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Superb
support from Ringmat
Ringmat specialize in
making enhancements for
Vinyl, CD and DVD
When CD was introduced 20
years ago, the demise of the
LP was deemed to be very
soon. The rumours were
greatly exaggerated, and
still are, for although many
have said goodbye to vinyl,
new supporters are still
coming in, which can be seen
by the many new record
players and pick-ups that
still constantly pop up.
Yes, within the last year,
both the sale and production
of LPs have increased, and
although the numbers are
small, it’s still very
interesting.
I am one of those who have
stuck with my old record
player and albums through
the years, although I must
admit that there have been
very long gaps in between
playing my records. This has
changed radically in recent
months, during which I have
played more LPs than CDs.
Ringmat Support System
My renewed interest in
albums is due to the fact
that I have acquired a
Ringmat Support System,
which has changed the sound
of my records in such a
positive way that I have to
admit that, in many ways,
LPs now sound better than
CDs.
The System requires some
effort from the user, so let
me start with the simplest
aspect, the Ringmat, which
is placed on top of the
platter. It is available in
several versions, all made
from cork rings, and a
paper-like substance. I have
had the opportunity to
sample two versions, the
former top model, called
Ringmat MkII XLR, and the
new Anniversary Ringmat 330,
which was introduced
recently when the Ringmat
firm held the 10th
anniversary of the product’s
design. Both Ringmats make a
big improvement over all
other forms of record mat I
have tried through the
years. With Ringmat, the
background gets darker, the
bass faster and the top more
open.
The new Anniversary version
underscores this in an
obvious way when you switch
directly from the old XLR
model. One notices a much
broader and deeper
perspective, with more
height. This is very
surprising, as the two mats
look very similar. The
difference is in the
cut-outs and the gluing. The
sound improvements are
obvious, and even dynamics
improve, so the extra money
is well spent. As with many
of the Ringmat products, the
price can seem high if you
look at the products and the
materials used, ignoring the
improvements in sound. In
fact, one has to consider
that these hand-crafted
products demand a lot of
skill and time and are much
more demanding to make than
they look. At this stage,
there is already a big
improvement in the sound of
my albums, but the
subsequent stages improve
the sound even further.
LP Blue Statmat
The next stage is to
introduce the LP Blue
Statmat, which is an
improved version of the LP
Statmat. It now has three
layers, which makes it much
more powerful. It is simply
placed below the Ringmat and
doesn’t require any height
adjustment of your pick-up
arm. The LP Blue Statmat
comes with a Statcap, which
is placed on top of the
record and remains there
during play. Do the
voodoo-like pieces of
plastic work? Yes,
definitely. All the usual
noise associated with vinyl
disappears, though not, of
course, the scratches. There
is more air between
performers and the acoustics
of the recording venues are
easier to hear. The dynamics
also improve. One extra plus
is that the vinyl no longer
retains static anymore,
attracting the dust.
The next step is more
demanding and the lazy can
stop here. This also goes
for those with a pick-up arm
without height adjustment.
But there is much more to
gain if you take the full
step and use all the modules
of the Ringmat Support
System. This last step takes
some effort from the user.
It takes time and is not
without difficulties, but it
is amply rewarded many times
over with even better sound.
All Ringmat products are
developed by John Rogers. To
get some insight into the
thinking behind the products
you can start by reading the
booklets that accompany the
Ringmat Support System. The
booklets are: “How to set up
and fine tune a turntable”
and the instructions for the
“Ringmat Support System”.
Everything is very
thoroughly explained but let
me nevertheless go through
the stages one by one.
The System consists of a
black latex mat that is
placed upon the turntable
platter, where it almost
sucks itself into a firm
position. On top of this are
placed the so-called Ringmat
Spacers of different
thickness and colour. These
are put on top of each other
until you are left with the
4 or 5 thinnest. On top of
these are placed the LP Blue
Statmat and the Ringmat,
with an LP on top. After
this you adjust the tonearm
until it is 2-2.5 mm lower
at the back than the front.
