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View Full Version : Consonance Opera Droplet 3.1


hificricketboy
13-03-2016, 12:36
I bought this a couple of years ago from here... (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...hlight=droplet).

There are some specification details on the original sales thread which I'll steal....

"Stunning sounding Droplet CDP 3.1. Valve output stage (NOS phillips miniwatt E88CC); variable upsampling (44.1/88.2/176.4);

Top loader of substantial proportions and weight. Excellent transport and uses a quad of the venerable and great sounding TDA 1543 DAC chips;

2.5V rms output;

Greater than 100dB S/N ratio and less than 0.14% THD

Book says that weight is 30Kg but my guess is slightly less than that.

2 1/2 years old and in Lovely condition all bar minor scratches on the top plate where the cover has been rested when changing CD's (mint other than that).

Future proof as can be used as a stand alone DAC or transport plus you can have it connected to a preamp as a CDP whilst also using a separate S/PDIF digital input from a music server or computer.

RRP is £2,295."

I bought it as I wanted a CDP with a digital input so that I could put my Squeezebox Duet through it's DAC.

That's the good stuff, now the less so...

There are scratches on the top where someone put the cover down. There is a mark on the side of top metal plate. There is also a scuff on the front below the display which is probably polish-out-able. Hopefully the photos show the extent, but I never found them an issue. One of the feet developed a leak - they were based on squash balls in pillars - so I have bought some aluminium Nordost Pulsar Points which work well and will be included along with the original feet/legs. It does not come with a power cable.

I have the box but would prefer to meet up somewhere to suit. I am looking for £850 but open to offers.

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu21/hificricketboy/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144016_zpsyjxfhqoi.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/user/hificricketboy/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144016_zpsyjxfhqoi.jpg.html)

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu21/hificricketboy/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144036_zpsxsrmui5n.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/user/hificricketboy/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144036_zpsxsrmui5n.jpg.html)

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu21/hificricketboy/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144100_zpsd0n3kqce.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/user/hificricketboy/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144100_zpsd0n3kqce.jpg.html)
Mark below the display...
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu21/hificricketboy/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144238_zpscbgkh6eu.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/user/hificricketboy/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144238_zpscbgkh6eu.jpg.html)
Marks to the top plate... (they look worse from this angle and with this lighting when compared to the other top shots)
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu21/hificricketboy/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144307_zpsj0kkho5z.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/user/hificricketboy/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144307_zpsj0kkho5z.jpg.html)
Mark to the side of the top plate...
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu21/hificricketboy/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144408_zpsr9uoacof.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/user/hificricketboy/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_144408_zpsr9uoacof.jpg.html)
and it comes with a lovely chunky remote...
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu21/hificricketboy/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_145747_zpsubctxji8.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/user/hificricketboy/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_145747_zpsubctxji8.jpg.html)
hificricketboy
15-03-2016, 21:31
Bump and price drop to £825.
southall-1998
15-03-2016, 22:13
Stunning looking CD Player.

S.
hificricketboy
16-03-2016, 08:02
It sounds pretty good as well. The valve output stage gives it something special. It took the place of a Talk Thunder 6 (about £3k) on my rack - it's a bit more analogue and has the option of using the digital input. That allowed me to hook up my SB Duet to get the benefit of the DAC for all my digital sources.
User211
16-03-2016, 08:22
It seriously does sound good IMHO. Trashed an AMR DP777 DAC big style. Mind you that DAC was pretty dire even though it looked lurvely.

It defo gets an award for fine sounding CD player from me.
hificricketboy
19-03-2016, 08:44
Thanks for your comments. It is indeed very musical sounding without any harsh edges. And at about 1/3 of its full RRP...

A Saturday morning bump.
hificricketboy
23-03-2016, 18:36
Bump
hificricketboy
04-04-2016, 07:14
Still available.
jandl100
04-04-2016, 07:28
Is this the same model that Paul @RFC had? :scratch:
If not, it's very similar.
And that one saw off everything that I brought along to compare it to!!

Very nice. :thumbsup:
User211
04-04-2016, 07:37
Is this the same model that Paul @RFC had? :scratch:
If not, it's very similar.
And that one saw off everything that I brought along to compare it to!!

Very nice. :thumbsup:

It is the same machine, Jerry.
hificricketboy
04-04-2016, 12:16
Is this the same model that Paul @RFC had? :scratch:
If not, it's very similar.
And that one saw off everything that I brought along to compare it to!!

