OMA K3 $360K TURNTABLE

[Sal1950]

presumably with some provision to keep the platter from falling off).

Pretty sure I can see a silvery record clamp in that photo.

Back in the early 60s they along with Rek-O-Kut and Thorens were the audiophiles SOTA
Poor folk like me used AR's
Cue the 70s and along came Linn who copied and improved the AR an history was written.

Besides being massively beautiful/beautifully massive, it had touch controls a la the contemporary Philips GA-212.

Dang touch controls, just something to get fussy and troublesome over time.
My HK ST-8 had them too. In the winter when it got very dry in the house I might have to lick my finger for the touch to be sensed.
The issue did seem to get worse with age ???
Much of the same crap that scares the hell out of me on all the expensive gear today using touch screens.
Just give me some real ole-fashion switches, if they get wonky after a decade or two, a hit of Deoxit will normally come to the rescue.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Pretty sure I can see a silvery record clamp in that photo.

FWIW, there are other issues. The triangular cover for the motor pulleys would need to be secured and the motor underneath (now above) would no longer be suspended. All fantasy.

My HK ST-8 had them too. In the winter when it got very dry in the house I might have to lick my finger for the touch to be sensed.
The issue did seem to get worse with age ???

I had an ST-7 which worked(!) similarly. There is a capacitor in the circuit which can be replaced/tweaked to correct this. FWIW, it can be made too sensitive.

 

[Sal1950]

I had an ST-7 which worked(!) similarly. There is a capacitor in the circuit which can be replaced/tweaked to correct this. FWIW, it can be made too sensitive.

Thanks Kal, if I hadn't sold my ST-8 I could maybe now fix it.
I did love that table, after 20 years of service, other than the touch issue, it still ran perfectly. The tonearm tracking speed was stable (which I understand was an issue with the earlier ones) and just before I sold it and all my LP's, I re-belted it and ripped some 300 LP's before sending it all down the road.

FWIW, there are other issues. The triangular cover for the motor pulleys would need to be secured and the motor underneath (now above) would no longer be suspended. All fantasy.

So you believe it was a hoax, or that they had to tweak a few other details in order to pull off the demo?
Just curious.

 

[mhardy6647]

FWIW, there are other issues. The triangular cover for the motor pulleys would need to be secured and the motor underneath (now above) would no longer be suspended. All fantasy.

I had an ST-7 which worked(!) similarly. There is a capacitor in the circuit which can be replaced/tweaked to correct this. FWIW, it can be made too sensitive.

No dispute as to what had to be rigged (literally) to do the upside down demo -- but I thought there was a thumbscrew that held that pulley cover on?
I've never owned one, but I've encountered quite a few over the years.

@Sal1950 -- ahem. Don't forget Fairchild. ahem.

I passed up on a nice Rek-O-Kut Rondine (with base, sans arm) Saturday at the NEARC swapmeet. Fiddy bucks in good working order.
There is a good condition Rek-O-Kut LP-743 in the basement (three speed... as is the Fairchild 750-3 in the photo above) -- but I have identically zero spare arms to put on it...

 

[Kal Rubinson]

So you believe it was a hoax, or that they had to tweak a few other details in order to pull off the demo?
Just curious.

I believe it was real and that it worked. Herb Horowitz was a really smart guy and I think that he rigged it. There were many such demos of so-called "dynamically balanced" arms and no one thought about flyng platters. I once had a Stanton TT with a magnetically floating platter and, if inverted, there would be nothing to hold the platter on but the belt!

 

[mhardy6647]

Of course, jukeboxes played records at all sorts of angles
And another re-run from me, since we've ambled onto this little dynamically balanced arm side street -- stupid turntable tricks from those fabulously funny Germans at DUAL*!



An on-topic reflection: the titular $360k OMA turntable that is the subject of this thread probably can't do most of these tricks! It may be able to do the 'offcenter 45' trick.

__________________
* or maybe from the zany folks at United Audio, their US importer/distributor in those carefree days of yore.

 

[Ken1951]

I remember seeing what must have been some of the last of that (long-running) line of Empire tts (probably the 698) at Myer-EMCO in College Park, MD ca. 1976. Besides being massively beautiful/beautifully massive, it had touch controls a la the contemporary Philips GA-212.

random internet image of a 698:
View attachment 395701

Empire used dynamically-balanced arms (also available separately) on at least many of their tts, permitting party tricks like this one (although, as - IIRC - @Kal Rubinson once pointed out, presumably with some provision to keep the platter from falling off).

Ah, Myer-Emco. That surely brings back memories. I worked for one of their competitors, Audio Associates, from the late spring of 1973 until sometime in 1976.

 

[mhardy6647]

Ah, Myer-Emco. That surely brings back memories. I worked for one of their competitors, Audio Associates, from the late spring of 1973 until sometime in 1976.

source: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/DC-FM-Forecast/FM-Forecast-1975-01.pdf

You know... as I reflect on audio associates... I think my Yamaha T-550 tuner may have come from them ("you")! When I was in college (76-80) in Baltimore, WETA-FM in DC had a membership drive with an interesting premium. I think the deal was if you donate $300, the thank-you gift was a T-550. I went for it, and, some weeks later, I received a NIB T-550 from some DC-area dealer. I remember that it came with a note including actual measured performance specs... and as I sit here this evening, I am thinking it was from audio associates.
The tuner, box, and docs are down in the basement -- so this is discoverable. I am, unfortunately, also lazy ... but now I am curious, so we shall see.


