Consonance (Opera Audio) Owners Thread

[lemarquis]

12 hours ago, tszu said:

My basic question (with likely a subjective answer) is, do you think the M100+ or Cyber 100 Anniversary would be a good pairing for these speakers? (I saw they have a user selectable setting for either 4 or 8 ohm) what info or personal listening preferences might drive a decision one way or the other?

Hi tszu. I have the M100+ and paired it with the Q Acoustics Concept 20 speakers. It was a great match (I used the 8 ohm tap). If your budget allows I would choose the Cyber Anniversary as it is ' updated' compared to the M100, although the M100 remains a great amp and performs way above its price point. 

 

The Concept 20s are 88db sensitivity while the 3000s are rated at 84db. Others may opine as to how they would match with a valve integrated at 40W per channel. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by lemarquis

[tszu]

Thanks for the responses, feel like the anniversary model with KT150 tubes needs to be high on my shortlist.  

[Whites]

@tszu The 15th anniversary is a great amp.

 

It was the first decent amp I owned and is great value.

[nil]

 

Hello my fellow SNA Consonancers.

A Cyber 100 15th Anniversary amp converted me to tubes about 18 months  ago. The sudden increase in musicality over a SS amp was remarkable as well as the improvement in imaging / sound-stage. The amp also had a better synergy driving my speakers, contemporary JBL horns (S4600), taking some brittleness off the top-end.  Suddenly I was hearing individual musicians at play, it was (is) great.

But... of course the itch for continuous improvement needs scratching - hence my question for y'all:

Has anyone done any tube experiments? If so what were the results (your favoured tubes  and why).

 

EDIT > Ooops, I needed to dig a little deeper. I see there are some valve swap experiences detailed above (that I somehow missed).

But some more would still be nice!!!

Edited May 21, 2021 by nil

[Willmax]

On 21/05/2021 at 2:10 PM, nil said:

 

Hello my fellow SNA Consonancers.

A Cyber 100 15th Anniversary amp converted me to tubes about 18 months  ago. The sudden increase in musicality over a SS amp was remarkable as well as the improvement in imaging / sound-stage. The amp also had a better synergy driving my speakers, contemporary JBL horns (S4600), taking some brittleness off the top-end.  Suddenly I was hearing individual musicians at play, it was (is) great.

But... of course the itch for continuous improvement needs scratching - hence my question for y'all:

Has anyone done any tube experiments? If so what were the results (your favoured tubes  and why).

 

EDIT > Ooops, I needed to dig a little deeper. I see there are some valve swap experiences detailed above (that I somehow missed).

But some more would still be nice!!!

Hey @nil great to hear your first hand experience with the Cyber 100 15th, this was also my gateway drug to warm glow of tube amps  

So what tubes have you currently got in your setup? KT88 or KT 150? In any case usually the small signal tubes are the ones that make most difference to the sound signature. I must admit when I had my cyber 100 I did not experiment with different tubes as I was really happy with the KT150 that came with the amp originally.

[Pigpen]

I have a Consonance Cyber 222 pre amp that does not work (still powers up) sitting around doing nothing.

 

Anyone interested (tubes would have less than 200 hours)?

[nil]

@Willmax Hiya. Thanks for your response. I must begin with a disclaimer that i really know very little about tube amps... (but enough to agree that it is a gateway device)

On my Consonance: the big tubes are KT120s, the little ones are 12BH7AEH, and there's an even smaller valve in the middle.

Like you Willmax - I really like how it sounds as I received it. Very occasionally I  hear what I believe are called 'harmonics'. It's a little like distortion, usually in a certain freq range - although it's clearly an 'electro-fart'  it still sounds 'musical' somehow (??) And to be clear, i'd be perfectly happy if what I get from that amp is its peak performance.  I am still transported to the performance far more often than I was by  the SS amp I was using prior.

BUT, when I read valve-amp-owners describing the 'lifting of the veil' from a simple tube swap, it has me wondering if there is even more to be found (more detail, more presence, more life). Hence the question to those who may have traveled this path before.

 

I suppose actually I'm wanting to learn of the  of the 'mythical silver bullet valve'  that will magically elevate my listening experience.

 

Willmax when you say the signal tubes makes the biggest difference - are they the small ones?  Are they doing the job of pre-amp?

 

Thanks again.

PS I see you publish vintagehifilover... nice work - please keep it up.

Edited May 22, 2021 by nil

[xlr8or]

The small 9-pin mini at the front (is it a 12AX7/ECC83?) is most likely the input tube for the preamp stage in the Cyber 100 15th. It will have the greatest effect on changing the tonal character of the amp if rolled.

 

On a separate note, why are 12BH7's being used in place in the 5687 slot? Was the amp converted?

[nil]

9 hours ago, xlr8or said:

The small 9-pin mini at the front (is it a 12AX7/ECC83?) is most likely the input tube for the preamp stage in the Cyber 100 15th. It will have the greatest effect on changing the tonal character of the amp if rolled.

@xlr8or Kirk, Hi - thank you. Yes the 9 pin mini in the middle is a 12AX7.  So, just to confirm, to alter the 'sound' I'd simply try a 12AX7 tube from another manufacturer?

 

 

On a separate note, why are 12BH7's being used in place in the 5687 slot? Was the amp converted

@xlr8or I don't know if it's been altered - Nothing was said to me when I bought it ( S/H here from a constant SNA seller) and I know nothing of its history. It presents well it has no visual cues of being a Franken-amp. Even if it has been - it sounds really good. 

 

So...  I better check whether I ought to be using a '5687'. But that idea makes me think I ought to take it to a Tech to check that it hasn't been fiddled-with. (Hmmmm)

 

Anyway - thanks for clarifying the role of the little pin. I have a little research to do.

