Brian M. – UK

“The Stack Audio Serene Mat has more depth and a smoother presentation. Bass depth on Jazz Sabbath is noticeably stronger, especially on the bass drum and richness of the piano.”

My initial thoughts are below (in too much detail) for the LP12 and the P10—they were initially inconclusive until I adjusted the VTA (at Paul Knipe’s very experienced suggestion) on the LP12 to suit the mat thickness of the Serene. That adjustment made a marked difference in my findings for the Serene.

On Friday night, I compared six albums over and over for 3–4 hours: Jazz Sabbath (jazz trio), Judas Priest’s Serpent and the King and Invincible Shield (lots of layered guitars, vocals, and drums), Gary Numan (complex industrial sounds), Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker, Steve Hackett’s Guitar Noir (Side 1—layered, sometimes messy mixes), and Philip Bailey’s Easy Lover (which can sound thin but has lots going on). Since then, I have tested at least a dozen complete albums.

The Serene mat is thicker (3mm), and I did not adjust the VTA between changes initially or any other settings on my tonearm, as any comparisons would have been too slow to audibly hear. I have, however, now adjusted the VTA to suit the Stack Audio Serene Mat and resumed comparisons after several hours. The VTA adjustment made a significant enough difference here, and this comparison helped me hear it clearly. The VTA of my arm was originally set for a thinner mat.

Differences were actually quite easy for me to hear without the VTA adjustment—and I don’t always notice anything unless it’s truly adding or removing something, including background noise. I am not one for the “blacker blacks” or “my wife walked into the room and could hear the difference” nonsense. I tried the Serene Mat with the Serene Stabiliser for fairness on the same sections of tracks, backward and forward repeatedly. Adjusting the VTA made this a much fairer comparison on the LP12.

Initial Thoughts (LP12)

The Stack Audio Serene Mat has more depth and a smoother presentation. Bass depth on Jazz Sabbath is noticeably stronger, especially on the bass drum and richness of the piano. This mat has more “weight” in its presentation but initially felt slightly messier on complex mixes, vocals, and midrange until I adjusted the VTA to suit. After this adjustment, there was a clear improvement.

The mat is beautifully designed, and while it’s a rubber mat, records lift off easily while spinning because they sit on small compressing rubber domes.

Conclusions So Far

Without adjusting the VTA:
If you have a brighter sound that needs taming or something that lacks weight, the Stack Audio Serene Mat is ideal, particularly on the Rega. It excels in instrumental music, jazz, and some orchestral recordings. The music sounded more neutral, with a balanced frequency range but initially lacked some spark until the VTA was adjusted.

With the VTA adjusted:
It retained all the clarity of the other mats I’ve tested, but with added depth and richness that worked well across every genre I played. Once I adjusted the VTA, the mat worked brilliantly on everything I tested.

Initial P10 Thoughts

On the P10, before adjusting the VTA, the sound was initially less dynamic, with a flatter tone compared to other setups. Cymbals, vocals, and drums sounded less alive, and I found myself increasing the volume more with the Serene Mat to achieve the same drive. However, the P10’s VTA adjustment options are more limited, meaning further adjustments to suit the Serene Mat would require additional effort. Even so, the mat and Serene Stabiliser combination still improved isolation and damping, helping to retrieve more detail.

Overall

The Stack Audio Serene Mat, particularly when paired with the Serene Stabiliser, is an excellent upgrade that clearly enhances detail retrieval and musicality. It’s remarkably well-made, and the technology and research behind it show in its performance. The mat’s ability to isolate and damp vibrations ensures a cleaner, more precise sound, particularly on the LP12 with its greater VTA flexibility.