Very nice. :thumbsup:


It is the same machine, Jerry.

Indeed it was Paul's.

I replaced my Talk Electronics Thunder 6 with it. It has a lot of flexibility with the extra input.
hificricketboy
06-04-2016, 09:01
Bump.

Might consider a swap for a transport with cash coming my way... or an Auralic Aries mini. ��
hificricketboy
08-04-2016, 07:35
Up.
hificricketboy
11-04-2016, 18:25
Bump.
hificricketboy
16-04-2016, 09:59
☝up.
loonytunes
18-04-2016, 14:45
Superb sounding multibit valve DAC in that unit - would work really well with my Consonance 2A3 valve amp - but I really don't need the CD player part of the bulk - shame!
hificricketboy
22-04-2016, 19:42
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu21/hificricketboy/AN%20DAC/bump31.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/user/hificricketboy/media/AN%20DAC/bump31.jpg.html)
hificricketboy
26-04-2016, 21:38
Up we go.
hificricketboy
30-04-2016, 08:36
I'll be travelling down to the Crawley area next week if delivery is an issue...
hificricketboy
05-05-2016, 05:32
Bump.
hificricketboy
07-05-2016, 09:05
Pre cricket match bump.
hificricketboy
12-05-2016, 11:59
Back to the top....
hificricketboy
14-05-2016, 09:32
Sun's up. Nearly time to hit the cricket pitch again...bump.
hificricketboy
19-05-2016, 12:23
Well we won both matches at the weekend, so a celebratory bump!
petrat
19-05-2016, 13:36
Celebration? England 83 for 5 :rolleyes:
hificricketboy
19-05-2016, 16:34
It's early days in the test match - 171 for 5 seems a good recovery.

But we, the mighty Enville CC, won 4 out of 5 matches over the weekend. I played in the first team and beat top of the table (we're far from top of table contenders tbh), so I was chuffed!
hificricketboy
21-05-2016, 16:34
Game rained off bump.
rdpx
21-05-2016, 23:28
EBay it bump

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk
hificricketboy
22-05-2016, 10:06
Unfortunately I think you may be right. Only had a couple of nibbles from here and the Wam... I don't particularly like the prospect of selling on eBay though.
hificricketboy
27-05-2016, 15:37
Still available...
hificricketboy
29-05-2016, 18:59
Price reduction to £800.
hificricketboy
06-06-2016, 20:10
Still available.
hificricketboy
12-06-2016, 12:54
Open to sensible offers for this great CD player.
icehockeyboy
14-06-2016, 09:51
Really surprised this hasn't gone yet.

I had the Linear CD2.2 and it was awesome.
hificricketboy
14-06-2016, 13:17
It is a great player - I was listening to it at the weekend and wondering if I was doing the right thing tbh.

It is going to cost a fortune to replace with something of equal flexibility and sound quality.
Reffc
14-06-2016, 15:47
Amazed this hasn't gone yet Rob. I'd have it back if I had the space for it, without any hesitation!
hificricketboy
17-06-2016, 12:56
Paul, it would appear that CDPs aren't in demand. This player boxes above its weight (which is quite hefty anyway!) but no-one seems to be interested.

It is on a par with the Talk Electronics Thunder 6 I have had previously and of similar quality to my Metrum Hex.

Hey ho, it still sounds good when I chuck a CD in it so it's no hassle keeping it.
JohnJo
18-06-2016, 16:52
Paul, it would appear that CDPs aren't in demand. This player boxes above its weight (which is quite hefty anyway!) but no-one seems to be interested.

It is on a par with the Talk Electronics Thunder 6 I have had previously and of similar quality to my Metrum Hex.

Hey ho, it still sounds good when I chuck a CD in it so it's no hassle keeping it.

PM sent Rob - John
Reffc
18-06-2016, 16:53
The price is more than fair based on what one of these is new these days. Still ranks as probably the nicest looking & sounding CDP that I've ever owned. The Accuphase that replaced it wasn't anywhere near as enjoyable.
hificricketboy
19-06-2016, 10:40
John , reply sent.

Paul, it is also one of the best players I've heard. It matched the Thunder 6 for detail with a slightly different, warmer presentation.
JohnJo
14-08-2016, 20:15
Bit of an update - I bought this player from Rob but unfortunately it suffered internal damage of some kind during transit. It is reading CDs but has an intermittent fault whereby after 5 or 10 minutes the audio output changes to something akin to an FM tuner when not on a station, hiss basically. I left it with a local repair guy who identified a fault in the output stage but was unable to repair it as he couldn't get parts. The cost of the player has been covered by an insurance company so Rob and I are good and I have been left with the player to dispose of.

