Les Davis - High Performance Isolating Slipmat

A record mat to isolate the vinyl record from the internal noise that is inherent in any turntable. Open, more clearly defined and accurate bass , better timing. Works extremely well on a turntable at any price point.

$165 or $300 on a pair

This mat completely blew us away the first time we used it. We were DJing on vinyl at our 20th B'Day afterparty and even after everything was set up and warmed up and the room EQ'd by the sound guy, we were still suffering from really muddy foldback monitors.

This was a function of the small room and corner positioning of the DJ booth. Putting Les' slipmat down was like taking earmuffs off. The clarity and definition was off the hook. We had to turn the headphone volume down by 50%.

Just by isolating the stylus like this, the entire room cleared and brightened up. We could not recommend these mats any higher. You sets will sound twice as good.

 The Tech

Constrained Layer Damping is a well researched scientific innovation with many applications. Involved is the simple process of having a viscoelastic material (simply meaning flexible) pressed between two layers of a more sturdy material, which ultimately regulates the vibration output of the target component.

All electronic components inherently suffer from wasted potential due to the vibrations caused by the electrical and mechanical process by which they operate. In your home audio system, at every connection, from power socket to player to speaker, there is a gradual loss of energy and potential, which ultimately leads to a completely avoidable, inferior experience.