Grand Callas Opera,

Handmade in Italy, with a classic, elegant style, yet challenging the conventional electronic design of today's loudspeakers.

That is what these impressive Grand Callas loudspeakers from the Italian company Opera, its top-of-the-range model, are like. They are an evolution of its well-known Divina, in which substantial changes have been made.

Solid construction

At first glance they are very reminiscent of Sonus Faber loudspeakers, but it is also true that Opera has been making notable loudspeakers for decades, and certainly with a personality of their own. The Grand Callas boast a construction quality unusual for loudspeakers at their price. It is true that these days €7,900 cannot be called little money, but when you immerse yourself in the world of high-end audio and analyze what the Grand Callas offer for that price, they even seem cheap.

Weighing 50 kg each, they are extremely solid and robust in construction. Two people are needed to carry, move or position these loudspeakers. The fully sealed cabinet uses MDF panels up to 50 mm thick, covered in perfectly lacquered wood. The structure curves toward the rear, with a total depth of 40 cm. The front baffle is covered in leather, something quite traditional among Italian manufacturers, and can be covered with the grille, whose cut plays with the shapes of the front baffle itself. The whole assembly sits on four metal pieces incorporating the decoupling spikes. Finally, at the rear, there are gold-plated metal connectors prepared for bi-wiring. Without doubt, these loudspeakers are a feast for the eyes and do not go unnoticed even by those with no connection to this hobby. A good friend remarked that they looked more like a musical instrument than a pair of loudspeakers. Indeed.

An interesting concept

What undoubtedly attracts the most attention is the driver array, especially the tweeters. A total of nine drivers per loudspeaker, five of which are tweeters, in a three-way design. The first thing one wonders is: why five tweeters? The answer lies, of course, in physics and in the characteristics of the other drivers in the loudspeakers. All the drivers come from the Norwegian manufacturer Seas, undoubtedly one of the most respected, with a well-known reputation. Each loudspeaker incorporates four Seas Excel W16NX 5.5" drivers, probably modified for the occasion. One of them is dedicated to the midrange and three to the bass. These drivers are among the best available on the market. They have a magnesium cone and an oversized rubber surround to eliminate radial resonances. Like other drivers of similar size, they behave irregularly above 2000-2300 Hz. Adding a second tweeter allows the midrange driver to be used below this frequency, in its best region. This requires tweeters capable of working well at unusually low frequencies, such as the Seas units with Sonotex diaphragms fitted in these loudspeakers, likewise among the Scandinavian manufacturer's best tweeters. These tweeters have a linear excursion of 0.9 mm, compared with the 0.5 of other high-end tweeters. Adding two of these tweeters means they can reach down to low frequencies, behaving partly like a midrange driver. However, as the frequency rises, only one tweeter takes over, which means the sound is not excessively bright and is perfectly balanced.

The other three tweeters are located at the rear and do not really contribute to the treble; their job is to produce a three-dimensional image beyond the ideal listening position. The sound remains pleasingly focused even in less-than-ideal positions, which means that listeners at different angles can enjoy direct sound.

Put to the test

I have had the opportunity to listen to a wide range of music, and it is undoubtedly with vocal, jazz and acoustic music that these loudspeakers are most at home. For the listening test, I always used high-resolution formats such as SACD and LPCM at 96-192 kHz and 24 bit.

I began the test with accordion and guitar music by Raúl Barboza and Horacio Castillo, Invierno en Paris (Linn Records). An excellent recording in which the Grand Callas bring out all the brilliance of this magnificent duo. The first track, which shares the album's title, offers a unique opportunity to savor the excellent midrange of these loudspeakers. A very direct sound, with perfect delineation and separation of the two instruments. The treble is equally rich and bright without compromising the balance. The Grand Callas masterfully handle the dynamics of the accordion, and at a certain volume the sense of realism is simply spectacular, even in the sound of the accordion's keyboard. In this music the separation of sound planes is especially important, something the Grand Callas do perfectly. The integration between the midrange and the treble is very well balanced

I continued my test with vocal jazz, specifically Diana Krall's album Quiet Nights (Verve Music Group). On the track The boy from Ipanema, the sound of Diana's voice is so extraordinarily well resolved that you can even hear the sound of her lips as she sings. Diana seems to be right in front of the listener, leaving the other instruments on a plane further back that almost allows us to guess the real distance between them. Once again, extraordinary work from the Grand Callas' midrange section. The instruments are very well delineated, and the piano in its solo part again moves to the foreground, as one would expect in a hall. The sense of space is very realistic.