After this you can fine-tune
the height with the Spacers
according to the original
cutting angle and adjust for
the best sound.
Now comes the difficult
part, which is the
adjustment of tracking
weight, as it is not always
the recommended tracking
weight from the manufacturer
that gives the best sound.
You start with a recording
you know well, put it on the
record player and start with
a lower tracking weight than
usual. You listen and try to
find the tracking pressure
where the sound snap into
focus. This means all the
instruments and voices have
their own space and there is
ample soundstage in height,
depth and width. You might
have to try a few times but
in the end you will probably
find a tracking pressure
that is lower than the one
you are using now.
Once you have found the
right tracking pressure, you
stick to it. After doing
this, you can adjust the
sound with the Spacers,
which you can take off or
put on according to the
cutting angle of the record
and the thickness of the
vinyl. After a time you find
a sort of average height,
which you can then stick to,
or use as a starting point
if your listening becomes
more critical.
The Result
But what is the result of
all this effort? Before I
get to this, I will tell
about one of my friends who
has heard the result. He is
a hi-fi professional and
left vinyl years ago. At
first he was sceptical, but
we ended up digging out old
vinyl and playing for the
next four hours. He has
heard a multitude of
vinyl-based systems, and
found this was amongst the
best he has heard,
irrespective of price. And
here you have to know that
my system is based on a 25
year old STD record player,
a Mørch UP-4 tonearm and an
eight year old Denon 304.
This is a long way from
’state of the art’, though I
must admit that the RIAA in
my Holfi Pre 1 definitely
is. Nevertheless, it is
amazing that the Ringmat
Support System can bring
these old components up to
this level of performance.
So what is the collective
result sound-wise?
Let me start with an example
from my vinyl collection.
One of my trophies is an
eight album Beatles box set,
the records having been
pressed by Toshiba in Japan.
They have very silent
surfaces and better dynamics
than the European pressings.
Nevertheless, it is only now
that, for the first time, I
have been able to resolve
who is singing in the
choruses and things like
that. My admiration for Paul
McCartney’s bass playing has
also grown, and it is now
heard with more detail and
much better dynamics.
Another example is
Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess”,
with Lorin Maazel. It starts
out with a very large
soundstage, where a lot of
things are going on. Here is
a very large orchestra,
chorus, soloists and a
piano, whilst in the middle
of it all they’re playing
the dice game “craps”. All
the details of the sound of
this game are there in the
middle of this very large
soundstage, which I have
never before heard in this
classic recording.
I could go on like this for
a long time but let me end
up with a general
impression. The sound-stage
is more focused and the
background much quieter, so
the noise you thought was a
part of vinyl replay
disappears. The height
grows. The bass goes deeper
and the top cleaner. The
sound gets warmer but
without masking detail,
which becomes more obvious
but as a part of the whole
picture. All in all, the
transformation of my vinyl
sound is astounding, and
though the price is more
than 2,200kr, you get a lot
for your money. You can
easily spend a whole lot
more on pick-up or tonearm
without getting this kind of
result. I have tried the
System on much more
expensive record players,
where the result was just as
good. It is whole-heartedly
recommended.
Statmat for CD and DVD
While we are talking about
Ringmat products, I must not
forget the new edition of
Statmat, which is called CDi
Blue. It is in three layers,
with two layers of the
active material and a
thicker piece in the middle.
Unlike earlier upgradings of
Statmat, there is a very big
improvement in sound, as the
bottom-end gets more solid
and you get a larger and
more precise soundstage,
which is very easy to hear
when you switch from an
older version to the new.
The new version is also
easier to use. It also works
on DVDs, and this goes for
both sound and picture. The
picture is sharper and
achieves greater depth and
all this from a
super-discount DVD player.
In short, there is every
reason to upgrade to the new
CDi Blue. |
