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

Both harken back to Art Deco designs of the 30s.

I am a big fan of Art Deco and its off-springs like the Bauhaus but IMHO the K3 is not Art Deco. You can call it art like you can call anything one creates art, regardless to me, visually, it's a mess and has no relations to Art Deco. 
(never seen or heard it so my opinion is as irrelevant as it gets :) )

Here's the thing: I like it, and you and some others don't.  Yet, amazingly, we are all probably good persons. It does not trouble me that you and others do not like it. None of us can afford it anyway. Also, I don't think Richard Krebs was first and foremost striving for recognition as a creator of beautiful sculptures. I think he was following the engineering dictum: form follows function.

Art deco? This is an art deco record player:

And I wish my mother had never told me to make kindling of ours.

@lewm right.... no reason to argue about aesthetics and personal preferences... people buy it for the way it sounds.