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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
vinylshadow
490 posts
 

Take a look at Origin Live Voyager S with Agile Tonearms.

testpilot
930 posts
 

I can typically find beauty in most audio products, but the OMA turntable has the looks that only a mother can love. For aesthetics alone, the OMA would be off my list. 

lazyriver's avatar
lazyriver
3 posts
 

I guess it takes all kinds, as they say. I, for one, find the OMA K3 to be quite beautiful. it’s refreshing to see such a striking design for a high end turntable. most tables in this stratosphere have an overbuilt and bulky appearance. and I have found the look of tables like the esoteric, techdas, basis to be quite boring. they all really do look the same to me. at least the K5 has an elegance that separates it from the pack.

lewm
13,030 posts
 

“Mr Krebs had considerable influence.” How ironic! The K5 and K3 are Richard Krebs’s babies, completely. OMA has marketing in the USA. OMA may have had input on superficial cosmetics and on pricing. Richard worked to perfect the K5 for more than a decade.

mikelavigne
2,199 posts
 

When it comes to experience, Fremer got rid of his Caliburn and now owns a K3. He didnt buy the SAT (which I have crossed of my list since it is basically a modified SP-10 motor) or TechDas or even the Esoteric (which is magnetic and not direct drive). And since Fremer used to have the Caliburn in his system, I am quite interested in his preferences. But as I mentioned in my original post, I am very curious if anyone has real life experience with the K3/K5? Or any tables with similar tech?

 

@mattdrummer

i think he would have bought the Esoteric had he not already bought the K3 prototype. as it’s character is more middle ground in terms of sound signature (felt it split the difference between the K3 and TechDAS Zero), but much more flexible platform (three arms with reasonable mounting options) for his purposes. he loved the build quality, tech innovation and elegance, and a much smaller footprint too. just my take on his review and other off line feedback on it.

carefully read the review comments on his serious respect for the design innovation. he was very impressed by the whole thinking behind the Esoteric.

the K3 is a magnificent extreme turntable, but a poor review tool. and even if he had the space for the TD Zero, he could not (or would not) afford it even at the accommodation price.

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