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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
pindac's avatar
pindac
2,443 posts
 

One can't overlook 124 Pages of emerging versions of the Supatrac, all seemingly receiving a sprinkle of Blessings from the Supatrac designer.

A novel take on a Uni-pivot arm (page 124) - Tonearms - Lenco Heaven Turntable Forum

 

davetheoilguy
115 posts
 

+1 on the Esoteric.  I own both it and (because I couldn’t pass up the price used) a VPI Avenger Titan, which may be something to consider.  The Titan is also extremely easy to set up correctly.

 

The Esoteric is (barely) superior to the top of the line VPI, but you can get the VPI used for $20k with tone arm used.  (New, it’s somewhere around $60k.)  And for most recordings, I can’t tell the difference, and it probably comes down to choice of cartridge.

 

i suspect the Esoteric holds its value better.  I’ve never seen a used one for sale.

 

thr1961's avatar
thr1961
66 posts
 

Arriving a bit late to the discussion, but having upgraded my turntable five times since the start of covid (there is probably a great research project on the effect of covid on audio upgrade patterns), I ultimately landed on a CS Port TAT1M2. While not in the same price range as those being discussed, this table combined with the Kuzma Safir and the Koetsu Blue Lace and Koetsu SUT, has been a game changer for me. This combination continues to reveal new details in both new quality releases (Aja on 45 and Bill Evans "Waltz for Debby") as well as some of my original albums ("Blues and the Abstract Truth" and the first Tracy Chapman). Most importantly, I am able to listen for hours and hours without any of the exhaustion that can sometimes occur with other systems. 

It might be worth a listen if you have a chance. 

pindac's avatar
pindac
2,443 posts
 

 

rsf507
2,228 posts
 

Wow! Isn't that SAT tonearm mounted on front like $75,000 ? Again WOW👌

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