So, it is up for sale as spares only if anyone is interested.

I have the original packaging for posting if you want to organise a courier.

There is significant marking on the aluminum casing.
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/IMG_1808.jpg (http://s1229.photobucket.com/user/castle48/media/IMG_1808.jpg.html)
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/IMG_1800.jpg (http://s1229.photobucket.com/user/castle48/media/IMG_1800.jpg.html)
Anybody interested at £100?
tankertop
16-08-2016, 17:24
Can I register an interest in this please? PM coming...
JohnJo
16-08-2016, 17:46
Can I register an interest in this please? PM coming...

First dibs to tankertop. I'll try to get some internal photos.
JohnJo
16-08-2016, 20:35
Opened it up this evening - there is a small crack on the corner of of the main board although I don't think it's actually a problem. You can see the edge of the pcb looks folded down about half an inch from the end. It has cracked at the mounting screw. Otherwise everything looks good.
Very impressed with the component quality and count in here. 7 bridge rectifiers, so 7 separate DC supplies, filtered mains inlet, auricap output caps, Tesla valve, Epcos reservoir caps, 4 dac chips, voltage regulators everywhere, gold plated tracks on the output stage too.

Pity it doesn't work ;)

Must be worth a few quid for scrap aluminium:eek:

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Consonance%20Droplet/245E0E68-8B35-4AFE-BFAB-0ED1A956E140.jpg (http://s1229.photobucket.com/user/castle48/media/Consonance%20Droplet/245E0E68-8B35-4AFE-BFAB-0ED1A956E140.jpg.html)
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Consonance%20Droplet/9C3C93D4-71C7-4C38-A6E1-41FC3DD50323.jpg (http://s1229.photobucket.com/user/castle48/media/Consonance%20Droplet/9C3C93D4-71C7-4C38-A6E1-41FC3DD50323.jpg.html)
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Consonance%20Droplet/A05708BA-2E5E-4C86-800E-21C5F1F79AE3.jpg (http://s1229.photobucket.com/user/castle48/media/Consonance%20Droplet/A05708BA-2E5E-4C86-800E-21C5F1F79AE3.jpg.html)
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Consonance%20Droplet/149FF5E6-1D0B-4EA3-93AF-CE4C2A75253F.jpg (http://s1229.photobucket.com/user/castle48/media/Consonance%20Droplet/149FF5E6-1D0B-4EA3-93AF-CE4C2A75253F.jpg.html)
Floyddroid
17-08-2016, 07:25
Turned out to be a sad story this. I was going to buy this when it originally came up for sale on here. It is upsetting to see such a beautifully engineered piece of kit not working. I remember an old aqaintance having a similar problem with a Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista sacd player which has been a static display for nearly ten years now. As a consequence I have never bought anything by Musical Fidelity since. I hope this gorgeous machine can be rescued.
Spectral Morn
17-08-2016, 09:04
As far as I know it's still made, so a new board should be available. Contact the UK distributor and ask. They really must have done a number on this as the original box is more than adequate to protect the player.

A friend has one and it's a nice machine.
JohnJo
17-08-2016, 20:07
Putting this on hold for now as I want to try it as a transport, if I can borrow a standalone DAC.

Thanks for the interest.
JohnJo
20-11-2016, 13:21
This has been sat in it's box since August, haven't tried it with a DAC yet.

So, back for sale as spares or repairs (it has worked the last few times I've tried it).

£100 plus postage or might be interested in a swap for quad of EL34s and/or 5 pin din to rca interconnect.
hornucopia
20-11-2016, 16:07
Too late but using a proper courier could avoid this kind of disaster? I've had similar story and am v. reluctant to post stuff.

http://hifiwigwam.com/forum/topic/74446-courier-delivery/
hificricketboy
20-11-2016, 16:27
I used DHL to ship the CDP, but obviously it took a knock or 2 en route from Birmingham to Ireland. They did pay out the full amount on the insurance once John had an assessment done for me.
It was a real shame as the player was a great listen.
JohnJo
29-03-2017, 19:54
Dug this out of the garage where it's been sat since last August gathering condensation, plonked it down and plugged it in.... working fine :scratch:

What's that all about?