Look at my toys, tube boys and girls (hmmm...maybe not the best choice of words)

[Midnite Mick]

In another thread I mentioned that I was getting some toys this weekend (not that anyone pays attention to my pea brain crap). I purchased the Consonance ref 2.2 MKII tonight and brought some toys home to play with. I was breathing heavy to get them here...but they are here. I haven't listened to them yet, just thought I would share some photos.

http://www.opera-consonance.com/products/calaf.htm
http://www.opera-consonance.com/products/cyber800.htm

The monoblocks say cyber 800 on them but they look different for some reason.

[danger boy]

Holy crap!! that is some serious heavy metal you got there bro.. :eek:

enjoy. :D

[F1nut]

Nice looking stuff.

[RuSsMaN]

So what is running what? Getting a hybrid biamp on with the 15's?

[george daniel]

Nice :) looks kinda "trekkish" enjoy;)

[Mike Reeter]

If those amps sound half as good as they look...you've got some serious gear on your hands

[reeltrouble1]

Nothing quite like bringing home some new babies, fire them and up and get your groove on.

RT1

[BlueMDPicker]

Congrats on the new toys! Looking good!

[TennesseeOutlaw]

WOW!! B E A U T I F U L!!!!! Just wondering how much that there ran ya?? If you dont mind me asking? What is the power ratings on those Gargantuans??

Sorry, I didnt click the links earlier for the specs on them..

[bikerboy]

Man talk about some horsepower! So you bought a cdp and you got the 3 amps included in the deal. Thats the stereo shop I need to find. There are so many chinese companys out there but find a local dealer, impossible. You must have a local dealer, a very generous dealer. Have fun and let us know what you think.

[candyliquor35m]

Serious amps. Enjoy them as is for a while and then when you want to hear something different, do some tube rolling. I've only tried different tubes in my pre and it was well worth it.

[beardog03]

very nice..!

looks very Industrial....how`s the sound ?

[Midnite Mick]

Hello everybody, just got up. I was up until 5:00 AM listening.

This stuff isn't mine I just have a dealer that lets me take home anything I want for a few days. He offered me these, how could I say no.

I am not doing anything fancy with odd biamps or anything just listening to the 2 different pieces. The Canadian list prices are Calaf 4200.00 and the cyber 800 tube monoblocks 5200.00 for the pair. However, he discounts them very substantially.

My initial impressions? Probably will do more switching as I am not taking them back until Tuesday evening. Having other people coming over as well to see what they think. Anyway, I listened to the calaf first (it is actually an integrated amp). It sounded nice and clean, quieter than my Modwright/ref 9 combo which is something I like. However, it didn't do anything spectacular that would make me purchase it over my existing equipment. Actually, in comparison to the Modwright pre I felt it sounded a little thin. It also was brighter at some points in the music when turned loud. I don't know how many hours are on it as he did not have it the last time I was there about a month ago, nor was it hooked up to his rig....it was just sitting there. Therefore, it may still improve with playing.

The cyber 800's sound really nice. They are what I personally would want from tubes. They are very clean and quiet. I did not perceive anything rolled off, something I hate, and still very detailed and musical. No blurryness at all. They are only slightly slower than the ref 9's which says something as, say what you want about Nuforce, but they are extremely fast, both their amps and pre's. The cyber's added more of a holographic sound over my existing sound. This is a sound that I really love. Like you can here it in a 3-D manner and you can see (or hear) through it. Very nice.

At I think it is 78 watts they have no trouble at all with Lsi's. They played plenty loud and did not struggle with any spikes at all. I have a drum solo off a demo cd that is very dynamic and they handled the dynamics without any trouble, granted just a tad slower than the Nuforces. They have a different positive binding post in the back for hooking up a nominal 4 ohm speaker. Good thing my speakers weren't 6 ohm's, I wouldn't know what to do.:D Maybe bridge the positives?J/K The only thing I thought was odd about the design was that the female power cord plug of the amp is so close to the RCA and speaker binding posts....although like I said they were still very quiet.

Right now I have the stock tube in the Consonance player because when I sold my standard Consonance player I let the guy borrow the tube that I use in it. This tube really makes the player come alive (which he attested to as well) so I can't wait until tomorrow when he returns it.

Alright I am going to go listen to some music. Bye for now.

Mike

[audiobliss]

:eek:


:eek:



Wow. That's some nice looking gear you've got going on there!!

