Maintaining neutral static
Once the surface static charge on a record has been tackled, ensuring that the vinyl is stored in an anti-static inner sleeve will help to maintain a neutral static status. Revivinyl recommends additional best practices to keep your records static-free.
Turntable platter mat
Your turntable platter mat material is a key factor in combatting static.
Acrylic mats are recommended for audiophiles prioritising static control and sound clarity. They dissipate static, enhance vibration damping, and are durable and easy to maintain; however, they come at quite a high cost.
Leather mats also offer high durability, good damping, and reduce static dust attraction; however, they also come at a high cost.
Rubber mats provide excellent grip and robust damping; however, not all incorporate anti-static compounds, and generic rubber can still attract dust.
Cork mats offer good static reduction and damping, and provide a less costly option than acrylic, leather, or rubber.
Hybrid mats aim to combine the best attributes of different materials – e.g. cork’s static reduction and rubber’s damping; however, success hinges on the blend and manufacturing quality. Caution is recommended.
Felt mats, while affordable, are a poor option for audiophile use, with a high propensity to generate static, inferior damping, and they often cling to the record on removal from the turntable.
Anti-static tools
For comprehensive static management, audiophiles should consider integrating additional tools to complement their chosen platter mat for a multi-faceted approach to achieving truly neutral static. Anti-static inner sleeves – as supplied by Revivinyl to customers using our deep cleaning and anti-static services – provide a protective, charge-reducing environment for stored records. Anti-static carbon fibre brushes are effective for quick dust removal and charge dissipation before playback. Devices like the Milty Zerostat gun offer a powerful, non-contact method to neutralise static charges on records.
Static generated by stylus
Since friction with other materials can attract electrons, the turntable stylus could generate a static charge; diamond is not conductive and therefore does not dissipate any charge created by the friction of travel. If static noise is noticeable during playback, then we recommend that the record is cleaned using a carbon fibre cleaning brush. We also advise that the stylus is cleaned before the next play. We can offer guidance on low-cost effective products for these procedures.