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The story of Statmat and the Statmat Film
JOHN ROGERS REVEALS
HOW THE STATMAT
FILM WAS
CONCEIVED
AND DEVELOPED
 Statmats for
Digital Reproduction
The origins of
Statmat reach back to around 1991, when most of the initial
development work on our first product, Ringmat, had been completed.
Ringmat was launched the following year. The Story of Ringmat can be
read
here.
At the time, it
was felt that the sort of improvements in sound reproduction brought
about by Ringmat could also be introduced to digital playback,
though the methods of reproduction were in many ways quite
different.
I remember the
discussions I had at the time with Denis Morecroft, my co-designer
of Ringmat. He played a cd, then rinsed it in water, and played it
again – the sound the second time was immediately far better,
clearer and more dynamic, but in a short time the sound quality
reverted to how it was the first time the cd was played. Others,
who have had similar experiences, have written about the water
test. What we needed to do was to find a means to at least equal
the improvement of the water effect and then to retain it throughout
the duration of the cd in play.
Clearly,
electrostatic fields were building up during play, which were having
detrimental effects on the environment in the cd player and no doubt
on the cd itself and the electronics inside the player. Some
initial ideas were tried out, some included cork!  But these were
only to demonstrate that any solution had to be extremely
lightweight, otherwise the timing of the music was thrown out of
balance and the reproduced frequencies lowered as though the speed
had been reduced – the same effect as having the wrong speed with
vinyl replay. Even a minimal weight was noticeable in a revealing
system. To some ears, the effects of using a weighted disc might be
attractive, perhaps in the short-term, but the resulting
reproduction is not accurate and therefore not sustainable in a top
performing system. The hearing faculty becomes restless because the
sound is clearly not right.
A variety of
lightweight conductive materials were tried, some with spectacular
but flawed results. The most encouraging came from certain types of
conductive film, which we then augmented with several types and
colours of ink. The greens and blues were interesting but the only
successful ones were conductive black inks. Extensive trials
enabled us to refine the compositions of the inks, each of which had
specific attributes in the sound reproductive processes when used
with cds in play, and therefore in the way they handled the
electrostatic fields building up in the cd player, on the cd and
amongst the electronics. The best results came from having a
different ink on one side of the film to the other and to have clear
film between the patterned layers on each side.
Small changes in
distance between the conductive ink layers had a big effect in the
way the electrostatic charges behaved and evaluations of these
effects, together with those of the different ink properties on the
top and underside of the film, eventually resulted in the patterns
seen today. There then followed much experimentation with the
thickness of the ink and the drying processes involved, as these
affected the permanency of the ink covering, resistance to
scratching and the way the inks controlled the electrostatic charges
and therefore the sound.
 The cutout
patterns in the film are a result of earlier research work I carried
out for the Ringmat Spacers, subsequently used in the Ringmat
Support System and later for the Anniversary series of Ringmats and
many other Ringmat products. They reduce the effects of vibration
and resonance in materials during mechanised operations and as a
result of materials being attached or otherwise coupled to one
another and in turn suffering from vibrations occurring during
everyday life – traffic passing by and so on. Resonance and
vibration with media carriers is a particular problem. The cutouts
follow a special geometric pattern that involves adding or removing
mass in key positions in relation to area and shape. The basic
pattern is found in varying ways in all our products.
The first Statmat
for cds was launched as a single film in 1996. There quickly
followed a MkII version and then a MkII CDi version in September
1999 with a change in the overall size and improvements in the
cutout patterns brought about as our understanding of the way the
patterns worked increased with experience.
Need for a Heavier
Statmat
As mentioned
above, initially, the Statmat was marketed as a single film
product. However, with drawer loading mechanisms, some difficulties
were being encountered as developments within the industry changed
the way many drawer mechanisms were built and behaved. The
increased speed of movement of lighter and a more “open” design of
drawers sometimes caused the very light single film Statmat to be
lifted in the air as the drawer closed, with the result that the
film did not always stay in position on the disc. Another problem
was that many pucks or clamps collected grease from the centre of
cds (from the handling process, especially when they were pressed
down over the retaining clips in the centre of the jewel cases,
leaving greasy finger marks), which, in a warm, even hot,
environment inside the player caused the grease near the centre of
the disc, and thereby the pucks or clamps, to become very tacky.
