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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
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,224 posts
 

The OMA is fine as long as you place it on a MinusK Isolation platform. I am a big fan of Schroder tonearms, but I prefer the LT. I personally use a CB.

All of these turntables are luxury items and are in no way necessary for the best sound. Ownership is egocentric. I think it is important to note that the best performance is available at seriously lower prices. Blinded, nobody could reliable identify any of these turntables in a line up of great tables between 10 and 60 thousand  dollars. 

IMHO you might as well go for the one you think is the coolest, the one you can brag about the most. That would be the Work of Art for me. I think the OMA is butte ugly and the Esoteric is not far behind. All are trying too desperately to justify their existence by coming up with silly ways of doing simple things.  To limit yourself to direct drive is self defeating. Suspensions and record clamping are far more significant. 

 

whart's avatar
whart
2,973 posts
 

I spoke to Jonathan (last?) when his table was still in development. He spoke of using a cutting lathe as a model and I know Mr. Krebs had considerable influence. 

How can you meaningfully compare these, and with what variables? I suspect at some point, there are ergonomic considerations. I've followed a fairly masochistic route that brought considerable performance gains by increments, but none of this is plug and play, especially at this level. Arms, phono cartridge choices, phono stages and the overall "voicing" of the system all play a role in this. I'm not sure how you eliminate such variables, let alone get to make meaningful comparisons.

It's a process as much as a destination. I think you learn a lot by listening, but chances are, those will be in systems/rooms that are not "known" to you. How to sensibly approach this? 

rsf507
2,228 posts
 

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. 

au_lait
335 posts
 

Can’t get past the OMA aesthetic.

vinylshadow
419 posts
 

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

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