Opera Audio Consonance Reference SACD 2.0
Something To Sing About
Dave Thomas July 2004 "People's reactions to opera are very dramatic.
Either they love it or they hate it. If they love it,
they will always love it. If they don't, they may learn
to appreciate it but it will never be a part of their
soul." ?Richard Gere from ?retty Woman?br>
Overture
Stan Tracht (the US importer for Usher Audio)
and I were having a lengthy discussion one day about all
of the wonderful and affordable products being imported
into the US from China and Taiwan. Companies such as Shanling,
Xindak, and of course Usher, have enjoyed a fair amount
of success in the US high-end audio market and it would
appear that there is plenty more on the horizon.
One such company is Opera Audio and in particular,
their Consonance line of products, which includes every
thing from digital source components to tube headphone
amplifiers and an LP playback system. It? the former that
is the subject of this review: The Consonance Reference
SACD 2.0, a vacuum tube stereo SACD/CD player.
Stan was good enough to direct me to Stephen
Monte of NAT Distribution (the US importer for Opera Audio).
I got a chance to talk to Stephen at CES and he gave me
a choice of products to review from the extensive Opera
Audio line. It just so happened that I had collected a
healthy stack of SACD discs so I asked that he send me
a review sample of the SACD 2.0. A few weeks later, the
player arrived and has been pulling double duty as a SACD
and CD player in my reference system ever since, save
for a few weeks when my schedule had me continuously on
the road and I lent the unit to Mike Wright to get his
opinion. I was so impressed with how well it handled ?ed
book?CDs that I had actually sent my reference Electrocompaniet
EMC-1 out to MW as well. I didn? miss it.
Act One
The Consonance is a very distinctively styled
product. The first thing you?l notice is six rather attractive,
1 7/8?x 17?cherry wood slats mounted atop a black anodized
chassis. Each neatly rounded slat is about ? thick and
spaced about ? apart. The ?pera?and the ?UPER AUDIO CD?logo
are engraved on top. A silver anodized faceplate features
two large, polished-silver, unipivoting knobs that you
use like joysticks to operate the unit? functions. The
right knob selects power, stop, SACD/CD, and open functions
and the left knob selects play, pause, previous and next
track functions. All functions can also be controlled
via a palm-sized infra-red remote. In the center of the
faceplate is a black aluminum disc tray face and below
it an led display window. The rear panel is the picture
of simplicity: Coaxial and optical digital outputs, balanced
and unbalanced analog outputs, and a power cord receptacle.
A quick look under the hood reveals meticulously laid
out PCBs and high-quality parts from WIMA, AEON, Auricap,
and SyncMOS. The Consonance offers distinctive looks and
a simple, elegant design. These things, alone would justify
the price tag. But wait, there? more. The unit also has
a built-in volume control, which allows you to connect
the unit directly into your amplifier, bypassing the need
of a preamp. But here? one more feature that is bound
to make some audiophiles feel warm all over: A Sovtek
6H30 output tube.
Act Two
The hopes of many tube-based digital designs
are to give a well-balanced presentation: sweet, warm,
and lush treble and a well-focused lower midrange and
deep powerful bass. So with that in mind, I gathered a
selection of music that would benefit from this type of
design. The first disc up to bat was the SACD version
of Isaac Hayes?urban-soul classic, ?ot Buttered Soul?[MFSL
UDSACD 2005]. The track that challenges my system? ability
to reproduce deep synthesized bass is the ridiculously
titled HYPERBOLICSYLLABICSESQUEDALYMYSTIC. This song wonderfully
blends Hayes?powerful baritone balladeer-like vocal stylings
with a classic R&B rhythm section. A pure solid-state
design would have made some of the synthesized crescendos
sound bright and aggressive, but the tube output of the
Consonance made it completely palpable and life-like ?well,
as life-like as a synthesizer can sound.
The next disc was the Miles Davis Quintet?
?teamin?[MFSL UDSACD 2019]. This is the first SACD disc
I heard that was a noticeable improvement over the red
book version. Track 6, When I Fall In Love features a
really sweet performance by Davis and unmistakable support
of John Coltrane and pianist Red Garland. Two other tracks,
Salt Peanuts and Diane are rendered with great detail
and excellent instrument placement. The SACD 2.0? tube
quality shines on music like this though fans of hard
popping dynamics may still prefer the ultimate snap of
a pure solid-state design.
Where the Consonance SACD 2.0 really showed
its moxy was in how it reproduced female vocals. Barbara
Morrison? splendid disc, ? Know How To Do It?[Chartmaker
Records CMR 14460] is flat out wonderful from start to
finish. The first track is a snappy rendition of Aretha
Franklin? Don? Let Me Lose This Dream. It? the kind song
that sounds as though it were written with the jubilant
Morrison in mind. Through this player it is quick, light
and detailed. Every lick of her lips glides through the
speakers. Track 13, Don? Go To Strangers, is the epitome
of warmth and romance. It? the kind of song that benefits
greatly from even a hint of tube warmth.
Act Three
The debate over the presumed sonic virtues
of SACD vs. CD has long been lost on me. This is probably
because the advances in redbook CD playback have almost
nullified the benefits of SACD and DVD-A. The granddaddy
of all SACD players, the legendary Sony SCD-1, certainly
appeared to be a marked improvement over standard ?ed
book?CDs, but then again, back then, SACD players had
relatively mediocre CD playback capabilities because most
of the technology was going into the SACD processor.
But now the marketplace is loaded with players
that reproduce both formats splendidly. The Consonance
is one of those players. Ordinarily when a player in this
price range offers nice aesthetics and a bevy of neat
features it usually comes at the expense of some sonics.