This tackiness was sufficient for the pucks or clamps to lift the
single film Statmats off the cds when they were ejected from the
player at the end of play. Obviously, this was not an issue with
top loaders, but in some cases it was a problem for users with
certain drawer loading players.
Statmat CDi Blue
We therefore
designed a slightly heavier Statmat, the CDi Blue, which did not
move so readily during movement of the drawer, nor lift up with the
puck or clamp. To compensate for the slight extra weight (1.8g as
opposed to 0.3g of the single film) it was necessary to take
advantage of the extra layers to design an even more powerful
Statmat. One so powerful that the adverse effects of electrostatic
charges would be reduced even more and the new mat would also be
more effective in reducing the effects of vibration during play.
The extra power to
handle electrostatic charges came from using two Statmat films, one
a mirror image and placed at 90º to the other, with a specially
coloured blue substrate in between, all cut using the special
anti-vibration CDi pattern. The Statmat CDi Blue was launched at
the London Hi-Fi Show in September 2001.
LP Blue and
Statcap
 Following the
development of the single film Statmat MkII CDi, an LP version for
vinyl replay was also introduced, but because we were so impressed
with the improvement in sound with the early prototype versions of
the CDi Blue, we immediately started to develop a version of the CDi
Blue for LPs. These development processes soon began to run
concurrently, and we quickly found that improvements we were
bringing about with vinyl could also be used for cd and, similarly,
improvements found for cd could also enhance the LP performance. It
was a very interesting period of design work. The vinyl aspect of
the design was more complex because we were also able to introduce a
Statmat on the other side of the media carrier, the Statcap. As a
result, it has always been possible for us to get a higher quality
sound with vinyl than with cd, over and above other considerations
between the two forms of reproduction. The LP Blue and Statcap were
launched at the Manchester Hi-Fi Show in November 2001, two months
after the CDi Blue in London.
Statmat CDi
PLUS
The increased use
of the single film Statmat MkII CDi in computer systems meant we
needed to find a way to keep the film on the disc in some of the
very shallow, lightweight CD/DVD/CD-ROM transports used in computer
systems, which were also increasingly being used in hi-fi system
components. After some research, we developed the use of an
adhesive ‘ring’ for the underside of the Statmat that would adhere
to the label side of the disc to retain the Statmat in position
during play but was repeelable so that it could be used again with
the next and subsequent discs. The sound quality was also better
than with the standard Statmat MkII CDi. It had the additional
benefit of providing ‘worry free’ use of the Statmat film in
conventional cd and other digital players, though its use in
multi-play and car cd players would still not be appropriate.
Statmat CDi PLUS was launched at the London Hi-Fi Show in
September 2005.
Statfeet
 In the early days
of using the Statmat film, having been impressed by the control that
Statmats were having over the sound, I was curious what effect the
film had on equipment generally. So I draped sheets of the Statmat
film over some amplifiers I was using to see what would happen. Not
being sure what to expect, I was surprised how massively the sound
immediately changed. Further experimentation showed that to get the
sound right, we had to use the single Statmat film underneath
equipment rather than on top, and under a ‘foot’ of an item of
equipment. It seemed to break the electromagnetic contact between
the equipment above and the supporting shelf, or other base, the
equipment was resting upon and to whatever other equipment might lay
within the vicinity and to which the first item of equipment might
be coupled electro magnetically, as well as physically. Additional
layers of the film improved its power, but it only worked underneath
one ‘foot’ of an item of equipment – placed under more than one
‘foot’, the Statfoot simply did not work as it should. It also
mattered how the film was orientated in relation to which ‘foot’ was
used, as turning the Statmat film through 360º kept changing the
sound.
Conveniently, this
all came about as we were working on the design of the Ringmat Feet,
so it seemed appropriate to include the resultant Statfoot in each
set of Ringmat Feet when they were launched in 1999. Statfeet were
also made available separately for use under all sorts of hi-fi and
AV equipment, including televisions.
The research
involved with designing Statfeet showed how powerful these passive
components are and how easily they can massively change the sound
according to how and where they are used in a system. It is
therefore important to keep Statmats and Statfeet away from hi-fi
and AV equipment unless in use in the manner prescribed. It is
therefore appropriate also to bear in mind other aspects of the
performance of the Statmat film when making A/B comparisons with and
without the film in place.
