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!
Bergmann Galder w/ Odin Linear tracking tonearm. Amazing equipment. Every time I listen I am impressed at how good it sounds, and frankly what it doesn’t sound like. Total blackness. Any number of quality cartridges will do the trick. I use a Sumiko Palo Santo Presentation, but I know of some better. Check it out. This is a wonderful turntable and arm. You won’t be dissatisfied. As an added benefit, it doesn’t look like a spaceship! |
Esoteric T1---$72,500 without arm, $80,000 with the TA-9D Ikeda arm and arm board. arm boards are approximately $3000 each, and take 90-120 days to get. the Esoteric T1 sounds better with an OCXO 10mhz clock. the best choice being the Esoteric G1X clock which is $27,000......although there are lower cost alternatives. i do have this G1X clock. big step up. https://www.esoteric.jp/en/product/g1x/feature and a high quality optical 50 ohm 10mhz clock cable matters too. here is the one i use.....$2450. https://shunyata.com/products/digital-cables/sigma-series-digital-cables/sigma-v2-aes-ebu/ so when you add up the costs of an optimized T1 with two arm boards, clock and cable, you are around $107,950 at list prices. and that plays at the highest levels of turntable performance, has a modest footprint, and can handle up to three arms. in today’s uber turntable landscape, based on the OP’s questions and experience with the over $150k Caliburn, it represents a good value proposition.. i certainly think my Esoteric is at the tip top. i’ve now been listening to my T1 for 10 months every day. love it. |
None of the above. As a matter of value The Dohmann Helix One. The Basis Work Of Art IMHO trumps all the other turntables that have been mention as it has vacuum clamping and a great suspension. Pictures do not do it justice. It is a beautiful thing in person. How the record interfaces to the platter is way more important than the ultimate in speed stability or the quietest bearing. Records are by nature imperfect, Any irregularity in the surface affects pitch as does offset spindle holes. The Astellar is quite the piece and if it had vacuum clamping it would be perfect. IMHO the Esoteric is boring. The two features that matter to me most are an adequate isolation system and vacuum clamping. |