[Midnite Mick]

This is not good. I am really starting to fall in love with these cyber 800's. They just sound so sweet. Musical, holographic, and big. I can only imagine what it would sound like in a bigger room, as they are just begging for one (me too). All I have been doing for the last day and a half has been listening to music. I may even shed a tear when they have to go back.:( Damnit I have to go to work tomorrow......maybe I will leave early though.:)

Mike

[Midnite Mick]

I just returned them this evening. I feel like I fell in love with my friend's girlfriend.:( Somebody over the next few days could be listening to my amps. Oh well I guess I should appreciate the time we had together.

Mike

[madmax]

Sorry for your loss...
madmax

:D

[F1nut]

Damn Chuck, where have you been hiding?

[Midnite Mick]

I just couldn't take the haunting any longer....and ended up purchasing the Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks. I have had them for a little over a week now and just love them. I have to figure out how to set everything up now though as there is no way I can put them in the entertainment unit.

I guess my dealer knows what he is doing when he gives toys out to play with. God Damn the Pusher Man! But they do make me feel awfully good :D

Thanks,
Mike

[beardog03]

very cool !
Congrats on the new (kinda) toys !

enjoy !
(I know you are)!!

[Midnite Mick]

Thanks Bear....they are awful sweet.

Mike

[beardog03]

are you using the modwright pre ?
How do you like that unit ?

[F1nut]

Mike, the next 12 step meeting is at your house. ;)

Congrats on the amps!

[pblanc]

Woof! Wow!!! .... (oh crap, I think I had an orgasm)

[audiobliss]

You...you...you....what?! (I'm sure that's what your wife said, too! :D)

Wow, congrats on the purchase! Why would you want to stick them in the entertainment center and hide them from view?

[Midnite Mick]

Come on over. Not sure how some of you southerners would deal with this weather we are having lately. The mornings are in the negative 40 to 50 celsius with the wind chill.

I am using the Modwright pre. I love it. I previously didn't think that I would like tube products but it seems everytime I add one...me liking. My previously perception of tubes was that they would be mushy, or blurry sounding but with the products that I have this is not the case. Modwright sounds SS but with extra weight, and fullness to the sound. Whether that is due to the tubes or the Sonic caps I don't know.

I am really loving my system now. It looks like the speakers will be next. Not to knock the Lsi's they are a very solid speaker but I do feel that they are not to the level as my electronics....please don't roast me for this.

Thanks all,
Mike

[pearsall001]

Nice snag Mike. I knew you would fall in live with the Cyber 800 amps. You have a very smart dealer there. He knows that once you get them home & hear them in your system your as good as dead. The trick is not to bring any new stuff home (yeah right). But that's where all the fun lies. Enjoy!!!

[Midnite Mick]

Thanks Phil....and I am sure my dealer thanks you as well.

Mike

[wingnut4772]

Nice looking gear. I want a sugar daddy audio dealer too.:p

[Monster Jam]

Some guys have all the luck, wingnut! :)

[hearingimpared]

Man talk about some horsepower! So you bought a cdp and you got the 3 amps included in the deal. Thats the stereo shop I need to find. There are so many chinese companys out there but find a local dealer, impossible. You must have a local dealer, a very generous dealer. Have fun and let us know what you think.


You hit that nail right on the head about a local dealer being a must. The local dealer here thinks they shit ice cream and if you don't "look" like you are a big spender or ask to hear something other than what they want to let you hear, they ignore or huff at you. I want to get up to North of Philly to Quest for Sound, this is a real high end shop that treats all customers equally.

[hearingimpared]

BTW nice nice nice toys Mike. . . I gotta get me some tubes!!!

[Joey_V]

I've been looking at the Consonance stuff... that CDP was on my radar.

Great stuff man.. as always, I'm impressed.

Joey

[Midnite Mick]

Thanks everybody. Yes, I have a phenomenal dealer. He is actually a Police officer and does this on the side. His prices really are incredible. The first time I went to his house/showroom because I was thinking of upgrading my cd player from the standard ref 2.2 to the MKII version and he let me a/b them in my system. I pulled out my credit card and he said not to worry about it. Take it and return it in a few days. I was very surprised. With it he gave me a bunch of interconnects and power cords that he makes to play with as well, and not from cheap parts either. Doesn't cost me a thing to try anything in my system. He has a pair of Consonance eric grande's that I may play with at home sometime. A lot of his stuff is well out of my price range however.

