2. analog
  3. 187629-80877

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
terry9
2,242 posts
 

I built my own air bearing TT and tonearm. I would suggest that you consider an air cushion in 3D - that is, not just air suspension, but an air bushing for radial bearing. I use an air bushing from New Way.

Also consider mating the tonearm wand to the cartridge. My d/c Koetsu and Grado Epoch need slightly different wands to sound their best.

Good luck. 

daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,835 posts
 

I have heard a lot of top turntable designs. IMO, the best and by quite a large margin, is the Basis Transcendence. It is still a belt drive, but AJ (RIP) hit it out of the park with this table. Plus, his Superarm is a great arm.

Like Mike L said, the new Esoteric should also be on your short list. What do you dislike about your Caliburn?

 

lewm
12,537 posts
 

Esoteric costs ???

terry9
2,242 posts
 

Amplifying on wands, I don't mean elementary considerations such as  compliance etc. for tracking. I mean basic engineering considerations which offer perfect transparency at the expense of listenability, or vice versa, and your preferences on that continuum.

mikelavigne
2,151 posts
 

I wonder why you describe it as a "magnetic drive idler", since according to the Fremer review there is no conventional idler wheel, and the platter is driven by magnetic induction, such that the drive force is applied at a distance from the platter. (In other words, this is a direct drive turntable by another

@lewm

no. not a direct drive. a direct drive turntable has the motor directly connected to the platter.

an idler pushes. it pushes the inside of the platter, or the outside of the platter (rim drive idler). my Saskia, and the Garrard i use to own, both pushed the inside of the platter with an idler wheel. the Esoteric T1 pushes the bottom outside of the platter magnetically. a motor turns a wheel which magnetically causes the platter to turn with a magnetized bottom ring on the platter. in fact the platter and plinth have zero physical connection to the motor assembly. there is nothing direct about it in any way, shape or form.

the advantage of an idler is more torque since it acts on only the outside housing of the platter, instead of the center shaft with a direct drive. which has benefits musically to the drive and PRaT of the music. in the case of the Esoteric, you can actually dial the torque with a micrometer which varies the distance from the drive wheel to the platter. quite an amazing design.

i will agree with you that the Esoteric is not a belt drive. but that does not mean it's direct drive.

More to discover