I have been using your Origin Live platter Mat with my Linn Sondek for approx 1 month. I have found it has produced excellent results on various types of music. It is by far superior to the original Linn Mat and has tightened the bass notes , there is more precision in the mid range and treble. The difference was instantaneously noticeable and the difference was far more than I expected!!

Many thanks for a great product.

Graham Knight

Wilson Benesch, Thorens, Nottingham BlueNote and Pro-Ject. Vintage models include Garrard, Thorens and Technics.

Regarding the Mat, I must say that since they arrived, I have not stopped listening to the table on which it is installed. This has to be on of the finest upgrades that I have personally experienced. The key word that comes to mind is "Musicality".

This is what this Mat presents….sheer Musicality. Nicely done

I have tried the Mat on both current & Vintage designs with great results. Current designs include models from Wilson Benesch, Thorens, Nottingham BlueNote and Pro-Ject. Vintage models include Garrard, Thorens and Technics.

In summary, any table that currently uses a Felt mat really should audition the OL mat.

Many Thanks & Best Regards

John - Dealer in My Kind of Music - Canada

Another major distributor in Norway made the following comments after his trials on various decks, namely:

UnisonResearch Giro (produced by clearaudio)
AcousticSolid Wood Black
AcousticSolid Wood
AcousticSolid Machine
TheFunkFirm V
ProJect Rpm 5, debut 3, rpm 1
Rega P3
Rega P25
MusicHall mmf 5.1, mmf 7.1

"The platter mat's you sent me are fantastic ! I need more of those and they seem to follow Origin Live value philosophy.

Best regards,

Trond - Norway

Rega P7 with ceramic platter

Thanks for this.My mat arrived quickly and I'm delighted with the results.I had tried an original early Ringmat on the Rega but found it was quite a marginal difference and not necessarily an improvement with the Rega and also not useable with the clamp.The Origin Live Mat really exceeded expectations.

I've always had good experiences with Origin Live products and I'm delighted with the "upgrade platter mat" which replaced the standard Rega felt mat.

The improvement in vinyl replay was immediately obvious with my P7/Dynavector 20x and very much as described in reviews and testimonials

The bass was much improved, more weight and depth with bass lines much easier to follow and interpret.I have used a Townshend Rock Mk 2/Excalibur and the improvement in bass detail was similar to the effect of using the silicon trough with the Rock ,more control and depth.

The mat also improves detail at all the frequencies making it easier to pick out strands in the music, backing vocals and subtle detail.
The mat definitely improves the stereo image and there seems more dimension and depth to the stereo.There is also less surface noise and the sense that a slight layer of hash and distortion has been removed.This is particulary apparent with earlier recordings such as my original well used copy of Mike Oldfield's Hergest Ridge.
The whole sound became more relaxed, musical and listenable and, to use the cliche,my wife even noticed how good the system was sounding

Recordings such as Robert Wyatt Cuckoo Land and Jennifer Warnes,Famous Blue Raincoat have never sounded better in the system and I keep playing favourite records to see how they sound.

Rest of system is Eastern Electric M520 valve amp.Icon Audio PS1 phono stage and Audionote ANE speakers.

I am very impressed with this product as it really makes a positive difference when I have found some accessories such as power supply cables and mains silencers have only made relatively minor and almost imperceptible improvements.It must also be one of the easiest accessories to fit and try and no VTA worries as it is not possible to adjust height of the RB 700 on the P7 without specialist arm spacers.

Regards

Mark Armitage

Deck - Acrylic platter - Origin Live Resolution Classic

I took delivery of the new Origin Live Upgrade platter mat a couple of days ago, at a bargain introductory price of £29.

I had read the press release email about this mat but I was a bit unsure whether it would offer any benefits with my turntable as it has an acrylic platter but Mark Baker (the man behind Origin Live) told me, "the mat is at its best on acrylic" so I couldn't resist the opportunity.