Mike

[hearingimpared]

Thanks everybody. Yes, I have a phenomenal dealer. He is actually a Police officer and does this on the side. His prices really are incredible. The first time I went to his house/showroom because I was thinking of upgrading my cd player from the standard ref 2.2 to the MKII version and he let me a/b them in my system. I pulled out my credit card and he said not to worry about it. Take it and return it in a few days. I was very surprised. With it he gave me a bunch of interconnects and power cords that he makes to play with as well, and not from cheap parts either. Doesn't cost me a thing to try anything in my system. He has a pair of Consonance eric grande's that I may play with at home sometime. A lot of his stuff is well out of my price range however.

Mike

Yeah Mike of course he tells you to put the credit card away. . . he knows where you live and he has a gun. LOL:p :D

[Midnite Mick]

He only know my name and email address.....there is no way he could find out where I live:D

Actually, he mails several different interconnects out across the country all the time and lets people try them. If they don't like them they just send them back, or keep one that they do like, pay him and send the remaining back. He said he only got screwed one time doing this and it was by a lawyer in Alberta....figures (no offense to any lawyers that may be reading this of course:D ).

Mike

[hearingimpared]

He only know my name and email address.....there is no way he could find out where I live:D

Actually, he mails several different interconnects out across the country all the time and lets people try them. If they don't like them they just send them back, or keep one that they do like, pay him and send the remaining back. He said he only got screwed one time doing this and it was by a lawyer in Alberta....figures (no offense to any lawyers that may be reading this of course:D ).

Mike

I wish there were more him around!!!

[MillerLiteScott]

I wish there were less lawyers around.

[pearsall001]

You hit that nail right on the head about a local dealer being a must. The local dealer here thinks they shit ice cream and if you don't "look" like you are a big spender or ask to hear something other than what they want to let you hear, they ignore or huff at you. I want to get up to North of Philly to Quest for Sound, this is a real high end shop that treats all customers equally.

Yo Joe, I was there this past Saturday. It wasn't a planned trip, it was a spur of the moment deal. Otherwise I would have called you to see if you could have made it. I know you're dying to get over there. I was there for 5 hours & had a blast shooting the shit with other audioflakes. I left with two subwoofers, one fron EPOS & one from Consonance. Stephen is great to work with. He said enjoy them & bring them back when your done. I'm still drooling over all his tube gear & his speaker selection is to die for. I tried to get these to come home too but they wouldn't fit in my van. Damn! I need a bigger van.
http://www.questforsound.com/speakers/spkrs_consonanceM15.htm

[hearingimpared]

Yo Joe, I was there this past Saturday. It wasn't a planned trip, it was a spur of the moment deal. Otherwise I would have called you to see if you could have made it. I know you're dying to get over there. I was there for 5 hours & had a blast shooting the shit with other audioflakes. I left with two subwoofers, one fron EPOS & one from Consonance. Stephen is great to work with. He said enjoy them & bring them back when your done. I'm still drooling over all his tube gear & his speaker selection is to die for. I tried to get these to come home too but they wouldn't fit in my van. Damn! I need a bigger van.
http://www.questforsound.com/speakers/spkrs_consonanceM15.htm

So does that mean you are going to sell me your SVS for $25>>>??????

Wow I just looked at those speaks very very pretty, how do they sound?

[Midnite Mick]

Hey....this is my thread damnit :D

I wondered what those speaks would be like as well....out of my price range though. How do the Eric Grande sound.

Mike

[hearingimpared]

Hey....this is my thread damnit :D

I wondered what those speaks would be like as well....out of my price range though. How do the Eric Grande sound.

Mike

Yo Bro you brought up having a great dealer close by. . . and Phil's other favorite topic Consonance.:p :D

[Joey_V]

MIke,

I was wondering, which speakers do you have your eyes on?

I know you're crazy about the MOdwright pre... we've exchanged several PMs before and I will thank you for that right now.... so thanks! But anyway, do you know anything about the Modwright CDPlayers, especially the Sony Signature Truth mods?

I've had a few people on the ML forum point me to those and I was wondering if you had experience with those.

Also, again, you gotta let me know what speakers you're eye-balling. Your gear is getting up to ridiculous levels.

And that's a good thing.