Retained Charge
One aspect of the
Statmat film that caused confusion in the early days for users and
reviewers was the way the ‘charge’ imparted by the film was retained
for a while after the Statmat had been removed. In fact, it is more
complicated than that because removing the film also removes the
weight of the Statmat, or the very fact that something is
intervening between the Statmat and the clamp or puck or whatever,
even though the Statmat is a mere 0.3g. So removing the Statmat
temporarily actually improves the sound until the beneficial effects
of using the Statmat start to wear off – a matter of a minute or two
later. The sound then steadily deteriorates towards its
‘non-Statmat’ state until the Statmat is again put to use. Without
realising this situation, quick A/B comparisons with and without
Statmat can produce a confusing situation.
Phase Anomalies
Another difficulty
arises with sound reproduction systems where the sound is affected
by phase anomalies, such as those caused by having the absolute
phase of a drive unit in a loudspeaker inverted so as to maintain a
flat frequency response at 1metre (same set up with both speakers,
of course). Or with certain speakers using heavy/complex crossover
arrangements that affect the phase of the signal, or loudspeakers
with drive unit alignments designed to obtain special spatial
effects, as these can affect the coincidence of direct and reflected
waveforms, effectively introducing phase anomalies. The way Statmat
works is to correct phase errors caused by electrostatic and
electromagnetic interference, but if the absolute phase of the
signal is significantly turned away from true 0º or 180º by the
design of the speakers, then the correction brought about by the
Statmat will, to an extent, be nullified. The same situation arises
with other phase anomaly situations, such as those caused by
vibration and resonance in materials, which is why other Ringmat
products have been designed and introduced – to achieve a true 0º or
180º signal throughout the sound reproduction chain.
Both 0º and 180º
are mentioned because this depends on the recording. All recordings
have both true 0º and 180º absolute phase situations and switch from
one to the other according to the way the recording is actually made
and how it is put together through mixing and editing the various
session or sound takes. Also, some digital recordings that have
subsequently been re-mastered have no absolute phase integrity at
all and are full of anti-phase. More about this subject another
time.
Coincidence of direct and reflected
waveforms
Ringmat and Statmat products correct
phase distortion and other anomalies in the music signal that are
caused by electrical and physical vibrations and resonance in
materials.
One of the effects is to retain greater
accuracy in the absolute phase of the signal. As a result, sound
information starts and stops more quickly. With ‘overhang’ removed,
the sound is much clearer. However, this improvement may not become
so apparent if the sound is then slowed or smeared by sound
reflections arriving at the listening position at varying times
rather than together, because the position and angle of the speakers
require a consequent adjustment.
This situation is not unique to Ringmat
and Statmat products. Similar adjustments may be required whenever
introducing any manufacturers’ products into a sound reproduction
system, be it a hi-fi or home cinema system.
Accordingly, the position of each
speaker in relation to a rear wall, the distance between each
speaker and the extent to which they are ‘toed-in’ (to tighten
imagery and adjust relationships in distance to rear and side walls)
needs to be checked each time there is any change. Depending upon
the accuracy of the system, an adjustment of 3mm to 6mm either way
may be all that is needed, although sometimes more is required if
there is still a problem.
Depending upon the ease with which a
speaker can be moved and the manner in which it is supported, I
usually find it possible to ascertain the correct position simply by
listening to each speaker in turn while ‘leaning’, ‘turning’ or
‘swivelling’ it in each direction, concentrating on any changes in
the timing, clarity and transparency of the sound as this is done.
This should NOT be attempted by anyone if the speakers are too heavy
or not suitably under control. Care should be taken to ensure they
couldn’t topple or cause damage either to the speakers or their
supports. Where necessary, help should be sought with holding a
speaker and to check that there is no risk to the cables or to any
connections. Where appropriate, also first mute the outputs from
the amplifiers or switch them off whilst moving the speakers any
appreciable distance.
Further
Developments
In time, new
products using Statmat film will be introduced to refine sound
reproduction still further.
© Copyright 2007
John Rogers
Ringmat Developments
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