Fitting the mat on top of the platter requires an adjustment of the tonearm's VTA as it is about 1mm thick. The mat isn't soft and squidgy like I expected – instead it looks a bit like dark granite with an amalgam of materials.

I wasn't expecting a huge improvement but was fairly astonished by the difference the mat makes. My previous upgrades such as the Vertex AQ really allowed the music to define a sense of space and depth around each instrument, which is what I was half expecting to be further improved upon with this mat.

Instead, the Origin Live Upgrade platter mat doesn't seem to increase space, but unclutters the music right down to the smallest detail. You can suddenly hear many, many more details and tonal textures which had not been apparent before, the nuances of instruments become far more apparent.

Listening to the fantastic Buena Vista Social Club DMM pressing it was so easy to clearly hear the instruments and, for the first time, I could clearly hear three male voices on one particular track.

The other obvious improvement is that the low end is further extended, with the same clarity heard higher up the frequency range. It's a delight to hear all the textures and tones of the instruments so clearly.

I'm extremely impressed with this Origin Live Upgrade platter mat, it's a huge upgrade for the asking price!

John Bloor UK

A quick note to let you know how the new mat is performing.

I am using the new upgrade mat on top of the performance mat as suggested on my Aurora II.

The new mat brings an instant improvement in almost all areas.

Presentation is much more focused with better separation between instruments and voices - particularly noticeable on close miked vocals - with the upgrade mat the voices are clearly distinct within the stereo soundstage whereas before they tended to merge.
The better separation also reveals hitherto unheard musical phrases so more fine detail 3. Presentation is tighter and more controlled - particularly noticeable in mid to low frequencies - music has more "grip" if that is the right phrase.
A subtle but definite extension in the low frequencies which again are more controlled and tuneful - bass guitar, double bass, bass kick drum all better defined and presented.
Little change to my ears in high frequencies - cymbals etc.
Putting it all together it improves the overall presentation making things more believable and enjoyable - defiinitely a worthwhile upgrade.

Regards

Dr Stephen F. Worrall. MD, FRCS, FDSRCS

I have a Technics SL1210 and found that using your new mat on top of the Technics rubber mat (in place of the previous semi rigid OL mat) has produced an marked improvement.

Many thanks for a great product.

Best regards,

Russell

Technics 1200

I thought I'd let you know how I got on with the upgrade of my Technics, particularly as you want feedback about the upgrade mat.

So my first purchase was the upgrade mat, running with the original arm and Ortofon Concord DJ-S cartridge (a throwback from my less-responsible days, though it was not used much). Substituting the usual slipmat for the upgrade mat didn't really yield an improvement in sound quality. There wa a little more low-level detail, but on the other hand the sound sounded rather dead and inert, and in fact less pleasurable than the fuller, livelier sound from a standard slipmat. Perhaps surprising?

Then I changed the arm to an OEM RB251, purchased the OL adaptor plate, and bought a Denon DL-160. I had previously had some conversations with you regarding the cart - in the end I picked the Denon for only £100 as it seemed like a steal. I set it up (which was not too difficult, though a little more guidance from the instructions would have been worthwhile), aligning properly and placing the OL upgrade mat on top of a slip mat.

Put the first record on, one that I was familiar with, set the needle down, and..... wow. I can honestly say it's the first time I have heard a night-and-day difference since I became into hi-fi. The noise floor had dropped to blackness, the frequency range smoothened out, the sound richer and more detailed, and no harshness which I had always associated with the Technics. All this before the cartridge had been run in!!

How much of this is down to the arm, cartridge or mat I don't know, but the difference is phenomenal. I bought a Project cork mat to go under the upgrade mat, which I'll try out over the weekend. I'll certainly consider upgrading the arm when funds allow, and maybe the cartridge to a Dynavector at some later point. But it already sounds 'right' in a way that too few components do.

Anyway, thanks for keeping up my enthusiasm in vinyl!

