Cork versus Felt

Static Electricity

Static electricity may be a record's ultimate enemy. It causes that annoying “snap, crackle, pop” that the sound engineers and musicians never intended to be a part of the playback. But the bane of static electricity goes much further that unwanted sonic artifacts, it can permanently damage the fragile waveforms encoded in the microscopic grooves. Did you know that those aggravating electrostatic “snap, crackle, pops” are like tiny explosions leaving microscopic craters in the record’s grooves, resulting in permanently damage. Static electricity also attracts dust like a magnet. Not so fun fact, when the stylus encounters those minute particles deep in the grooves, it also can leave permanent damage in its wake. Imagine driving fast down a narrow street and colliding with an unavoidable boulder…it’s something like that.

Cork reduces static electricity, and all the harm that it brings. Felt promotes static electricity and the discharges that result in forever “snaps and pops”. Through felt's greater static charge, dust and abrasive particles are attracted to the record and the felt fibers, ensuring continual contamination and damage.

Sound Quality

Cork platter mats can improve the sonics of playback, often described as “tightening” the bass, improving detail and clarity due to better vibration dampening, and having a non-slip surface. Whereas felt's lack of a non-slip surface, and its reduced vibration dampening quality is often maligned for leaving the bass thin and “muddied”, midrange “veiled“, and higher registers thin and “shrill”.

Also Beware

The surface of laser engraved cork are left natural and chemically neutral. Felt is often saturated in and adorned with harmful dyes, and paints, which can result in an acidic surface for vulnerable vinyl to lay on.