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RINGMAT SUPPORT
SYSTEM
A very detailed and comprehensive
review of the Ringmat Support System has been posted on The
Stereo
Times Website.
It was written by Senior Editor Paul Szabady, who reviewed it in the
USA with the supplied Standard LP Statmat bundled option. It would
have been interesting had the review also covered the LP Blue
Statmat and Statcap option, which is more powerful, but then that
leaves open an opportunity for an upgrade and an update at a later
date.
The Ringmat and Ringmat
Support System also work well with turntables supplied with a
bare platter and a clamp. The following quotes are from a
review using such a turntable, the Michell Orbe.
Audio Smorgasbord
"The multiple percussionists of
Santana were no less vigorous or fleet of foot (hand?), and if
anything the enriched body to the drums increased their impact. In
fact I was astounded by how much bottom end clout there was, and
what’s more the bass seemed to have been released from a
straight jacket, flowing free to underpin the complexity of the
Latin rhythms. The injection of life and dynamic ‘jump’ was
astonishing (and extremely welcome -witness embarrassing spectacle
of person old enough to know better dancing around like a
lunatic). As for the glassiness – gone, banished, exiled. The
sound was still sharp, but it had lost its slightly unpleasant
edge."
"Using the Ringmat Support System
to optimise the VTA for the thicker records resulted in absolutely
superb results. The clarity, impact, and sheer musicality of the
disc was far in excess of what I’ve managed to wring from my
system till now, ..."
"I’ll finish by saying that I
have no intention of using the Orbe in future without the Ringmat
Support System. The changes it makes are entirely positive and far
from subtle -even when the turntable is designed to use a
clamp!"
To read the full review, click
here.
Dave Ayers, hi-fi+
Issue 9, Jan/Feb 2001
"It took a good six hours of
installation, experimentation and listening to optimise the
performance of the Linn with the Ringmat system but the results are
quite astonishing. In broad terms, the main benefits of the system
relate to an extension of low frequency with enhanced slam, a
definite improvement in overall resolution, clearer and more
accurately delivered detail, and a larger, more open soundstage.
Some of these advantages can be explained by the far more
accurate VTA adjustment the system allows and demands. But there is
no doubt that the firmer location of the disc on the platter, and
the anti-static properties of the Statmat, also contribute
substantially. The results will make even a well equipped Linn sound
substantially better.
For the money, you're unlikely to gain even close to this level
of improvement. The Ringmat Support System has to be one of the best
ever turntable enhancements, and one that I can't recommend highly
enough."
Deon Schoeman, Audio
Video South Africa, March 2000
"Now, anyone who owns a Linn
LP12, with its propensity to settle over the months, will appreciate
the dilemma for the reviewer: resetting the suspension to cope with
the extra weight is likely, in any case, to improve the sound. Would
the results claimed for the Ringmat system be overwhelmingly
different from those achieved by routine adjustment? Happily, they
were – even sitting the little Ringcap on the LP had an
appreciable stabilising effect.
The complete system takes us two
further steps beyond the Ringmat, principally in adding weight and
focus. Stereo images are made more cohesive, ambience, hall echoes
and the like, come into sharper outline. The timbres of instruments
and voices have more substance and reality. For the outlay, the
returns prove considerably more than anticipated."
Christopher Breunig,
Hi-Fi News & Record Review, November 1999
"The system is very
effective... Surprise number one was the immediate beneficial effect
on the bass… both the sound level and the accuracy were
considerably improved… solo fiddle floated through the ’speakers
with enchanting sweetness… the static-y clicks had disappeared.
Records that generally track indifferently can be fine-tuned… this
can make quite a difference…"
Richard White,
Hi-Fi World, April 1999
"The Ringmat
Support System allows simple yet precise fine-tuning of stylus rake
angle. … The improvement it makes to timing, articulation,
transparency, fine detail and imaging is quite remarkable. Best of
all, the music has a rhythmic snap and liveliness that made you want
to dance… It’s vital to appreciate that the changes go beyond
hi-fi things like sound staging, important as that is… An
excellent product then, and very good value given the degree of
improvements offered. …Already I’m wondering how I ever listened
to music without it."
Jimmy Hughes,
Hi-Fi Choice, March 1999
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