MAT
THREE - Turntable Mat - Acryl - Analogis

HiFi Accessories · Turntable Mat

A crucial part of what happens sonically on a turntable is hidden in plain sight: the interface between platter and record. How vibrations are dissipated, how resonances are damped, which frequency bands are accentuated — all of this directly shapes the character of playback. The Analogis MAT THREE tackles this interface head-on: a crystal-clear, precisely crafted acrylic mat that sharpens the sonic picture and, at the same time, gives the turntable a visual upgrade elegant enough to hold its own in demanding HiFi systems.

Acrylic has been a proven material in turntable design for decades — there's a reason premium manufacturers like Clearaudio and Pro-Ject rely on massive acrylic platters. The material's density and vibrational impedance are remarkably close to those of vinyl itself, which means unwanted micro-resonances are channelled away cleanly instead of being reflected back into the record. The MAT THREE translates this principle into a slim 2 mm mat that can be placed on virtually any existing platter without any adjustment — an uncomplicated tuning measure with an audible effect.

A turntable mat's sonic signature is largely a function of how its material behaves: soft, damping materials like cork or felt absorb energy and emphasise the bass foundation. Hard materials like acrylic work differently — they channel vibrations away efficiently, reflect less energy back into the record, and allow the stylus to track the fine modulations of the groove more freely. The result with the MAT THREE: highs sound more open and airy, mids gain contour, and transients — the pluck of a guitar string or the crack of a hi-hat — come through crisp and impactful. The overall sonic picture feels cleaner and better defined.

A technical advantage that often goes unnoticed: acrylic has a vibrational impedance very close to that of vinyl. This minimises impedance mismatches at the contact surface, allowing resonances to dissipate more evenly — an effect that premium large-format acrylic platters exploit and that the MAT THREE brings to existing turntables as a retrofittable upgrade. Those who like to experiment with materials can also run the MAT THREE in a sandwich configuration with a cork or felt mat, fine-tuning the tonal balance between precision and warmth to personal taste.

With a diameter of 297 mm, the MAT THREE is sized precisely for standard 12" platters — it doesn't overhang the record but sits flush to the edge. The 2 mm thickness is deliberately slim: the cartridge's original VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle) setup remains largely unaffected, so there's no need to readjust tonearm height. The 135 g weight also has a subtle stabilising effect on the platter without influencing bearing motion or drive characteristics.

In the centre of the mat sits a concentric recess for the record label. This seemingly small detail has real acoustic significance: without it, the raised paper label would warp the record and lift its contact surface locally — meaning the record would no longer sit flat. The recess fully accommodates the label and ensures a full-surface, flat contact between record and acrylic. For DJs there's a practical bonus: combined with a felt slipmat on top, the smooth acrylic surface becomes the ideal base for scratch and back-cueing techniques.

Analogis has built the Mat series as a coherent material portfolio covering different sonic goals. The Mat One (cork/rubber compound) and the Mat Two (pure cork) damp more softly, emphasise bass and mids, and suit listeners looking for a warmer, rounder sound. The MAT THREE in clear acrylic and the visually different Mat Four in white acrylic sit on the opposite side of the tonal spectrum: they sharpen the upper half of the frequency range and add definition.

Which mat is ultimately the right one always depends on the interplay of turntable, cartridge, personal taste, and musical repertoire. The MAT THREE is the classic recommendation for systems that tend to sound dark or slightly veiled — and for music that thrives on openness and fine micro-dynamics, such as classical recordings, jazz trios, or detailed acoustic productions.

Use couldn't be simpler: the MAT THREE either replaces an existing rubber or felt mat directly or serves as a base for a felt slipmat on top. Thanks to the factory-applied antistatic coating, the mat stays largely free of electrostatic charge, so the record doesn't cling to the mat when lifted — a detail felt-mat owners particularly appreciate.

Since acrylic can build up static through friction over time, Analogis recommends regular cleaning with a soft cloth and an antistatic plastic cleaner. The key detail: wipe in vertical and horizontal strokes — not in circular motions. Linear wiping prevents the fine micro-scratches that circular movements can produce and that would gradually dull the surface's optical clarity.