Hexmat

I first came across Hexmat while on a hunt for a cartridge alignment protractor, and I was immediately intrigued by their unusual minimal-contact platter mats. Curiosity turned into action when I saw that the Absolute set even includes the protractor I was looking for, a thoughtful touch that hints at the company’s attention to detail. I ended up ordering the entire Hexmat range, Yellow Bird, Eclipse, Absolute, and the two different Molekula clamps, so I could experience them side by side. When they arrived, I was struck by the meticulous build quality, the thoughtful packaging, and the clear, attentive communication from the team. But of course, it’s the sound that counts, and Hexmat delivers: each piece subtly changes how music is presented, how space and dynamics are perceived, and sometimes brings out details in familiar recordings I hadn’t noticed before.

It’s worth noting that my reference setup is no slouch. I have an 800-gram Shindo lead-infused mat on an oversized Shindo platter, a combination that already brings considerable authority and grounding to playback. On top of this, I’ve also been layering a TEAC washi paper mat, which adds a touch of delicacy to the presentation. All of this is coupled with the Shindo weight, giving the records a solid, stable foundation. And importantly, when testing the Hexmat range I left these items in place, meaning the comparisons were against an already formidable baseline, not a stripped-down or compromised setup. That made the surprises Hexmat delivered all the more striking.

Hexmat is an audio accessories brand founded by Zsolt Fajt, a Hungarian sound engineer and entrepreneur who developed the concept over more than 20 years. Drawing on his deep appreciation for hi-fi systems, Fajt spent three years refining over 100 prototypes made from diverse materials including polymers, woods, metals, even crystals and gemstones, ultimately crafting patented, high-performance audio isolators.

Hexmat products are meticulously handmade in Budapest, Hungary, and each unit is individually inspected for quality. The brand emphasises thoughtful engineering, elegant design, what they call “elegance and simplicity”, and superior sonic impact.

The first thing that strikes you about Hexmat is the distinctive hexagonal shape, a design that immediately sets them apart from conventional circular mats. Each mat floats on a series of tiny points arranged within this geometry, which helps minimise contact while maintaining stability. The range also explores slightly different materials: the Yellow Bird uses a more flexible polymer for gentle isolation, the Eclipse employs a denser, more inert compound to deepen silence and clarity, and the Absolute combines heft and precision to fully anchor the record while still allowing it to float. Together, shape and material work in concert, subtly shaping how vibrations are absorbed and the music is transmitted, creating the unique Hexmat signature in sound.

Hexmat isn’t about pressing records down harder; it’s about letting them float, suspended on tiny points of contact, freed from the platter. The Yellow Bird introduces this philosophy with delicate precision. On Dead Can Dance-The Host of Seraphim, Lisa Gerrard’s voice swells with raw spiritual weight, the organ behind her layered with harmonic detail, and bass lines pulse with newfound clarity, grounding the ritual. Wardruna-Runaljod: Gap Var Ginnunga arrives with a sense of ancient wind across the room; the percussion is sharper, the chants more corporeal, and the strings carry a resonance that wasn’t there before. Even Iron Maiden’s Hallowed Be Thy Name gains subtle extra bite in the low end; the galloping bass and drum hits feel cleaner, more alive, more immediate.

The Eclipse takes that revelation further, shrinking the contact even more and creating a silence so deep it becomes part of the music. On Ulver-Shadows of the Sun, synth textures, acoustic piano lines, and Kristoffer Rygg’s baritone hang in the air with uncanny intimacy. The music breathes in the room rather than through the speakers. With Wardruna’s Helvegen, the drums strike like distant ritual calls, reverberating into the blackness, while flutes and strings linger and shimmer, creating a hauntingly real spatial depth. Tenhi’s Kauan glows with warmth; every note of guitar resonates against the silence, the vocals hover with delicate melancholy, and subtle percussive textures emerge from the shadows. The Eclipse doesn’t make the music louder or flashier; it simply allows more of the performance to arrive unfiltered, as if the recording itself had exhaled a layer of tension.

The Absolute, thicker and bundled with a matching magnetised clamp, is less an upgrade and more a re-casting of reality. On Heilung -In Maidjan, the chants gain corporeal presence, the percussion strikes like bone on hide, and even the smallest sounds, rattles, claps, throat singing, become fully dimensional. Iron Maiden’s Live After Death is transformed; the twin guitars lock together with ferocious clarity, the bassline gallops with authority, and Bruce Dickinson’s vocals soar without ever straining the harmonic space. Dead Can Dance’s Yulunga (Spirit Dance) unfolds like a ritual; percussion snaps and echoes, voices float, and the orchestration fills the room with texture and weight I had never fully appreciated. Each element feels intentional, anchored, and alive.

The Molekula clamp, subtle yet essential, grounds the record, stabilising every nuance. On Tenhi’s Kauan, the acoustic guitars resonate with greater sustain, low drones hold steady, and melancholic vocals hover in uncanny focus. Wardruna’s Fehu strikes with more impact; drums and frame drums are tactile, every breath of wind and scrape of wood is audible, deliberate, and present. Even subtle melodic lines in Ulver or Dead Can Dance recordings acquire a clarity that makes listening feel like discovery. The Molekula does not add or exaggerate, it just stabilises, allowing the music to settle naturally in space.

I can’t put my finger on exactly how or why Hexmat improves things, and perhaps that’s part of the magic. The effect is undeniable though: each record sounds more alive, more present, more real. As you move up the ladder, Yellow Bird, Eclipse, Absolute, each step brings a distinct, tangible improvement, as if the music itself is slowly being unshackled and allowed to breathe. It is subtle, profound, and unexplainable. I suspect it is about micro drag on the stylus and speed stability on some level, and thus improving the timing. Its a pretty compelling effect.

I also experimented with Hexmat on my Technics SL-1500C, where I had been using a Pro-Ject rubber–cork composite mat. That design is more about damping to control resonance, the rubber anchoring the record, the cork adding a little openness, but it always felt like a compromise between control and liveliness, a push-and-pull that never fully disappeared. Swapping it out for a Hexmat was immediately illuminating. Instead of relying on mass and damping, the record floated on minimal points of contact, and the change was obvious: the soundstage opened wider, leading edges carried sharper definition, and instruments occupied more breathable, natural spaces. The Technics, already a reliable workhorse, suddenly carried itself with a refinement and presence that made it feel like a different turntable, really quite surprising. In my experiments, the Yellow Bird or the Eclipse, paired with the Molekula clamp, struck me as the ideal match here, balancing openness, control, and stability in a way that felt perfectly tuned to the Technics’ character. One thing I will note is that the Molekula clamps are pretty tight on the spindle. This is obviously a good thing as far as clamping goes, but you do need to be a little cautious when removing it.

Hexmat improves playback in a clear and noticeable way. Music has more weight, presence, and clarity, and details in familiar recordings become easier to hear. I was impressed with the results, and I’ll be importing and selling Hexmat so others can experience the improvements for themselves, so get in touch if you want one.