 

Cheers.

[xlr8or]

Yes, to all of the above. Before you move on any of these changes and follow ups would you mind sharing a few close up photos of the tubes? That 2 x 12BH7 use has me confused for the Cyber 100 15th.

Edited May 23, 2021 by xlr8or

[graham121]

1 hour ago, xlr8or said:

 That 2 x 12BH7 use has me confused for the Cyber 100 15th.

Me too!

[muon*]

This guy finds the Amperex Black Plates O getter the most musical with deepest bass of the 5687 tubes he tested, all be them a bit microphonic.

 

Does @xlr8or concur?

 

 http://www.aca.gr/index/hiend/hiendArticles?row=2609

 

What is your pick for the 5687, Kirk?

[xlr8or]

1 hour ago, muon* said:

What is your pick for the 5687, Kirk?

 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by xlr8or

[xlr8or]

Here is one of those biatches:

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ULTRA-RARE-Tung-Sol-JTL-5687-BLACK-FLAT-plates-tube-Test-NOS-/174774580720

 

[sudioz]

Hi, my cyber 100 15th anniversary does have two 12bh7 as driver tubes though spec says 2 5687. I changed the preamp tube 12ax7 to genelac gold ( a bit more gain) and then to electro harmonix which was a bit quieter. But didnt hear any major differences.

[muon*]

1 minute ago, sufioz said:

Hi, my cyber 100 15th anniversary does have two 12bh7 as driver tubes though spec says 2 5687. I changed the preamp tube 12ax7 to genelac gold ( a bit more gain) and then to electro harmonix which was a bit quieter. But didnt hear any major differences.

Were the 12bh7 tubes there when purchased new?

 

Of did you purchase used?

[sudioz]

5 minutes ago, muon* said:

Were the 12bh7 tubes there when purchased new?

 

Of did you purchase used?

Hi, i purchased new around end of 2019. I only looked at them in last few days to dabble in tube rolling.

[muon*]

Just now, sufioz said:

Hi, i purchased new around end of 2019. I only looked at them in last few days to dabble in tube rolling.

Interesting, maybe an email to opera-consonance is needed to clarify the difference in spec's and tubes supplied.

Tis odd 

[muon*]

OK, on the manufacturers site it says..

 

"Self-biasing KT88/ 6550 works at Class A, UL operation, with a well designed NOS 12BH7 drive stage and a time–proven rectifier circuit consisted of the 5AR4 EH rectifier tubes and Philips electrolytic capacitors (for audio). Every component chosen has been carefully selected for better audio clarity, that even goes for the German made power switch. After all the KT88/6550s aren't triodes but, if properly applied as such in a circuit with 35 push-pull watt output, they can exhibit surprisingly good linearity, steady performance and approaching that of the real thing – something you'd expect from triode units running single-ended and powerful enough as well."

 

http://opera-consonance.com/products/amplifier/Cyber100-15th.htm

[sudioz]

3 minutes ago, muon* said:

OK, on the manufacturers site it says..

 

"Self-biasing KT88/ 6550 works at Class A, UL operation, with a well designed NOS 12BH7 drive stage and a time–proven rectifier circuit consisted of the 5AR4 EH rectifier tubes and Philips electrolytic capacitors (for audio). Every component chosen has been carefully selected for better audio clarity, that even goes for the German made power switch. After all the KT88/6550s aren't triodes but, if properly applied as such in a circuit with 35 push-pull watt output, they can exhibit surprisingly good linearity, steady performance and approaching that of the real thing – something you'd expect from triode units running single-ended and powerful enough as well."

 

http://opera-consonance.com/products/amplifier/Cyber100-15th.htm

Thanks for the research, good to know. Its a great amp, and i went for the KT150 as the power tube and its so good to listen to.

[muon*]

Very confusing, as on this sale page is says..

 

"Self-biasing KT88/ 6550 works at Class A, UL operation, with a well designed NOS 5687 drive stage and a time–proven rectifier circuit consisted of the 5AR4 EH rectifier tubes and Philips electrolytic capacitors (for audio)." 

 

Yet it lists 12BH7 x 2 in the specifications, the opposite of the page on the Opera site 

 

https://www.werner-musica.com/amplificadores-integrados/962-consonance-cyber-100-15th-anniversary.html

 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by muon*

[sudioz]

19 minutes ago, muon* said:

Very confusing, as on this sale page is says..

 

"Self-biasing KT88/ 6550 works at Class A, UL operation, with a well designed NOS 5687 drive stage and a time–proven rectifier circuit consisted of the 5AR4 EH rectifier tubes and Philips electrolytic capacitors (for audio)." 

 

Yet it lists 12BH7 x 2 in the specifications, the opposite of the page on the Opera site 

 

https://www.werner-musica.com/amplificadores-integrados/962-consonance-cyber-100-15th-anniversary.html

 

 

Its sold here by Greg Osborn of Osborn Loudspeakers. On his website he says he sells with kt120 or preferably kt150. Sorry not on laptop so not putting link in this post.

[muon*]

Yet on the Opera site those tubes are not listed, only KT88, 6550, 6CA7, KT77 and EL34.

 

The plot thickens, as does my brain matter..............like a bolognaise sauce 

[lemarquis]

5 hours ago, nil said:

So, just to confirm, to alter the 'sound' I'd simply try a 12AX7 tube from another manufacturer?

In a nutshell yes  Good news is that the 12ax7 is a common tube and you have many options from new (eg. Psavane etc.) to NOS (from not too expensive to more expensive...). A lot has been written on rolling those tubes so enjoy the research and the rolling. 

Edited May 23, 2021 by lemarquis

[muon*]

It's the 12BH7 and 5687 has me perplexed as they have different pin outs