OMA K3 $360K TURNTABLE

[NoMoFoNo]

Not sure I understand why some take the time to find ASR, register to post at ASR and then spend considerable time simply trolling on behalf of audio subjectivity. I'm not sure what it reveals. Especially pertaining to phono, an obviously flawed medium, flawed at multiple points in the playback chain, and expensive as hell to boot. Why poke here?

 

[Anton D]

Not sure I understand why some take the time to find ASR, register to post at ASR and then spend considerable time simply trolling on behalf of audio subjectivity. I'm not sure what it reveals. Especially pertaining to phono, an obviously flawed medium, flawed at multiple points in the playback chain, and expensive as hell to boot. Why poke here?

I think Ant merely meant he could hear subjectively in an open and sighted situation some things that are objectively measurable. I wouldn't pick on him for that, sometimes sighted listening is OK in the hands of the right listener with the right intention!

My opinion on the turntable was similar to yours, without the acrimony. I think I recall saying: "I think I will never likely know how this sounds. Luckily for people here, they seem to have already outperformed it in their own systems!

Bottom line: It cries out to be decorated with N Scale figures."

I thought that was reasonably clear.

_______

For my part, I don't see why people feel compelled to post stuff like "every time I interact with a phono-adoring 'audiophile' I feel like I need a shower. There is something unctuous and supercilious about the people who inhabit that realm."

 

[AaronJ]

And what are those components used in anti ballistic missile defense system? 1/4 20 screws and locktite.

Those screws are almost certainly made from military-grade aluminum.

 

[antcollinet]

With sighted listening, you can hear that there are no errors...that's pretty awesome!

Errors in a digital stream manifest themselves as pops, clicks and dropouts, not subtle changes to the music. Yes, sighted listening is sufficient here.

Which audibly perfect speakers are involved?

Don't try to move the goalpost, the topic was records or cds - not the complete reproduction chain. I'm beginning to remember why I put you on ignore.

 

[NoMoFoNo]

Interesting that you assume you know who I address with my post.

Edit: maybe I need to take that shower now...

 

[antcollinet]

I think Ant merely meant he could hear subjectively in an open and sighted situation some things that are objectively measurable.

The measurements tell me what is coming off the digital source is audibly perfect. When I listen to that I therefore know I am listening to a source that is audibly perfect. I neither need - nor am able - to discern that from what I actuallly hear. Sighted or otherwise.

I'm not sure if you are deliberately mis-representing what I say, or just struggle with language. Either way - it was a short couple of hours, and I won't have to wonder any longer.

 

[Anton D]

Interesting that you assume you know who I address with my post.

Edit: maybe I need to take that shower now...

I am all in favor of you showering. Good for you!

Erros in a digital stream manifest themselves as pops, clicks and dropouts, not subtle changes to the music. Yes, sighted listening is sufficient here.


Don't try to move the goalpost, the topic was records or cds - not the complete reproduction chain. I'm beginning to remember why I put you on ignore.

Please put me back on.

Sighted subjective listening about something being "audibly perfect" is a bit controversial, but I do appreciate you noticing and changing your audibly perfect tune.

I will remain in the camp that we are not yet in the time of audible perfection. Still a long way to go, I think. (That is not meant to be controversial, I think it is rather evident by our experiences with any Hi Fi source. Just not there yet...no malice.)

As I said upstream: "I like all formats, but have never heard audible perfection." This seems rather true...we can pick spots and proclaim some small part audibly perfect, but that's not what we are getting. Again, meant in all sincerity.

 

[DonR]

I am all in favor of you showering. Good for you!


Please put me back on.

Sighted subjective listening about something being "audibly perfect" is a bit controversial, but I do appreciate you noticing and changing your audibly perfect tune.

I will remain in the camp that we are not yet in the time of audible perfection. Still a long way to go, I think. (That is not meant to be controversial, I think it is rather evident by our experiences with any Hi Fi source. Just not there yet...no malice.)

As I said upstream: "I like all formats, but have never heard audible perfection." This seems rather true...we can pick spots and proclaim some small part audibly perfect, but that's not what we are getting. Again, meant in all sincerity.

Like I said before, how would you be able to recognize something was audibly perfect? What is your benchmark?

 

[Anton D]

Like I said before, how would you be able to recognize something was audibly perfect? What is your benchmark?

Like I said, I have yet to hear audible perfection from any Hi Fi system.

My benchmark would be tricking me into thinking I was in the presence of live playback. Otherwise, I am just fawning over how close a copy of a photograph looks compared to an earlier print. There is no benchmark there, for me.

We are still at the "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln" part of reproduction. We are applauding a simulacrum, which is fine. But even saying we are maintaining the information stored on a digital master tape is still falling short. Even Atmos is falling short. Are some people so into ranking the experience that they need to fall back on "Well, I fail better than you?" That's silly. We share a fun hobby.

