Opera V v2

Listening

We tested the Opera V v2 floorstanding speakers by pairing them with several amplifiers including the Copland CSA-100 valve/solid-state hybrid and the Canor Virtus i2 with which, in spite of only 40W of claimed power, we obtained the sonic results we were most satisfied with. As a digital source we alternately used Aqua La Scala MKII and Denafrips Pontus 15th DACs, connected via USB to an Audio PC based on the Audiolinux operating system, with JCAT USB XE network card, JCAT NET XE network card both equipped with dedicated power supply. Signal wiring (both analog and digital), power and power supply was Neutral Cable from the Reference series.

The thing that struck me the most and, I must say, pleased me the most was the continuity I perceived, from the first notes, with the smaller Opera Prima v2 which, I think I can safely say, I am now familiar with. Obviously, in this case, there is something extra, as indeed there should be. Nonetheless, one immediately realizes that the approach, which is very sound and shareable, is the same, and I like to think that such is the “signature,” the designer’s hallmark. Wanting to summarize as much as possible the common traits of the two speakers – I will go into the peculiarities of the Opera V v2 later – I would sketch them as speakers with a sound devoid of their own colorations and with an absolute coherence between the various portions of the spectrum. To put it another way: they are speakers for which sonic analysis based on the usual differentiation between the various frequency ranges is at least difficult to apply, perhaps even inappropriate. Yes because if one listens to them carefully, particularly the model under review, one can realize how seamless the timbral/harmonic characteristics of the various ranges entrusted to each driver are and how effectively the transitions between them are resolved. In this way the proposed sound is very natural, timbrally articulate and very fast. Provided one listens to a well-made recording, one never gets the feeling of a low range artificially shaped to emphasize this or that aspect. In the fine recording of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich conducted by Paavo Järvi (Alpha Classics), the trumpet and all the brass present in the first bars of the first part are crisp and bright but never over-emphasized; at the same time, the low register of the timpani and the majesty of the strings are resolved with such mastery that listening to this classic page of symphonic music is an absolute delight. In particular, the sections of the low strings and percussion seemed to me to be characterized by great articulation and clarity such that they help the listener to better understand the structure of the piece.

I turn to another track that we often use in our tests: Lindberg by Ivano fossati in the interpretation of the duo consisting of Fiorella Mannoia and Danilo Rea. The voice is credibly and emotionally proposed, as are the articulate piano harmonies that accompany it. Very beautiful in this particular case is the dimension occupied in space by the voice in relation to the sound of the piano, which is placed slightly further back and to the side. In short, it is not necessary to close one’s eyes and make much effort to recreate an image of the arrangement of the two artists on the virtual stage. In our listening there is no shortage of forays into the most disparate musical genres: among the many I like to mention the track Terrain: 1 taken from the Portico Quartet EP of the same name in which the mixture made up of electronic instruments, metallic percussion and the double bass-cello group moved me by combining speed and harmonic richness.