:)

Joey

[Midnite Mick]

Hey Joey, good to read some more of you lately. I can't say I really have my eye on any specific speakers as I am a ways away from making that move and with the new gear it has given me more of an appreciation for what the Lsi15 is offering. The thing I would like from another speaker is a sense of ease of production. The reason I brought up the Consonance Eric Grande is that my dealer has a pair in his showroom sitting doing nothing and I know I could get them for a very good price. Some others that interest me are some of the 6 series Ushers, Gallo 3.1, and a few kits from the manufacturers at the Circle.

As far as the Modwright cd player goes I do not know anything about it except that I had exchanged PM's before with someone that felt that it gave a 3 dimensional soundstage. Maybe you could ask SCompracer (sp) he has one.

Thanks,
Mike

[Joey_V]

Mike,

I see you've got Ushers on your radar... I just want you to know that the Dancer series... are sick.

Thanks for pointing me toward Rich... I'll make sure to PM him one of these days.

Joey

[Midnite Mick]

Unfortunately, would be way out of my price range and my damn room is just too small. I have another local dealer that is an Usher dealer but he doesn't really discount stuff like the other one does.

Mike

[pearsall001]

Joe, don't hold your breath. The SVS is here for the long haul. I'm just playing around with the other 2 to hear how they perform. The Consonance M15 Barque Horns are something else. Very engulfing sound, kinda draws you in to the music. Stephens selling quite a lot of them. They're a SET tube amp lovers dream.

Mike, the Eris Grands are sweet sounding. And I mean sweeeetttt!! You owe it yourself to give them a listen. Just leave your wallet home on this trip, otherwise you'll be in trouble!!

Phil

[Midnite Mick]

No,no,no in house demos only.

So you are taking them home to play with and have no intention of purchasing. hmmm I wonder if your dealer is teaching mine or mine is teaching yours....as mine does get the Consonance gear from yours.

Don't even fire them up Phil. Load em back up in your van and get back to the shop. It's a trap...run man, run.

Mike

[pearsall001]

No,no,no in house demos only.

So you are taking them home to play with and have no intention of purchasing. hmmm I wonder if your dealer is teaching mine or mine is teaching yours....as mine does get the Consonance gear from yours.

Don't even fire them up Phil. Load em back up in your van and get back to the shop. It's a trap...run man, run.

Mike

I've had both subs up & running in my system. I played all day yesterday, my wife thinks I'm nuts. Both sound very nice but probably not good enough to make me fall into the "TRAP". So, your guy gets his gear from Stephen. That makes sense because Stephen is the distrubitor for Consonance. It's too bad you live so far away, you would be like a kid in a candy store at Stephens place. I kid you not. Hmmm! What's next for me to take home?

Phil

[SCompRacer]

MIke,

I But anyway, do you know anything about the Modwright CDPlayers, especially the Sony Signature Truth mods?



I could say 3D, detailed, musical, dynamic, holographic, and go on and on.... I'm a big fan. Steve Hoffman had some nice things to say about the ModWright 9100ES in Tone Audio, Issue 5, August 2006. There are some who say his modded Sony's compare to those in the $10-$20K range. Dan Wright is a big fan of vinyl and I believe he tries to get that analog sound out of his gear.

I originally bought a used Sony ModWright Platinum Level with clock upgrade 999ES from my bud Norm when he upgraded to a Platinum Level 9100ES with tube rectified power supply. The ModWright 999ES is a wonderful sounding player, and used MW 999ES's fetch around $1400-$1600 on the 'gon. Victor (Halo) and Carl (schwarcw) have heard it. It is on the way to Joe (hearingimpared) right now. It has the first generation solid state power supply. Recent offerings have the same 9.0 SS power supply used in his SWL 9.0SE pre amp. The tubed rectified PS is an upgrade. The other options are Silver or Copper power supply umbilical cords. Silver can be bright with some systems. Copper seems to be a favorite with most.

Norm had brought over his tube rectified power supply to try on my 999ES and it significantly improved detail and seperation. Victor and his brother were here to experience that. To me, the tube PS is a must have upgrade, but... after leaving Norm's place, my 999 just didn't make me happy anymore. Dan offered me a fantastic deal on a THE Show demo Platinum Level 9100ES with tubed PS. He allowed me to cancel the tube PS I ordered for the 999 and put the money toward the demo. I couldn't be happier. Now, on to the vinyl frontier.