Hi Fi can't meet my benchmark, yet. So, it's a fun but ultimately flawe, pursuit that I love a great deal! I don't care if you like LP, Digital, or whatever format...we are all just celebrating various degrees of failure. But, if all this leads to some mofo to finally shower, it's a win, anyway!

Cheers.

 

[Mnyb]

Reproducing the recording is not the same as reproducing the acoustical event .

The big problems are at the transducers microphones and speakers

What we can reasonably expect is to reproduce the recording ( not the event ) and it’s pretty well defined , reasonably designed electronics distortion and noise levels are very likely lower than what’s baked in to the recording.
The big quality drop occurs in your speakers and when their output interacts with your acoustics .
So you can practically ignore the electronics .

Vinyl on the other hand does not sound as the master tape they are made from , the cutting pressing and playback chain are riddled with issues that definitely has audible impact.

Almost Any old CD player will sound as the master to a human listener , either by being better than medium , the recording is some of analog source or by being better than the human listening .
That’s perfection in practice .

 

[DonR]

Like I said, I have yet to hear audible perfection from any Hi Fi system.

My benchmark would be tricking me into thinking I was in the presence of live playback. Otherwise, I am just fawning over how close a copy of a photograph looks compared to an earlier print. There is no benchmark there, for me.

If so, you will never achieve "perfection" because you have all the equipment between the musician and the recording medium to contend with first. Reproduction equipment is pretty much technically perfect at regurgitating what the media has recorded.

 

[NoMoFoNo]

But, if all this leads to some mofo to finally shower, it's a win, anyway!

Cheers.

Or to put a poster on ignore, a win!

 

[mhardy6647]

But that CD player would not be strikingly ugly. For that, you must pay.

Well... to quote ol' Marty Luther*: This is most certainly true.

________________
* Mahhhhty (as they'd call him in the Bay State)...

 

[Anton D]

If so, you will never achieve "perfection" because you have all the equipment between the musician and the recording medium to contend with first. Reproduction equipment is pretty much technically perfect at regurgitating what the media has recorded.

I am hopeful we will continue to get closer and closer!

"Reproduction equipment is pretty much technically perfect at regurgitating what the media has recorded." This seems to be the case, the final frontier seems to be the mechanical transducers at each end! (But, I am ignoring the rooms we listen in, as well.) That might be why I am soft on vinyl and reel to reel...we've been fiddling with them a lot longer than we've been messing with digital - the flaws tend toward euphonia.

I'd like to go hear that new Sphere in Vegas and see what 3,500+ channel sound can be like!

And, to reiterate, that OMA table is as off putting to me as it is to others, perhaps for different reasons, but I really wanna put it in train set and making it look like a small scale construction site.

 

[mhardy6647]

You are right vinyls replay is like Pot Noodles …
note the hip use of ‘vinyls’!
Keith

Vinyls and pot def. go together.
Don't ask me how I know this...

 

[drewdawg999]

The design goal appears to be "lightweight but incredibly rigid" rather than "A few kg heavier than a chieftain tank" A philosophy common to all Rega TT with their foam cored plinths, including their current top of the range NAIA which is I think the productionised version of the Naiad - and at a positively cheap £12,500 with cartridge.

So the question is for anyone with mechanical design know how - how do the two approaches compare for (in the words of Roy Gandy) a vibration measuring machine?

EDIT- ooh - and would anyone be able to tell the difference between the £12,500 Naia, and the £360K K3 in a blind test?



**yet another turntable thread

I'm gonna have to side with Team Rega here. Great engineering involves cost control, OMA couldn't care less about this. Fine Rega products have been affordable for a long time now. I have an old P3 with upgrades of aluminum subplatter, Michell Tecnoweight, acrylic platter and EBLT Reference belt. Also Music Hall Cruise Control 2.0, so I guess it runs like a P6 now. Sounds fantastic, have a Clearaudio Maestro v2 on there and it's almost as good as vinyl can sound.

But my main table is a Michell Gyro SE with Tecnoarm and that thing sounds like master tape to me. Guess when it comes to analogue it's all about British hifi in my system. Though I did put a Koetsu Black on there and it actually sounds wondrous. Goes into a Cinemag SUT so noise floor is really low, lots of juicy detail, I have my MC setup sounding like DSD.

 

[Anton D]

I agree with you!

 

[Pearljam5000]

SQ aside
No one can say these hi end turntables don't look cool

 

[Doodski]

SQ aside
No one can say these hi end turntables don't look cool
View attachment 319596View attachment 319598

It's industrial art but the dust! That beast needs a dust cover for when not being shown off to guests.

 

[Pearljam5000]

It's industrial art but the dust! That beast needs a dust cover for when not being shown off to guests.

If you can afford it you can probably afford someone that would clean the dust every 2 hours