SERENE PLATTER MAT FROM STACK AUDIO

Do we really need another turntable platter mat? Paul Rigby thought not until he saw this new design from Stack Audio

I have reviewed many turntable mats. A lot. And I’ve seen many more that I have never reviewed. Most are lazy rehashes of current tech. Yet another felt mat, yet another rubber mat or leather or cork or… 

Been there, done mat. 

And many of these ‘me too’ mats are fine. Just not great. There are, however, a few companies out there that think out of the box. Stack Audio is one of those.

Instead of relying on stiffness or basic isolation or trying to damp the record itself via mass, the Stack Audio Serene turntable mat, priced at £75, takes another direction which is genuinely innovative and innovation always attracts me. 

Basically? Imagine a Townshend Isolation Podium speaker stand…as a mat. That’s the Stack Audio Serene Platter Mat.

This new mat is based on silicon which, in itself is fine but not amazing. Within the silicon of the Serene, though, there are four little silicon springs that support and ‘give’ enough under the weight of the record to supply both isolation from the noisy platter but also a measure of damping to remove vibration from the record.

So you have to remember to use the Serene in the correct orientation, with those little springs pointing upwards. 

Also, remember that this mat is 3mm thick so only turntables with an adjustable tonearm height need apply. Otherwise your cartridge will sit a little high, at a angle, which is not good for sound quality. 

That’s it really. Short. To the point. 

How does it sound?   

SOUND QUALITY

I selected a pair of test discs. First up was the classic Yes prog rock outing, Fragile and the track, Close to the Edge. In addition, I also played Eydie Gorme’s Spanish language LP, Cuatro Vidas and the track Vereda Tropical which, in case you’re not aware, features a female lead vocal high in clarity terms, a three-man harmony backing, bass, guitars and secondary percussion.  

vs RUBBER MAT

The rubber mat was pulled from a random Audio-Technica turntable, possibly a 140. This sort of mat is very common, especially amongst Japanese brands. The perception, because the mat is substantial and heavy, is that sound quality  is high. That is just not so, I’m afraid.

The Serene ate it for breakfast and burped afterwards. Bass was not only firmer but more powerful, the soundstage was pushed further left and right while lead and harmony vocals offered more emotion, texture and clarity. 

vs FELT

I also took the felt mat from An Audio-Technica turntable, my LP5x in this case. Felt mats are my first recommended upgrade from the basic rubber model. Compared to the Serene though? The felt mat sounds pinched.

As if a giant hand had literally squeezed the sound between two fingers. The vocals sounded thin, weedy and lacking expression. Bass had little mass while the soundstage was narrow. 

vs CORK

Cork is my first genuine third-party upgrade material up from felt, adding more structure to the sound. Compared to the Serene?

Well, the cork mat struggled to maintain the same quality of focus offered by the Serene. The mids and upper mids were also a little edgy on the Cork when compared to the detail and open nature from the Serene. 

vs ORIGIN LIVE UPGRADE

I see this at as the first audiophile mat on this test. It’s consistently excellent in terms of offering a balanced output full of detail.

Even so, the Origin Live mat couldn’t lower the high-frequency noise as much as the Serene. Vocal crescendos were much more even and controlled via the Serene. In addition, bass was tighter and precise while the conga drums conveyed the trademark slap much more effectively. 

vs FUNK FIRM ACHROMAT

The Achromat was the first genuine threat to the Serene, it was a real challenger but the Achromat didn’t lower the high frequency noise as much as the Serene.

Hence, at high volumes, vocal crescendos had a slight edge to them when compared to the Serene and, because the soundstage held that noise, the secondary percussion and bass was slightly masked, losing a little detail in the process. The Serene offered much more information on these terms. 

vs SOUNDECK PM PLATTER MAT

Another genuine challenger to the Serene, the Soundeck mat held music in an iron grip, imposing discipline and focus right across the soundstage while enhancing bass. The Soundeck is ideal for rock music.

Bass is more impressive and powerful than the Serene. Even so, the mids and upper mids are more natural and realistic from the Serene, bass is more characterful while the tonal realism is better from the Serene. Overall, I prefer the Serene. 

vs HEXMAT YELLOW BIRD

And there we have it, we’ve now found the ceiling for the Serene’s performance upgrades because the Yellow Bird tops it right across the board. Saying that, compare those prices. The Yellow Mat is around €150 while the Serene is a mere £75.

The Yellow Bird provides lower high-frequency noise, sumptuous detail from the mids, a tonally realistic yet powerful bass with delicate treble. All of these areas improve upon the Serene. Even so, the Serene is any no means shamed in any way, putting up quite a fight, providing much of what the Yellow Birds give you and offering the ear arguably better value for money. 

CONCLUSION

To get the best from the Stack Audio Serene, I do recommend that you get other elements of your HiFi up to scratch such as a decent shelving system, quality cables and isolation feet plus a stabiliser or clamp if required. 

And on that subject, yes, the mat works very well with Stack Audio’s Serene Turntable Puck, lowering high-frequency noise still further, enhancing precision and focus across the soundstage and more. 

The mat is not compatible with clamps or very heavy stabilisers. You’re limited to a 500g weight including the record itself sitting on this mat.  

Do I recommend purchasing the Serene platter mat? Absolutely, yes. It enhances sound right across the board adding more of the good stuff while rejecting the bad stuff. 

In short, if the Hexmat Yellow Bird, for example, is for the hardcore audiophile, the Stack Audio Serene is the best platter mat for everyone else or for those audiophiles on a more restricted budget. 

Because of that price point, because of that sonic performance but, above all, because of the innovation, I have no choice but to give this product a 10/10, a Golden Groovy, congratulations to Stack Audio.

STACK AUDIO SERENE PLATTER MAT

Price: £75

Website: https://stackaudio.co.uk/serene-mat

GOOD: innovative design, easy to install, low noise, midrange detail

BAD: needs an adjustable tonearm

RATING: 10