Best wishes,

Riz

Acoustic Reseasrch Legend turntable (metal platter)

I have had my mat for just over a week now and would like to send a summary of the improvements (there are no negatives). I have an Acoustic Reseasrch Legend turntable which has sub chassis/sub platter damping, a Linn LVX+ tonearm and goldring 1012gx cartridge. The rest of the chain is a Graham Slee GramAmp2, Naim Nait 5i and Castle Eden speakers with various cables. Obviously all equipment is well supported.

The first thing I noticed was a smell that reminded me of previous experiments with cork mats but the improvements were very different. There was an extension to the bass but not in bass bloom or a hyper-real extension, just the notes reaching slightly deeper where they should. The most notable change is right across the frequency band where evrything has been given better definition, stereo imaging has improved with each instrument being more precisely placed and yet another 'veil' has been lifted from the sound. This has also resulted in the notes starting and stopping more tightly giving a natural energy to the music and just generally keeping the music crisp.

There is no colouration or other downsides accomanying these benefits however. The tonal balance has remained correct and all has become a bit more clear. I am extremely pleased with this product and would say at the price, it is more than worth the money and far more effective than a cable upgrade. In summary a layer of mush has been lifted off the music. thanks for a great product and hope this adds to or tallies with your findings.

Stuart Helmn.

Rega P3

"I am amazed at the change in the sound to my very "average" system.

Otfon 540MKII , Rega P3 (with Rega's felt mat) with your Weight and VTA mods, an Old Naim66/160/Hi-Cap driving Talisman II (bi-wired).

The overall sound has improved with vast improvement in the Bass quality/extension even on my very old vinyl, noticeably less surface noise also.

Regards Colin J Thomson UK

Origin Live MK2 decks

Just wanted to say what a great upgrade the new Mat is, it has a much lower noise floor than the old Mat which means you get more low level detail, better dynamics & a cleaner sound all-round. We (Jim & myself) have been very pleased with this upgrade & would like to recommend this to all the owners of Origin Live turntables.

Jon Nelson UK

Michelle Focus One deck and tone arm

I have now tested this mat, and I was agreeably surprised to find that I could actually hear a significant improvement.

I am usually very sceptical about these things, but there does seem to be a general improvement in clarity, particularly I think in the bass.

I put on just one track ('Please Be With Me', from '461 Ocean Boulevard'), then placed the mat in and replayed it. My teenage son was in the room, but I didn't tell what I was doing, and just asked him if he heard any difference in the two playings. He said he thought the second one was clearer - so it probably wasn't my imagination.

My system comprises:

Michelle Focus One deck and tone arm
Ortofon 520 Mk II cartridge
NAD C325BEE amp
Graham Slee Gram Amp 2 pre-amp
Mission 751 speakers

Regards

J Osment

I am amazed at the improvement with the new soft mat.

I have a Mateno MX-07 deck. You probably never heard of it. Mateno was a distributer that put their name on a Microsieki. model. It was one of the top models from the mid 80's. with a 35 lbs. solid brass platter and an air bearing. I have an Illustrious arm and a Transfiguration Phoenix cartridge. The sound is excellent. Your mats work very well with this set up. Don Kenney

Rotel - I was surprised, and much, to hear his Origin Live upgrade platter mat, on my turntable. I never thought it possible that a platter mat could produce such a drastic change and perfectly audible on a turntable ... The sound of my ROTEL RP-3300, is now much clearer, is heard louder, and has improved in all aspects, including the serious, more powerful and more punch. The most surprising of all is that the annoying background noise has disappeared completely, as if by magic, even small defects as some small scratches or any fouling in the grooves that I could not delete, they are now inaudible. Only the badly damaged vinyl still produce some noise.
I am delighted with the purchase and I recommend everyone to try it out. Thank you very much.

Regards.

Francisco Navarro Buenaposada - Spain