Pro-Ject - Cork & Rubber-it High Quality Turntable Mat

Cork and rubber blended into one 300mm mat — the anti-static behaviour of cork with the mechanical damping of rubber. Two thicknesses, chosen according to how heavy your platter is.

Cork and rubber solve different halves of the same problem. Cork is anti-static and couples well to vinyl. Rubber is the better absorber — it is lossy in a way cork is not, and it converts vibration into heat rather than passing it along. Pro-Ject’s Cork & Rubber it blends the two materials into a single mat so you get both behaviours at once instead of choosing between them.

It comes in 1mm and 3mm thicknesses, and Pro-Ject’s guidance on which to use is about the platter underneath rather than personal preference. On a thin metal platter, which has real ringing to deal with, use the thicker 3mm mat: there is more material doing more damping. On a dense or heavy platter, which is already well behaved, use the 1mm — you want coupling more than absorption, and less added height means less disturbance to your tonearm geometry.

Against the plain Cork it, the trade is straightforward even though Pro-Ject never states it as a comparison: pure cork is the lighter touch, better on a platter that is already inert, while the cork-and-rubber blend is the more interventionist choice for a platter that needs help. Pro-Ject does not publish the cork-to-rubber ratio, so we cannot tell you exactly how far toward rubber the blend sits.

Whichever you fit, re-check your tonearm height afterwards if it is adjustable. Three millimetres is enough to move vertical tracking angle noticeably.

Features

• Blended cork and rubber — anti-static and mechanically damping at once
• Available in 1mm and 3mm thicknesses
• 3mm for thin metal platters, 1mm for dense or heavy ones, per Pro-Ject’s guidance
• 300mm diameter
• Brown finish

Specifications

• Type: Cork and rubber composite turntable mat
• Material: Blended cork and rubber. The cork-to-rubber ratio is not published
• Diameter: 300mm
• Thickness: 1mm or 3mm
• Weight: Not published
• Colour: Brown
• What Pro-Ject claims: That it avoids static load and delivers less noise, combining the acoustic control of rubber with the anti-static properties of cork
• Which thickness: Pro-Ject advises the 3mm mat on thin metal platters and the 1mm mat on dense or heavy platters
• Versus the plain Cork it: Pro-Ject markets the two as separate products and makes no head-to-head comparison. The published difference is material and thickness: 100% cork at a single 1.5mm, versus a cork-rubber blend at 1mm or 3mm
• A note on VTA: 3mm is enough to shift vertical tracking angle. If your tonearm height is adjustable, re-check it after fitting
• Country of manufacture: Not published for this product
• Warranty: Two years from date of purchase, extendable to three years by registering the product with Pro-Ject and subscribing to their newsletter. Pro-Ject states that warranty is administered by the local distributor and that terms can vary by region; no separate United States term is published. Coverage requires purchase from an authorised dealer — The ’In Groove is one.