Opera Consonance Linear 2.2 or Raysonic 128?

Rockadanny, I'm happy you are satisfied with the Reference CD2.2 I would guess you have the original version, prior to the Linear and MKII, correct? A good number of these original version units were modified. The original version can be identified by the volume control knob on the rear of the player, the RCA outs in the middle of the rear panel, and the Philips CD transport/laser head assembly instead of the Sony.

One caution I would like to throw out there is that the lion's share of vacuum tubes are designed for operation in the normal vertical mounting position ONLY. Some of the 6V tubes (6DJ8/6922/ECC88/7308, 6CG7, and the 6H30 used by Consonance) are suitable for mounting in any position, as they were designed for the USA/NATO and Soviet/Warsaw Pact missile and rockets they were used in. These 6V tubes are able to cool themselves (via the typical convection means of vacuum tubes) in any position which a rocket would find itself in; the 12V tubes are not (they also cool themselves via convection - but using the chimney effect, hence the required vertical positioning).

It has previously been fashionable to replace the 6H30 tube inside some of the Consonance components with 12V (ECC99, 12AU7, or 12AX7); moreso to allow folks to tube roll than anything else. The Consonance owner/designer assures me there is a sonic degradation, in addition to reliability questions. Otherwise, he would have used the lower cost and more ubiquitous 12V tubes in the first place. I cannot say with 100% confidence whether the statement regarding the sonics is true, as I have never A/B'd the swap on its own in a CD player. Normally, the tube swap is a part of a larger and more extensive mod, which gets us into more of an apples and oranges type of deal. I will say that in my experience, it does seem to not improve the hybrid integrated amplifiers it was done to (not that that product was my favorite anyway), though I do try to keep an open ear/mind in any situation. We have encountered some in for repair due to volume stability (during warmup and cooldown) and overall reliability issues related to the swap. So, this mod is obviously something I recommend against, even if we do encourage people seeking to max out their components in a sensible manner.

Sorry to have forgotten to answer your question, Mariusz!

Yes, my friend, Jacob George, of Rethm Audio, was using our Reference CD2.2 MKII with piano black lacquer top straight into the Red Wine amplification, driving his Saadhana loudspeakers. You are also correct in that we had the new CD120T in our room, using the Cyber 800 6CA7 tube monoblocks. The CD120T is a variation on the Reference CD2.2 MKII, and slots in as our penultimate player sonically - below the Droplet 5.0 CDP.

Sri, I actually agree with Midnitemick...

For the same price as the Reference CD2.2 Linear, in my opinion, the Consonance Reference CD2.2 MKII is clearly the superior product. Both players use the 6H30 Supertube in the output stage, but the MKII version offers 24 bit/192 KHz oversampling, volume control/variable output, and XLR outputs, whereas the Linear features the 16 bit/44 KHz non-oversampling architecture, and fixed RCA outputs only. The MKII version offers a solidity, low-end weight, and more relaxed, liquid nature that certainly makes it the far more analog sounding component.

I feel strongly enough in this position, that I have stopped marketing the Reference CD2.2 Linear in favor of the Reference CD.2 MKII, as I felt offering both of them created more confusion in the minds of the dealers and customers. I spent significant time with each player, with the end goal being to simply put my energy behind the better one, and came to the conclusion that the MKII was the winner. Of course, ANY product that Consonance manufactures can be ordered for a customer, I just choose to limit what I advertise in the interest of clarity.

It's not as if I'm opposed to the non-oversampling architecture, I'm not. In fact, I believe that the Audio Note digital products are some of the best in the industry. And, at $995, I'm not sure there's a player that eclipses our CD120 Linear. But, when one is ready to take the next step, our Reference CD2.2 MKII and new CD120T are the components I hang my hat on.

Again, this is my opinion, and mine alone. I have encountered a person or two (including my friend, Ian Large, the Opera Audio/Consonance distributor in the UK) who feel otherwise. And, in their defense, I would say the Linear version is probably a bit more insightful and open, even if I find it more "digital" sounding.

DISCLAIMER: I am the importer/distributor for Opera Audio/Consonance products in the USA and Canada