Signature Truth Level on the 9100 includes the clock upgrade, Platinum level includes Bybee filters on the mains and outputs. There are those who claim the Bybees are snake oil. I've never heard one without to compare so I can't say if that $400 upgrade is worth it or not. If one were to buy a used ModWright, make sure they have the clock upgrade as it is well worth it.

Tube wise, you have the TungSol 5687, Sylvania GB 5687, (my fav in the pre amp) 7119's, and the uber tube, Bendix Red Bank 6900. The 6900's are a rugged version of the 5687 and give the utmost in detail and dynamics, but can be bright in some systems. They are also the most expensive. I have seen Red Bank branded 6900's sell for $800 a pair. Norm and I use MU 6900's. MU Engineering bought out Bendix Red Bank Division in the '60's and rebranded the remaining stock MU. They go for around $375 a pair and have the same sonics. The 6900's ARE built like a tank. They are built to sustain a 500 G shock acceleration and are pretty cool looking.

[Joey_V]

Rich,

I think that's pretty much all I need to know about the modwrights then.... phew... that took a little while to read.

Thanks again!
Joey

[Shizelbs]

Hope it sounds as good as it looks.

[hearingimpared]

It is on the way to Joe (hearingimpared) right now. It has the first generation solid state power supply.

I'm hyper-ventilating in anticipation!

[Normanality]

I could say 3D, detailed, musical, dynamic, holographic, and go on and on.... I'm a big fan. Steve Hoffman had some nice things to say about the ModWright 9100ES in Tone Audio, Issue 5, August 2006. There are some who say his modded Sony's compare to those in the $10-$20K range. Dan Wright is a big fan of vinyl and I believe he tries to get that analog sound out of his gear.

I originally bought a used Sony ModWright Platinum Level with clock upgrade 999ES from my bud Norm when he upgraded to a Platinum Level 9100ES with tube rectified power supply. The ModWright 999ES is a wonderful sounding player, and used MW 999ES's fetch around $1400-$1600 on the 'gon. Victor (Halo) and Carl (schwarcw) have heard it. It is on the way to Joe (hearingimpared) right now. It has the first generation solid state power supply. Recent offerings have the same 9.0 SS power supply used in his SWL 9.0SE pre amp. The tubed rectified PS is an upgrade. The other options are Silver or Copper power supply umbilical cords. Silver can be bright with some systems. Copper seems to be a favorite with most.

Norm had brought over his tube rectified power supply to try on my 999ES and it significantly improved detail and seperation. Victor and his brother were here to experience that. To me, the tube PS is a must have upgrade, but... after leaving Norm's place, my 999 just didn't make me happy anymore. Dan offered me a fantastic deal on a THE Show demo Platinum Level 9100ES with tubed PS. He allowed me to cancel the tube PS I ordered for the 999 and put the money toward the demo. I couldn't be happier. Now, on to the vinyl frontier.

Signature Truth Level on the 9100 includes the clock upgrade, Platinum level includes Bybee filters on the mains and outputs. There are those who claim the Bybees are snake oil. I've never heard one without to compare so I can't say if that $400 upgrade is worth it or not. If one were to buy a used ModWright, make sure they have the clock upgrade as it is well worth it.

Tube wise, you have the TungSol 5687, Sylvania GB 5687, (my fav in the pre amp) 7119's, and the uber tube, Bendix Red Bank 6900. The 6900's are a rugged version of the 5687 and give the utmost in detail and dynamics, but can be bright in some systems. They are also the most expensive. I have seen Red Bank branded 6900's sell for $800 a pair. Norm and I use MU 6900's. MU Engineering bought out Bendix Red Bank Division in the '60's and rebranded the remaining stock MU. They go for around $375 a pair and have the same sonics. The 6900's ARE built like a tank. They are built to sustain a 500 G shock acceleration and are pretty cool looking.

Tell us how you really feel! :D

Actually, Rich is spot on. The Modwright is an absolute gem. It's the best of all worlds. Tube output for the 2 channel and high quality SACD DAC for multi-channel. Plays anything you can throw at it. SACD, DVD, cd, mp3, cd-r.........

It's the closest thing to vinyl sound I've experienced from a digital player.

[SCompRacer]

Tell us how you really feel! :D





Not bad for a shy, introverted midwesterner, eh? And not one cuss word in the bunch....:p :D