But the Consonance reproduces recordings with a naturalness
that you? expect in far more expensive units. A generous
soundstage, excellent image detail and very good dynamic
rhythm and stability are hallmarks of this player, both
in red book and SACD formats. Don? get me wrong, I don?
mean to diminish the performance of the Consonance as
an SACD player; it is definitely a more than worthy contender
in that regard. But this player? performance with standard
red book recordings will make it something to digital
lovers.
Epilogue
The bottom line dear friends is that this
is a lot of player for the money. You get a visually appealing,
tremendously flexible, well-built piece of bona fide high-end
digital playback for a frighteningly good price. I mean
look at all these goodies: Tube sound, a full function
remote, volume output control, excellent SACD and CD playback,
balanced (XLR) unbalanced (RCA) tube outputs, and optical
digital outputs which means the Consonance can also be
used as a transport to mate with some of the many wonderful
DACs that are available these days.
In the Consonance Reference SACD 2.0 Opera
Audio has given the fiscally responsible, music-loving
audiophile something to sing about. I hope to eventually
report on more of their impressive product line. Until
then, you? do well to seek this fantastic player and company
out. You will definitely appreciate it and it may even
become a part of your musical soul.
Mike Wright Chimes In
Okay, I?l have to be honest and say that
for me, the aesthetics of the player were not my cup of
tea. Though tastefully done, the front panel display is
barely readable from more than a few feet away. The movement
of the front panel ?oggle knobs?is something else that
the user will have to get used to. The text on the front
panel is not very legible unless you?e standing directly
in front of the unit.
Despite these subjective shortcomings the
Consonance player is very musical. Its sonic character
may be slightly on the warm side of neutral and it? not
quite as detailed or has the same type of rhythmic drive
and dynamics that the Electrocompaniet CD player has but
it is actually more musical than the Electro. The high
end is not quite as extended as the Electro player. It
does not have quite the articulation on brass instruments
or massed strings. However, this player seemed much smoother
and much more natural in the midrange than the Electro
player. Vocals, especially female, solo guitar and woodwind
instruments have a more natural feel to them. The Consonance
player has good bass but does seem to have a little midbass
prominence. The bass is extended but I would like it to
be a little tighter. The Electro? bass is as extended
but tighter and tuneful.
A lot of what I heard from the Consonance
was cable dependent. Cables with a warmer sonic signature,
such as the Virtual Dynamics Nite Series II and the Sound
String cables added to the already warm sounding nuances
of this player. Switching over to the Dynamic Design Platinum
cables gave the Consonance a much faster, detailed, and
dynamic sound that bought it closer to those virtues that
I gave the Electro player the nod on and tightened up
the bass without sacrificing it? musicality. With tube
electronics, such as the very nice Antique Sound Labs
Hurricane amplifiers, the presentation was musical but
didn? give me the kind of transient response and drive
I have come to appreciate with the Electro. Switching
to the Soaring Audio SLC-A300 bought things more in line
with my ideal with the detail, transient response and
bass impact making for a more musically satisfying experience.
Manufacturer? Response
Thank you for a review that reveals the
very essence of the product: high quality with big bang
for the buck. For a relatively new company in the U.S.,
Opera Audio is Proud to be recognized as manufacturing
high-quality products at reasonable prices.
We do all the design and assembly in-house
instead of outsourcing it. We build key components such
as transformers in our own factory. The latter is something
we are particularly proud of, as it's the symbol of our
design and manufacturing capability.
Such is the essence of our SACD player reviewed
in the article. Because of this philosophy, we strive
to make the best product possible. We do plan to make
a series of cost-no-objective products including a new
SACD player slated to come out at the end of the year.
Stay tuned!
Opera? Consonance line has been rapidly
expanding in recent years. We are building every link
in the Hi-fi system: from cables, amps, and speakers to
source components and equipment racks. In the beginning
stages we were concentrating on kit form products. But
now, with the success of our full product line, we no
longer provide kit components, including transformers
(a secret of why our kits have been raved on by enjoythemusic.com
and other sources) to DIY Hifi Supply. Instead, we are
focusing on new product design and manufacturing. We have
been enjoying a steady and warm partnership with Stephen
Monte at NAT Distribution and we stand behind products
sold through NAT and its authorized dealer networks.
This is the first review of our products
by Stereo Times. We are looking forward to future articles
on our product.
Ma Wei and Liu Zhaohui
Opera Consonance Audio ?Beijing, China
Specifications:
D/A Switchover: T1 DSD1702
0dBFS signal output: 2.3V RMS
Output Terminals: Gold plated Tube RCA unbalanced and
gold plated XLR balanced
Frequency response: Less than +/- 0.1 dB deviation 10Hz-35kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio: More than 100dB (Vacuum tube XLR
output)
Signal-to-noise ratio: More than 100dB (Vacuum tube RCA
output)
Crosstalk: Less than -100dB
Distortion (XLR): Less than 0.03%
Distortion (RCA): Less than 0.03%
Intermodulation: Less than 0.03% (19kHz + 20kHz)
Vacuum tube: Sovtek 6H30 x1
Dimensions / Weight: 21cm x 43cm x 33cm (HxWxD) / 16kg(wood
top panel)
Dimensions / Weight: 21cm x 43cm x 33cm (HxWxD) / 18kg(Metal
top panel)
Price: $2,500.00
Address:
Opera Audio Co., Ltd.
C-1501, Building No.9 Kingdom Garden, Xiaoxitian Haidian
District, Beijing, China
Phone: 86 10 62220935
Fax: 86 10 62220935
Email: klep@public.bta.net.cn
Website: www.opereaudio.com
Nat Distribution (US Importer/Distributor)
650 Cedarbrook Road Southampton, PA 18966
Phone: 215-953-9099
Email: info@natdistribution.com
Website: www.natdistribution.com
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