An Effective, Easy-to-Use Tweak for Any Turntable: Funk Firm Achromat Platter Mat Absorbs Unwanted Vibrations and Delivers Immediate Playback Improvements
There's something to be said for the adage "if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is." Though that logic applies to most one-and-done solutions to complicated problems, the saying is proved wrong time and again by the Funk Firm Achromat turntable platter mat. Easy, affordable, and made to suit a wide variety of turntable brands and models, the anti-static Achromat performs a relatively straightforward function — absorbing the unwanted energy and vibrations reflected from the bottom of an LP during playback, and preventing it from being passed to your stylus — with uncanny results.
Available in 3.5mm, 5mm, or 7mm-thick versions (select from our menu above and read more about the thickness differences below), the acrylic Achromat contains millions of tiny bubbles within complex pathways where the energy gets lost as heat and prevents unwanted colorations. Place Achromat on your turntable platter and you'll hear improved soundstages, bass control, midrange focus, imaging, separation, dimensionality, and more. Bottom line: Achromat is one of the finest, affordable, and effective analog tweaks available. Try one for yourself and hear the immediate differences!
The standard 5mm-thick Achromat is for most users. It now features a 2.5mm hard acrylic mat bonded to its backside, an improvement that adds rigidity to the amorphous structure. In addition, the label has a smooth surface with no rough surface underneath, ensuring your LPs wil remain in perfect shape. It has a diameter of 293mm.
The 3mm Achromat is for listeners with turntables with Rega turntables, Rega tonearms, or other tonearms that lack VTA capability. It now features a stiff inner circle platform (a thin acrylic plate) bonded to its underside, which improves the overall stiffness all the while maintaining its overall 3mm thickness. It has a diameter of 293mm.
Older Technics turntables that have a platter with a machined lip require the 7mm APM Achromat. Combining a glass sub-plate and the Achromat on top, it is designed for Technics turntables such as SL-1200GR, SL-1200MK2 VII, and other legacy decks. The glass acts as an intentional mismatch against the Technics' metal platter to help control plate vibrations. With the glass controlling the thin aluminum, Achromat has an inert, stable surface to deliver great performance. (Please note: APM Achromat is not compatible with Technics' 1200G or 1500C models.)
"The difference the Achromat made was immediately obvious and just plain crazy better. Stage dimensionality greatly improved, images were more tightly organized, and three-dimensionality, bass control, and clarity were remarkably better!"
– Michael Fremer, Analog Planet/Stereophile
"Even on a relatively humble setup, I noticed a significant improvement when swapping cork or felt for the Achromat. The bass is tighter, the mids and highs have greater separation, and overall, the result is more natural and spacious sounding."
– Marc Henshall, Sound Matters
"Voices seem more natural and large ensembles of instruments are very well-defined and differentiated. Bass is roughly similar in weight and extension, but has less overhang and tonality is given a lift in precision across the frequency range."
– Richard Black, Tech Radar
"Substituting the Achromat for the original rubber mat brings about immediate improvements. That probably understates the differences... Ambience retrieval, soundstage depth and width, the distinct pitch of individual bass notes, immediately grab this listener's attention as vastly improved. Vocals sound more like real human voices than processed vocals. It becomes easier to follow individual instrument lines, which seem better separated from rest of the mix."
– Mark Wheeler, TNT Audio
