one else wants the mat on the loan scheme, is this one for sale?

Pm sent

Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI

Achromat is still available for home Demo's if you guys are still interested

Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI

I would like to get on this - my Denon RP53 has a thin top plate & I'm sure a damped mat would help

Ok brother, pm me and we can arrange for you to demo

Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI