Comments
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Reviews/ Comments |
Robert Simpson, Ohio
"My first impression with the mat (Way Excellent II) is that it takes my humble vintage AR turntable to another level. It's like I upgraded to a $1500 table. Everything is much more focused and musical. I love it."
Robert Stein, The Cable Company
"Herbie's 'Way Excellent' mat is one of the least expensive upgrades for any turntable, and one that outperforms virtually any other mat available -- no kidding. This mat makes transients sharper, decays more sustained, tightens bass response, lowers the noise floor, enhances imaging depth, and harmonically enriches the midrange all at the same time. Ask any of the Cable Company consultants about this -- we all use the Herbie's mats in our own systems!"
Jon Papajcik, Chicago, Illinois
"The way excellent mat is great -- you had told me it is not so much anti-static as non-static, and this is 100% correct. A month deep in a dry chicago winter, the static problems I had with my felt mat (and even worse with the extreme none-felt) are totally gone. No static pops during play or when I lift the needle. The mat never sticks to the record! The sonic improvements are noticeable vs. the felt, and I'd say about the same as what I noticed with the none-felt. But I'd pay twice this amount for the static relief alone!"
Rich Brkich, Signature Sound
"As a long time Rega dealer, we have never been much of a fan of the ubiquitous felt turntable mat that comes with the well known Rega Planar series turntables. Herbie's Way Excellent Turntable Mat beats the pants off the Ringmat, felt mats and other mats. Finally! We have a well designed mat that is reasonably priced."
Robert Herman, Lyric HiFi
"I'm using them on my customized SP-10 MK II, which was using an Oracle hard mat and Goldmund clamp; and my STD 305D. Being in the high-end audio biz for 25 years I've seen lots of accessories come and go. This is easily the best mat I've used, much better than the Ringmat (which we sell), or the Oracle hard mat. It definitely sounds best without the clamp. Thanks much!"
Claybourne White, St. Charles, Illinois
"Thanks for the quick service, and for a product which, so far, seems like one I'll be happy with for a long time. I'd replaced the felt mat on my Music Hall MMF-7 with a Ringmat. Sonically good combination, but after a record change or two, the mat loved to stay with the record. Your mat sounds as good with no static problem. Wish I'd found it sooner. Had no idea what you had to offer until I read several posts on the Steve Hoffman site."
Ken Adams
The Way Excellent II-4.5 has been a wonderful upgrade for the Technics, much, much better than either the thick or thin Technics rubber mats. I also have the SuperSonic Record Stabilizer and find it to be useful on some records. Great products!"
Joel Waterman, San Jose, California
"I had a RingMat 330 XLR on my Thorens (125 MkII). I did a number of A/B/A tests with the last track on Side 1 of Ben Webster/Joe Zawinul's 'Soulmates.' I found that the Ringmat displayed some brittleness around the treble which I did not experience with Herbie's mat. The midrange was less muddy than with the Ringmat. I found I could more clearly discern the piano lines. They, and the bass, had more foundation, the tone was 'rounder' and it sounded like they were brought forward in the mix somewhat. There was an evenness to the sound of the band that I found more pleasant to listen to with Herbie's mat. The Ringmat accentuated the tenor and cornet to the slight detriment of the piano, bass and drums. Herbie's mat put it all nicely into place again.
"The differences were not earth shattering in my system. But they became more clear upon repeated switching and listening. Overall I found the differences worthwhile and certainly worth the money."
Randy Krelle, San Francisco, California
"The Way Excellent II (2mm), as you recommended, is sounding very fine on my Lenco."
Barry Grant, Missoula, Montana
"Just a note to say how much I like your stuff. The TT mat and stabilizer make the greatest difference (w/Clearaudio Champion). Replacing a marigo interface platter, LPs now are more detailed and more relaxed sounding, and so more engaging."
Ian Threadgold, Warrington, United Kingdom
"The turntable mat (3.7mm version) works a treat on my Garrard, more neutral and natural sounding."
Michael Z., Cherry Hill, NJ
"I received the mat already and all I can say is WOW-AWESOME!!!! The sound stage really opened up. Everything just sounds so much better, more clear. more presence. And just as impressive is the BIG reduction in ticks & pops throughout... I put on an old trusty 'very used' Stones lp and could not believe it was the same record! The quiet parts never sounded so good, so intimate. I can really hear the natural reverb decay trail off now, and the acoustic guitars & vocals sounded amazing together! And with my Music Hall MMF-7 I didn't even need to adjust the VTA. The 2mm mat size seems perfect for it! Couldn't get any easier!
"It really brings out the sound of the instruments so much better then the factory felt mat. No comparison."
Ray McClain, Savannah, Georgia
"The Way Excellent II 2mm turntable mat arrived today. I want you to know how pleased I am with it. I put it on a stock AR XA, and noticed a clear improvement over my former '70's vintage Discwasher felt mat. With both mats, I tapped the platter and also tapped on a record with the stylus in the groove (motor off), and could easily hear a difference in resonance control, the Way Excellent II mat being my preferred choice.
"The mat is destined to go on a highly modified AR XA with after-market sub-chassis, motor and Sumiko MMT tonearm. I will be ordering another mat to go on the stock table, which is going to be part of a second system.
"I have wanted to try a new mat for many years. For whatever reason, I was not inclined to try sorbothane, lead or cork. I am glad that I found out about your products and gave your mat a try."
Todd Reitz, TR Audio
"Well the reviews are right, your mat sounds more lively and punchy than the None Felt doughnut mat I was using. I ended up playing records a lot longer than I planned to this evening, and you KNOW that's a good sign. I noticed that the records seem to stay flatter than before, maybe because the mat is a little more compliant? Dunno, but it works."
Russell Bucans, Manchester, New Hampshire
"Your mat made a very significant difference over the good old AQ Sorbothane mat I've been using. Detail, sweetness, focus (bass too!), dimensions, frequency extension (bass and treble), groove silence (!) All increased VERY NOTICEABLY. I really believe my cartridge is tracking much better (Denon DL-103) on your mat."
Paulo Mendes, Portugal
"I just received your way excellent II mat to install in my Micro-Seiki RX-1500 which did wonders but I wasn't expecting what came next. I tried it in my custom made turntable and my jaw fell into the floor, god what a difference, it seems I did a $1000 upgrade like my cartridges where upgraded (Van den Hul Grasshopper III SLA, Benz Micro LP and Dynavector D17 MKII). I love it so much that I going to buy another for the Micro-Seiki because this baby isn't leaving my main analog setup, so in a word THANKS for a great product."
Randy Wells, Bellevue, Washington
"The Way Excellent II-3mm mat is an improvement over the original stock felt (and your original Way Excellent mat). It provides a perfect VTA on my Rega P9/RB 1000 with Koetsu and the sound is the best I've heard from this combo."
Don Walizer, Conway, Arkansas
I'm really happy with my Way Excellent II Turntable Mat on my Thorens TD 126 tt. I've used various cork and felt mats in the past and have not been very satisfied."
Mark Dunn, McKinney, Texas
"About a year ago I decided to try a Herbie's Way Excellent Mat, since it was reasonably inexpensive and had some fairly solid reviews from people whose opinions I take seriously. The effect of the Herbie's mat was to reveal a little more detail and extend both frequency extremes somewhat and it did this without changing the fundamental character of the LP12. Not changing the 'Linniness' of the LP12 is important to me.
"A short while ago I ordered the new Way Excellent II Donut. For those not familiar with the Herbie's mat, it comes in two layers. The bottom layer is a sort of dense foam (for want of a better description) and the top layer, the donut, is some kind of rubber-like polymer. The Way Excellent II 'donut' is just the top layer. The donut is the only part that changed with the Mat II.
"I have since received and fitted the new type donut and can say that it is *much* better than the original. Again the character of the LP12 remains intact and again there is a little further extension of frequency extremes. However, the amount of extra detail/resolution across all frequencies is greatly improved and I can now hear musical strands that were absent before, -- even in complex and frenetic music like The Rezillos. The other obvious difference is that tracking security is very much enhanced. The XV-1 is a good tracker to start with, but it now sounds so much more 'planted' in the groove. Hard to describe without experiencing it.
"Overall, I would say that the new donut alone has made a rather bigger improvement than the complete original mat.
"Whether the Herbie's mat will work as well with other decks I have no idea, but on my LP12 it does live up to its name, -- Way Excellent."
Stephen Anderson, Canada
"I'm using your turntable mat with my Linn Sondek LP-12. It brings out the best in everything; it's really quite fantastic, and I'm very happy to have it."
Frank Smith, Lusby, Maryland
"I got the Way Excellent for my Music Hall MMF-7 Turntable. Hard to believe a mat could make this much difference. This is one of those tweaks that you don't have to pretend you hear. It's all right there.
"This mat replaced the Non Felt mat that had replaced the original felt mat. Compared to the Non Felt, the very dynamic bass in my copy of Pink Floyd -- The Final Cut went from sort of wooly and out of control with the Non Felt to smooth, tight and even more extended. Waters' voice comes right out at you.
"Listening to Hank Mobley's Self titled album BN 1568, the Herbie mat put Mobley's horn in the room, and Sonny Clark's Piano (I think it is Clark) had notes literally popping out like bubbles of sound. It was so cool. Noise levels for all records went down and the pops in records were not as invasive as they once were.
"It was a good purchase."
Steve Weber, Madison, Wisconsin
"Been listening to my TT with the 'way excellent' in place for the last few evenings and I have to say that the darn thing may actually improve the sonics of my vinyl rig (Rega P9 - Sumiko Blackbird). I bought it mainly to fix the static cling hassle with the stock felt mat and was not really expecting much in the way of better sound. In my line of work, I am paid to be skeptical, to debunk myths, to scoff at unsupported but widely believed illusions. I'm not going to gush out a lot of audiophile blather about sound staging, PRAT, and dynamics, etc. But female vocals and acoustic guitar do sound more realistic. Perhaps you could add another prefix to the product description: 'Really is a way excellent TT mat'"
Tony McCarty, Columbus, Ohio
"Just received the Herbie Mat, and I'm very pleased. It added both firm bass punch and more clarity on the high ends at the same time. My Pro-ject RM-4 was already a sweet sounding turntable, but the Herbie Mat really makes it sing. And, I don't really need the record clamp anymore. Oh, and it looks really cool, too. Thanks again."
Patrick Poggia, Le Pecq, France
The TT mat arrived earlier than announced and I thank you for that. It works beautifully. From an initial A/B comparison, I imediately found that the treble notes of a piano were richer and less aggressive. Then I tried to find the best adjustments. I suppose it is normal I had to change VTA as the Way Excellent mat is slightly slimmer than the original felt mat (no big deal). Then, with your mat, I was able to very precisely adjust cartridge bias and weight with no doubt on what was best. Also, I corrected very slightly one of my speaker angles and now, wow, the mat sure adds depth, width, air and harmonics. On some good recordings, the instruments are here in the room. Overall, my system (Linn LP-12, Ekos II, Akiva) is more musical than with the original felt mat. Thank you, I am rediscovering my records."
Sonic Perfectionists, Kirkland, Washington
"I purchased one of your 'Way excellent' mats from you a while ago. It has been a tremendous improvement when used on my classic Thorens TD-126 MK II turntable."
Ronald Verlint, Dordrecht, Netherlands
"I started listening to some records with the original Linn LP12 mat and replaced it with your mat. Very happy to inform you that the sound quality has been improved now. Less colouration, better articulation of the human voice, more details, better soundstage. Anyway it's not just a change, it's really an improvement. Many thanks for this upgrade!"
Joe Mendez, Samammish, Washington
"I just have to tell you the mat is amazing! You just don't expect that much from a mat. Sure enough, it brings out better detail, and with my VPI Aries it does even better with a clamp -- the clamp gives it more dynamics and punch."
Barry Smith, The Entrance, Australia
"I've had a few days to try the turntable mat on my LP12 and I'm very pleased with the result. Always difficult to describe sound, but I'd say 'relaxed precision' would about cover it. I put the felt mat back on and was surprised how muddy it sounded. Certainly good value for fifty bucks."
Benjamin Yee, Fremont, California
The first thing I noticed on my Pro-Ject 1.2 turntable was a better overall balance with extension of bass and treble with an additional clarity in the mids. I am surprised that changing from the stock felt mat to Herbie's mat can make such a difference. The most noticeable performance gains were in low bass and treble extension. Also, your mat does not stick to my LPs unlike my stock felt mat whether the turntable is running or not. It is a great inexpensive upgrade, worth every penny."
Terry Phipps, Lemon Grove, California
"The mat is GREAT! Like many, I stuck with the felt mat because other mats make you give up some of the lovely sound or liveliness we buy Linns for, to get a measure of clarity (this is also true of many very expensive upgrades). Your mat has no downside I can hear. Basically, it allows better control across the spectrum -- clearly, evenly and beautifully. My Linn sounds like a better Linn, that's all!"
Pascal Cheng, Burlington, Vermont
"I am very pleased with your turntable mat. It is the best sounding mat that I have had on my Rega Planar 3."
Michael Jones, Redding, California
"Goodbye rubber, so long felt. My AR XA has never sounded better. A simple upgrade with amazing results!"
John Pharo, The Cable Company
"Just thought you might like to know what tables some VERY satisifed customers of mine are using your 'WAY Excellent' Mat with in addition to the ones already on your website."
"I personally have a Music Hall MMF9 table (Benz M2 cartridge) and your mat is a huge improvement over the ringmat (and every other mat/clamp that I've tried). Some of my very happy customers have:
Rega 25
ClearAudio Master Reference (with TQ1 arm and Dynavector arm)
Thorens TD 180
"The only problem with the WAY excellent mat is the price -- people who haven't tried it think it can't possibly be any good if it costs that little!"
Russ Riffell, Richmond, British Columbia
"Looks and works great; way better than that miserable felt rag that came with my P3."
Doug Olsen, U.S.A
"I have found Herbie's "Way Better Turntable Mat" to be far superior to the stock mat and another aftermarket mat I have tried (w/Thorens TD125 MKII).
Mark Kirby, Baltimore, Maryland
"The turntable mat made a remarkable improvement: a far more coherent presentation, flowing and alive. I must say Rosemary Clooney sounded like she'd risen from the dead to sing those Harold Arlen songs.
"Before I installed the mat, I considered my SACD player (Sony NS500V) my best source. Now I figure the old AR turntable is. Right off, I had the feeling that I wanted to drag out stuff I hadn't listened to in a long time."
Wayne Waananen, The BOLDER Cable Company
"I have one on my MMF-5. It is quite a bit better than the stock felt. No problem changing albums while the platter is still turning.
"I brought one over to a buddie's place to compare to his Non-felt. The Herbie's had quite a bit tighter and extended bass. Surface noise was even reduced. Highly recommended."
John Zimmerman, The Audio Connection
"That mat is AWESOME!"
Curt Springmeier, St. Louis, Missouri
"The turntable mat is as advertised. I have a Linn Sondek with Armageddon Power Supply, Naim ARO tonearm, and Dynavector cartridge. The sound falls between the stock felt mat and the Extreme Audio mat which is exactly what I wanted. Had to play with the VTA as the mat is thinner than the Extreme Audio, but I like thinner better. The Extreme Audio mat in my system drew too much of the dynamics out of the sound."
Alan Olan, Sidney, Australia
"Just installed the turntable mat on my Kuzma Stabi. I just expected the sound to be different as I thought the sound was great as it was. Like the cd mat I noticed the difference straight away. The sound became clearer, the voices became more focused and there was more depth and ambiance. There was more clarity to the sound. Anyway I now prefer having the mat on my Kuzma Stabi. I think it's a cheap upgrade well worth it."
David Hall, Alpharetta, Georgia
"Well, the new Way Excellent turntable mat sounds terrific! Better than the Extreme Donut mat that it replaced. The music is really very, very close to sounding like the real event. I think in my case it's the synergy between good components -- making the whole picture complete. I have a pretty good setup -- VPI Mk IV with JMW arm, SAMA standalone moter, Decware phono stage (using HAL-O's on the tubes).
"I've gone nuts trying different cables, phono stages -- and yes -- turntable mats. Thanks for the HAL-O's, Way Excellent turntable mat and Isolation feet -- they are essential ingredients to my current setup. It's nice to be able to sit back and just enjoy the music for a change without the need to upgrade anything else. The mat also stays in place when changing albums."
Mark Gilbert, Lynnwood, Washington
"That turntable mat is some kind of (expletive) incredible. On my Thorens, it blows away the Ringmat."
Samuel Fagaly, Charleston, Illinois
"The first one I ordered made an incredible improvement on my AR XA and my LP 12. I'm tired of moving it back and forth so I need a second mat. Thanks for a great product at a reasonable price!"
Glen McKenzie, Toronto, Canada
"I am very pleased."
Robert Clemens, Chicago, Illinois
"I bought a second-hand Boston Audio Mat 1 and was pleased with it. When I heard about Herbie's mat, I thought I'd try it too. Well, guess what? I'm using the Herbie's Way Excellent Mat now. With the Mat 1, ensemble, jazz, and acoustic music sounded a bit 'heavy' or 'dark' in comparison, sort of like chamber music playing in a minor key. Maybe I just prefer a more light and breezy sound, but with Herbie's mat everything seems more realistic."
John Madsen, Fredrikstad, Norway
"Received my Way Excellent Turntable Mat a few days ago in good condition. Very sturdily packed, I must say! Spun up the old Spacedeck still with the PlatterMatter on and listened through a few reference recordings (Belafonte in Albert Hall, Mahler's 2nd, Jethro Tull Aqualung and others). Swapped the mats, same records back on the deck and voila! Most definitely an improvement in dynamics and 'life' and 'sparkle' (for want of better words). A little bit less 'wool' around the edges and slightly sharper transients. Not huge differences, as mine was already a great-sounding rig, but certainly noticeable and very well worth the less-than-substantial investment. Overall I'll give it a 12 out of 10 for price/performance! Rest assured that I'll, if not perhaps shout your praise from the rooftops, then at least spread the word and recommend it whenever the opportunity presents itself."
Ernesto Silva, Fort Worth, Texas
"It works good."
Robert Wellington, Albuquerque, New Mexico
"My system has all the upgrades -- power cables and conditioner, interconnects, Symposium platform. I thought the Linn turntable sounded as good as it was ever going to get, which was pretty damn good by the way. But I was still using the original felt mat that came with it. I didn't really think that upgrading the mat would make any difference, or not much anyway. Boy, was I wrong! Upgrading to Herbie's Excellent Turntable Mat made a more pronounced improvement than any other single upgrade. I can't really explain it, but the music just sounds more like real music now."
Ad van Rooij, 'S-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
"I am very impressed about the TT mat, it's super. My records are as reborn. There is more/better bass, more details, more placed instruments. It's easier to listen. Somewhat more 3d and the music is more left and right outside the speakers."
Marty Thomas, Modesto, California
"This is much better than any other turntable mat I've ever used. It's more full-bodied than the cork Ringmat and doesn't dull the low end like the Non-Felt does. I've tried other mats too, over the years, and this one is definitely the best."
Added more than two years later:
"Well, I sold the Linn and have purchased a Platine Verdier Turntable. This is a massive unsprung turntable with a 40 pound steel platter that makes a dramatic improvement over the Linn. And after listening for a period of time, I decided to try your mat on this table. The result was about the same improvement as it made on the Linn. I'm getting lots of mileage from this mat."
Scott Klein, North Carolina
"Hate the name, love the mat. The NonFelts, expecially the donut shaped mat, are excellent, but the Herbie's does everything a degree better. Unequivocally recommended."
Sean Ogarrio, California
"Your turntable mat has done very nicely for my P25 Rega table."
Tom Mulgrew, Brentwood, Tennessee
"Very effective."
Chris Howell, St. Helena, California
"The mat works great on my MMF-5 -- certainly much better than black felt. The sound is brilliant!"
Richard Fanning, Lower Templestowe, Australia
"The TT Mat is much better than the standard felt mat on my Rega P25. Most noticable difference is clarity and focus with more ambience in recordings evident. Overall, a lot more involving sound!"
Fernando Escarcega, San Antonio, Texas
"Makes the music sound tighter, cleaner (Nottingham Horizon turntable)."
Todd Murakami, Mililani, Hawaii
"I just recieved my excellent mat yesterday and just after playing maybe 10 records or so I have concluded that this way excellent mat is truly an awesome investment.I have been using a ringmat previously and before that a homemade donut mat. In the past I have used Audioquest Sorbothane mat with clamp and Sumiko's interface material that came with the tonearm tweek kit. I haven't even began to adjust my tonearm for the changes and may not want to because the silences between grooves are the best I ever heard. The dynamics come through cleaner and overall tone is tighter; nothing sounds loose or overdamped. Midrange is so clear and at higher volumes sounds more controlled and natural. I am very familiar with 2 tracks on 2 different lps. On the first one (Damn Yankees - High Enough) the vocals build up toward the end and hearing blades and shaws wailing can crackle and break up horribly on my previous mats, but with the excellent mat the vocals are always controlled. I am even hearing textured wailing instead of fuzziness. The second album is George Michaels - Predjudice from the lp 'Listen Without Predjudice' (his finest work in my experience). The strength and agnst on michaels voice are engaging, strong, and can also break up during the more complex passages -- but again with my new excellent mat the track soars through so natural and full of energy and with more blackness than before. Bass is the best I've heard -- deeper -- tighter -- feels stronger through my NHT sub. Mids and highs definitely cleaner with more defined placement in space. I dunno if there is more air but I'm only through 10 records thus far. Pops and clicks seem to push a little farther back and are not as intrusive. I could go on and on I'm sure and I don't even know if this is the world's best mat but for $50. I can't complain. I applaud your work at Herbie's and hope to possibly invest more into future products with you."
Graham Livingston, London, United Kingdom
"The turntable mat arrived today, thanks. I put it on the LP12 straight away, and I'm very pleased with what I'm hearing."
Luis Melendez
"I have been using your TT mat, which is on loan from a friend, and can honestly say that I like it much more than the AudioQuest Sorbothane, RingMat, and Extreme phono non felt. I'll be ordering one of your mats soon."
Steve Miller, Newton Center, Massachusetts
"The turntable mat was a considerable improvement over the felt mat on my modest LP12 setup. Then, since I had the isolation feet (Tenderfeet), I tried them under the turntable frame base, and yet more improvement."
Mike Arden, Slough, United Kingdom
"The mat is an item that makes you go back through your record collection playing tracks just to hear the sound difference on them (Linn LP12). I thought I'd certainly get some sort of an improvement but was genuinely stunned by how much. As a value for money upgrade in respect of sound quality it is unbeatable and should really be offered as an option on new turntables (as well as not so new ones!) Impressed? Oh, only a Lot!!!"
Ed Hackett, Reno, Nevada
"The mat is a definite improvement over the stock felt mat on my Rega P25. As others have reported, the sound is more clear and focused. The sound stage is also deeper and wider. I'm very pleased with the mat."
Zvonimir Komar, Zagreb, Croatia
"I wanted to tell you that i'm really impressed with the way excellent TT mat. i'm using it on a rega p3-24 (which has glass platter as you probably know). it sounds great and the sound has gained in focus particulary."
John King, Paris, Kentucky
"Many thanks for the mat. I really do like it a lot. My music sounds much more fluid and transparent than with the old stock heavy rubber mat. Also, on the Pioneer 112D there was no change in platter speed (this was a slight concern). Thanks again."
Clifford Johnson, South Bend, Indiana
"I have to admit that this mat focuses images in the sound stage in ways I have not experienced with other mats (Music Hall MMF-7 turntable). Records seem quieter than before as well."
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