Ok folks, it's been well into a few months since having this Disc Mat from Spec, and now I'm having a major issue!
Apart from the superb improvements in sound reproduction from LP's, there's one major problem that I simply cannot get rid of and that's Static! Damn static is all over this disc mat, and following happens to a very negative effect:
1. When changing sides, I get up walk across a carpet, then onto a small area of floor tiles between another carpet where the gear rests on... stop playback by switching off the motor on the Rega speed controller (obviously lifting the arm first!) then lift the LP and "pop!" The static hits the cartridge, picks up this unwanted pop and shuts off the preamp!
2. The LEDs are on in the preamp but the tubes are off. Then hit the power button either on the preamp or the mute button on the remote, and the preamp comes back to life with a thunderous bang!!!! No good at all, obviously since the monoblocks are still powered on.
3. This phenomenon started happening just as we got into winter, I didn't have a static issue when I first got the Spec mat. It's very dry and I can feel the static in my fingers like sparks going haywire... each time I handle the LP off the disc mat, it sends off a pop towards the preamp shutting it down, there's no way of avoiding it.
As a result I reverted back to the original felt mat supplied by Rega and the upgraded carbon fibre mat supplied as well, no issues of static here whatsoever!
So now what? I'm thinking of all sorts of things, even tried cleaning the LP each time before and after play, lifting it in one straight motion off the disc mat, cleaning and placing down, nothing seems to work.
Onto the experts and more knowledgeable people here, what should I do, any suggestions?
One thing for sure is the other mats are no where close to the Spec's quality but due to this issue, nonetheless I guess I'm still enjoying the music even on these other mats. So back to square one for now. Need to find a way to avoid this static...
Would appreciate any suggestions or advice.
Best, RJ