It’s Not Called Opera Audio for Nothing
My final stop on the tour was at The Opera Audio Company in Beijing. Opera is the oldest and largest of the audio manufacturers I visited, with a 13-year history and 55 employees. Under the Consonance name, Opera designs and manufactures products which enjoy wide distribution in more than 30 countries (the brand is particularly strong in Europe) and good press (including a Product of the Year award from out sister publication, Hi-Fi+). Opera also makes products for other companies, but not merely for re-branding. Rather, Opera enters into technology partnerships with a few select outside companies for their mutual benefit.

A perfect example is the new Well Tempered Turntable, which is just going into production. The Well Tempered’s creator, Bill Firebaugh, was looking for a company to manufacturer his new design. The association gave Opera access to Well Tempered’s technology, as well as another turntable model to sell in China. Well Tempered is proud of the association; where other manufacturers asked me not to disclose the brands they manufacture, each Well Tempered Turntable bears a nameplate that says “Manufactured by Opera Audio under license from Well Tempered Laboratories.�

I ran into Bill Firebaugh at the GuangZhou show, and over a lavish lunch (for seven of us that cost the equivalent of $16) I learned much about the new turntable as well as his perspective as a designer having his products made in a Chinese factory. He couldn’t have been happier with the experience, or more complimentary about Opera Audio.

 

 

Opera was founded in 1994 by Mr. Shi Hui Liu, an optical-mechanical engineer whose real passion was for music (particularly European opera) and audio.

 

His story is the classic “kitchen-table� start-up; he made a tubed amplifier for his own use, was asked to make another for sale, and decided to go into business. Significantly, Opera was the first turntable manufacturer in China and has demonstrated with analog at every show since the company’s founding. Even with more than 100 products (including technical and cosmetic variations of products), Mr. Liu still creates all the designs himself.

Next: It’s Not Called Opera Audio for Nothing (cont)

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