It's all coming together now...
I didn't realize the nuances involved in the vinyl resurrection.
The OM20 has an elusive quality
of relaxed, easy listenability that makes
it perhaps the most appealing in the
survey; the OM30 strikes me as fractionally
more transparent, lively, and
dynamic, but at a slight cost in the
sheer listenability of its sibling (as the
two share the same body, switching
between them is simply swapping stylus
assemblies). One of my notes reads,
“The 30’s Clark Gable to the 20’s Cary
Grant.” The 30 in particular projects a
bold, vivid picture of primary colors,
perhaps a little coarse but always full
and rich (especially in the lower
midrange, where it tilts toward the
warm side of neutral). Next to some of
the better MCs, there is an impression
of less refinement and delicacy, a bit
more really fine grain. But the price
differences are large, the losses quite
small to insignificant.
The OM20 is on the way via the internet...not available for immediate purchase by any of Atlanta's 4+ million residents, myself regrettably included, in any retail store...yet
