New OMA turntable

[K3RMIT]

Oma is truly working art that plays audio. all his stuff is custom as far as I can see. I asked him many questions while
there. I went too deep as some he could not answer
He is a fine man very kind gent. Not an audio snob I liked that of him.
the monarchs did sound best but I think the big horns just needed setup as they did not blur but did do some odd sounds.
Muddy waters was best and 10 feet tall lol.
to look at his stuff is enough to want them. he had a table
floating on magnets and the arm made of wood was kilt heated with no oxygen to make it age. i
must say all
of his stuff is artistic fantasy come to life.

 

[marty]

Bro while I know your correct an all you just posted bit man it’s what he does for a living lol.

Ked is not exactly known for his subtlety and reserve when expressing his audio opinions!

 

[Maril555]

I‘ve always got a sense that all of his offerings are very overpriced

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I‘ve always got a sense that all of his offerings are very overpriced

while maybe that is true; my perspective is that if one delivers top level performance, and i mean the very tip, tip, top......then the price truely is secondary.

hey; there are other $500k turntables. if this one is in that range and is better, then i say no worries. i applaud and tip my hat. and say thank you for doing this.

OTOH if it's just another 'excellent' turntable with it's own attributes and compromises, then the price does really matter. is it $100k of performance + $200k of art and marketing speak.......then it's just not relevant.....to me. it's for other people with a different set of values. which is perfectly ok.

YMMV.

 

[PeterA]

I understand the yellow bits of brass/copper/gold around the periphery of the platter: to add rotational mass/inertia, or so it would seem. Why use the same approach around an arm board which is fixed? Or are they both simply for aesthetics? There is a rawness to the design which is kind of cool if you like that, but it is quite a contrast to those yellow dots and the polished and finished top surface of the plinth and inner curve. The form plus decoration is an interesting aesthetic choice. Art is a good descriptor.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

I understand the yellow bits of brass/copper/gold around the periphery of the platter: to add rotational mass/inertia, or so it would seem. Why use the same approach around an arm board which is fixed? Or are they both simply for aesthetics? There is a rawness to the design which is kind of cool if you like that, but it is quite a contrast to those yellow dots and the polished and finished top surface of the plinth and inner curve. The form plus decoration is an interesting aesthetic choice. Art is a good descriptor.

Do you like the look, Peter? I personally think it looks incongruous and confused. I prefer the look of the American Sound myself.

 

[wbass]

In situ, I thought the K3 looked pretty cool. Maybe not my cup of tea, but of a piece with the space Jonathan has made, which is fun to inhabit for a couple hours. Everywhere you look, there's a neat piece of furniture or design. It's the polar opposite of most hi-fi dealers: windowless, dark sound rooms with acoustic panels, etc. You'd want to have a party there.

I also heard the Fleetwood Deville speakers, which are about $12k (I think) and thought they were quite good. Again, hard to judge in such a huge space, but they filled it surprisingly well, which is not nothing.

Now that I think of it, the K3 tonearm might have a pivoting head shell built in. Not sure, but it was a feature Jonathan showed me on another arm, a Schroeder, that he felt was very worthwhile. Again, not sure, but I think I can see something similar in the image posted above.

FWIW, I get the sense that Jonathan knows exactly what many in the hi-fi world say about his designs and his emphasis on making handmade, visually striking pieces. He cares about sound, too, clearly. Again, I don't know where I'd rank any of his speakers in my all-time best, but it doesn't much matter (to me anyway). I could definitely see owning an SP10R in an OMA plinth, and perhaps a pair of Devilles, as well. The rest of what OMA makes is way past my budget.

But, whichever way, I was grateful for Jonathan's generosity in showing me around for a couple hours. I can't imagine a more unique listening experience.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Does anyone know what's going on with that console table the K3 is sitting on?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Does anyone know what's going on with that console table the K3 is sitting on?

from the website link.....



i'm sure it's not cheap. interior designers will love their mark-up.

 

[spiritofmusic]

So, purely aesthetic, not a particular take on bleeding edge isolation?

 

[audioguy1958]

Looks like a tug boat with a crane.

View attachment 81646

Boaty McBoatface?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

So, purely aesthetic, not a particular take on bleeding edge isolation?

not mono brow hard core audiophile approved for sure. more MoMA

MoMA The Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States - Google Arts & Culture

Founded in 1929, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in midtown Manhattan was the first museum devoted to the modern era. Today MoMA’s rich and varied collecti...

artsandculture.google.com

 

[spiritofmusic]

Well, the $300-500k tt market is filling out nicely.
AF0P, SAT, now K3...soon the AF2001 and the Wilson Benesch GMTOne.

 

[bonzo75]

Bro while I know your correct an all you just posted bit man it’s what he does for a living lol.

Not really I said the smaller ones are great.

 

[jeff1225]

Looks like a tug boat with a crane.

View attachment 81646

I’m sorry but Frank Lloyd Wright did it better

 

[Lagonda]

Looks like a tug boat with a crane.

View attachment 81646

Probably the ugliest TT i have ever laid my eyes on ! Hope it looks better in real life !

 

[PeterA]

Do you like the look, Peter? I personally think it looks incongruous and confused. I prefer the look of the American Sound myself.

no I do not really like the aesthetic. The American sound is gorgeous.

 

[jdza]

While the aesthetic is debatable I do admire the homage

 

[MikeHorns]

Now I remember, this is where I first saw a crane style tonearm, which was designed by an architect - Randolph Hedgebeth. https://www.remusic.it/EN/Hedgebeth-Sonority-Tonearm-Interview-aedc4b00

His Facebook account.​

 

[Solypsa]

'Crane style tonearm': There are pics online of one made by Dave Whitaker of the New Zealand based Aura TT out of balsa and an old tonearm....

DIY Balsa Wood Tonearm

From quite a few years ago, this was my version of a Uni-pivot tonearm design by the late Dave Whittaker, creator of the Aura Turntable. Dave knew that wood would provide good damping – he ch…

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