Origin Live Strata turntable mat

Origin Live Strata turntable mat

The Strata Mat is a new development from the British manufacturer Origin Live, which actually took several years to complete. According to owner Mark Baker, the problem with traditional turntable mats is that, due to their mix of materials, they only ever perform well within a specific frequency range. For Origin Live’s first record mat, he therefore had a bespoke material blend manufactured, enabling a very thin design that has since been used on thousands of turntables.

The new Strata Mat, however, is in a league of its own. With a thickness of a full 5 millimetres, it is intended solely for those with height-adjustable tonearms. It consists of several layers of material. It is not designed to provide support for the LP at its centre. The Strata Mat is slightly smaller than an LP.

Does the sonic result have anything to do with the three layers being partially bonded together? And why does it work equally well on glass, metal and acrylic? What might these three layers be? Mark Baker won’t reveal exactly what he has come up with. Yet the sonic result is stunning.

With the Strata Mat, track noise appears to be reduced across the entire frequency range. Music sounds bigger, clearer and more powerful, yet, surprisingly, the tonal character remains exactly the same as with the ‘small’ record mat. Recordings that were previously slightly straining on the ears seem to benefit particularly, whilst LPs that were already great now simply sound even more impressive.

Instructions for use
1. Remove the previous mat and do not place it either under or on top of the Strata Mat.
2. The height of the tonearm must be readjusted. As many felt mats are around 2 millimetres thick, an additional 3 millimetres in height is often required.
3. The Strata Mat may be slightly off-centre. This does not affect the sound quality.
4. Brush the Strata Mat dry regularly and, when removing it, ensure it is stored flat.