For completeness (and to ensure that this is a thread-derail of major league proportions), from another issue of Forecast FM (or FM Forecast, as the case may be):

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/DC-FM-Forecast/FM-Forecast-1974-03.pdf

My parents subscribed to Forecast FM for quite a few years.

 

[Ken1951]

View attachment 395774
source: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/DC-FM-Forecast/FM-Forecast-1975-01.pdf

You know... as I reflect on audio associates... I think my Yamaha T-550 tuner may have come from them ("you")! When I was in college (76-80) in Baltimore, WETA-FM in DC had a membership drive with an interesting premium. I think the deal was if you donate $300, the thank-you gift was a T-550. I went for it, and, some weeks later, I received a NIB T-550 from some DC-area dealer. I remember that it came with a note including actual measured performance specs... and as I sit here this evening, I am thinking it was from audio associates.
The tuner, box, and docs are down in the basement -- so this is discoverable. I am, unfortunately, also lazy ... but now I am curious, so we shall see.


For completeness (and to ensure that this is a thread-derail of major league proportions), from another issue of Forecast FM (or FM Forecast, as the case may be):

View attachment 395776

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/DC-FM-Forecast/FM-Forecast-1974-03.pdf

My parents subscribed to Forecast FM for quite a few years.

Wow! That sure brings back some memories as we carried a lot of those brands as well.

 

[Muddywaters]

Does bring back memories…

Microstatic FRM-1B gave me a chuckle though. Should be Micro Acoustics (more known for their pezio ceramic phono cartridges to my mind) and under threat of too much information got tangled up with the litigious Bose Corp regarding speaker design with their FRM-3 vs the Bose 301 variable tweeter directionality

Micro-Acoustics Corp. v. Bose Corp., 493 F. Supp. 356 (S.D.N.Y. 1980)

Micro-Acoustics Corp. v. Bose Corp., 493 F. Supp. 356 (S.D.N.Y. 1980) case opinion from the US District Court for the Southern District of New York

law.justia.com

Unfortunately for MA the legal tussle expense proved too much

Sorry for the o/t

 

[Sal1950]

Should be Micro Acoustics (more known for their pezio ceramic phono cartridges to my mind) and under threat of too much information got tangled up with the litigious Bose Corp regarding speaker design with their FRM-3 vs the Bose 301 variable tweeter directionality

That does bring back memories
The first set of "good" speakers I bought after getting out of the Army were Micro Acoustic FRM-2 purchased from Pacific Stereo in Oak Park IL. around 1974. Lost them to the ex-wife in the divorce. LOL

 

[gino1961]

Hi ! i have always found turntable set-up a real challenge for a non expert like me
moreover sometimes i see reviews that leave me confused Maybe someone has already posted it Sorry

 

[Sal1950]

Hi ! i have always found turntable set-up a real challenge for a non expert like me
moreover sometimes i see reviews that leave me confused Maybe someone has already posted it Sorry

Too many variables to really mean anything but it really is funny.

 

[gino1961]

Too many variables to really mean anything but it really is funny.

Hi for my abilities is a real challenge Then the duration of one side of the LP is too short I tried reels I got mad after two tapes
i prefer dvd to vhs Life is already too complicated

 

[Sal1950]

Hi for my abilities is a real challenge Then the duration of one side of the LP is too short I tried reels I got mad after two tapes
i prefer dvd to vhs Life is already too complicated

Hell yea, I'm with you. Beyond the huge increase in sound quality, I was thrilled when CD's came out and I
didn't have to jump up every 15 minutes to turn the LP over, clean that side with the disc-washer, and brush
off the needle. Later when I learned to rip CD's to my computer and could load as many albums as I desired
into the media player for continuous uninterrupted playback, it was even better.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Streaming makes any physical media obsolete

 

[Sal1950]

Streaming makes any physical media obsolete

Not when the mastering you want to hear isn't available.
For instance I have at least 5 or 6 different versions of Pink Floyd's DSOTM here and they're not
all on Apple Music

 

[Count Arthur]

Streaming makes any physical media obsolete

Until the internet is unavailable, or your router has a hissy fit.

 

[Sal1950]

Until the internet is unavailable, or your router has a hissy fit.

Or you forgot to pay the monthly extortion fee.

 

[gino1961]

Hell yea, I'm with you. Beyond the huge increase in sound quality, I was thrilled when CD's came out and I
didn't have to jump up every 15 minutes to turn the LP over, clean that side with the disc-washer, and brush
off the needle. Later when I learned to rip CD's to my computer and could load as many albums as I desired
into the media player for continuous uninterrupted playback, it was even better.

Hi yes ! digital is a particular beast
I was talking with a guy owning a very nice Accuphase cd player Like a class A unit for Stereophile Very expensive
Out of curiosity he ripped some cd tracks and put the wav files on a usb pen
He inserted the usb pen in a 100USD Sony dvd player and sent the digital signal via rca spdif to a 200USD external dac
Not substantial difference with the cd player At a fraction of cost
I have done some tests in the past I was using a media player a cheap usb to spdif converter and a medium price Hegel dac The sound was quite good
Maybe i do not have a golden ear
I even found very musical the analog sound coming out from the headphone out of a cheap mini PC

Speaking of turntable a friend of mine hates digital he has an immense LPs collection also with some gems
I borrewed a DAT recorded and we make some recording taking the signal out from his phono preamp
He approved the sound of the recordings completely He could live with that
I still think that 16/48 format can have a edge on 16/44.1 format The DAT can sound very good indeed