Ultimate Turntable search...OMA K5 or ?


As the title says, I’m on the hunt for a statement turntable. Don’t really post on the forum so forgive me if this has been discussed already. I’ve been told that whatsbest might be another place to post about this but I’ve been a seller on this site for many years, so I figured it was a good place to start.

I’m a longtime Caliburn owner but it’s time for a change. I would like to ditch the belt drive and vacuum. I know Fremer loves the OMA K3, but the K5 has got my attention. After owning many different speakers, a friend of mine turned me on to OMA. I ended up buying a pair of OMA mini’s about ten years ago and then quickly moved up to the AC-1. I’ve had a wonderful experience dealing with Jonathan and the company and love their aesthetic. With the AC-1s, my main system has reached a level of musicality and presence I never thought possible. I’ve recently come to the conclusion that upgrading my front end is my next big move. So I’ve been doing a ton of research on turntables in this class.

Although I’ve owned OMA speakers for years, I haven’t heard any of their new table designs. Sadly, I have not been to any shows or showrooms since covid. I do plan on visiting OMA sometime in the next few months, but for now, I’m interested if anybody has real life experience with the K3/K5 and if you have listening notes or opinions to share? Also curious to hear thoughts on competive turntables in this class. I have heard many high end tables in person, but definitely not all. Thanks!

mattdrummer

Showing 4 responses by rsf507

It really surprises me how many have chimed in on this thread without ever having actually heard an OMA K3/K5 table. However if it was me I'd be taking Mike Lavigne's approach and have 2, 3 or even 4 different top tables that each use a different drive system. I wish I could own just one of his tables. 

@pindac curious "there are regular experiences of loaned products..." how one loans out $100 - 500k of 200- 500 pounds of these turntables? Amazing if that would ever happen here in the States! 

Yes heard the Kronos at Axpona last year with Vivid speakers if I recall and wasn't impressed in that room. Yes it was under show conditions. What turntable impressed me? The Reed in the Axiss Audio room using a Reed tonearm. Just my opinion YMMV