To test the dynamic range of the Grand Callas, I chose a large-scale orchestral recording, Mahler's Sixth Symphony conducted by Valery Gergiev with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). The first movement begins with a powerful double bass section followed by the orchestra. The separation of the instruments is evident, although the low tones are not as energetic as might be expected. The bass is well defined but not deep, and as a result some of the sense of space is lost. To check to what extent this is an effect of the room, I had the opportunity to listen to this piece in two rooms, one of about 20 m2 and another of about 40. It is in the larger room that a more powerful bass, one that fills the space and gives a greater sense of spaciousness, is missed; this is less the case in the small room, where the bass is more or less sufficient. It is in this small room that the sense of three-dimensionality is heightened and, curiously, one has the feeling of being in a larger room. This leads me to conclude that the Grand Callas are more intimate loudspeakers, better suited to moderately sized rooms, which, in the end, is almost certainly where most of their owners will place them. Nevertheless, the brilliance of the percussion and the presence of the brass section are sublime, highlighting once again the midrange and the ability to delineate instruments.

Finally, I tried one of my reference recordings, organ music by Maurice Duruflé (CPO 777 042-2). The organ is the instrument with the widest frequency range and such a variety of timbres that in certain pieces it can achieve an acoustic variety comparable to that of an orchestra. Track 5, Meditation, is without doubt a real challenge for any loudspeaker, since it contains extraordinarily low frequencies that drop below 20 Hz. The same sensation recurs: well-defined bass, not at all diffuse, but without the depth that this impressive organ is capable of recreating. Of course, the frequency range of the Grand Callas extends down to 32 Hz (±3 dB), so you cannot ask for the impossible. But it is true that one expects a loudspeaker of these dimensions to deliver more energetic bass. By way of comparison, I was able to listen to this same recording on a genuine Formula 1 of loudspeakers, the new Wilson Audio Alexia, on the day of its launch in New York. It seems unfair to compare the Grand Callas with the Alexia, and in fact it is, but to my trained musician's ear, the midrange definition of the Grand Callas can be compared with that of the Alexia without any great inferiority complex.

In conversation with the Wilson Audio representative, he stated that the Alexia's tweeter was made by the Danish company Scan Speak and the midrange by Seas. Wilson Audio has used components from both brands for some time with excellent results. Driven by curiosity, I looked into the Seas drivers and found that the Alexia's midrange is physically extraordinarily similar to the Seas Prestige ER18RNX, which belongs to a lower range than the one used by Opera. Although it has been modified by Seas for perfect integration in the Alexia, the interesting thing is that the technical quality of the driver will in any case be similar to that of the one used in the Grand Callas, and perfect integration with the other components and the cabinet, as can be assumed of both Wilson Audio and Opera, will produce an excellent result in both. That is why it does not surprise me that the Grand Callas can hold their own against the Alexia in midrange definition.

However, the bass of the Alexia, with its two 10" woofers, was in another league. The bass filled the room of about 40 m2 with a sense of space similar to what one would feel in a church at the sound of the organ, perfectly controlled energy, simply impressive and without doubt the best bass response I have ever heard. Although the equipment used with the Alexia was different from that which I used with the Grand Callas, I am convinced that the credit for that great bass belonged to the Alexia loudspeakers. The Alexia were the clear winners; however, I am not convinced that the difference is sevenfold, as it is in price.

The result of using two front tweeters in the Grand Callas is a sublime midrange, among the best I have ever heard at any price. And no wonder, since these loudspeakers use an almost unbeatable combination of drivers. In my view, the Grand Callas would have benefited greatly if, instead of three 5.5" bass drivers, Opera had used three 7" drivers or two 8" ones; the bass extension would have been very noticeable and would have given them more versatility. Of course, this change would have entailed implications for the cabinet design. In any case, it must be stressed that the bass is more than sufficient for most of the music I listened to, and it only falls short in pieces that are especially demanding in the low frequencies recorded in large venues, and if the listening room is generously sized.

Specialists' rating: 4

Although their price may frighten us, what these loudspeakers offer is well worth it. It is really surprising to see that loudspeakers at this price are built with some of the best components. They seem to be built without any kind of compromise and are undoubtedly the best loudspeakers I have heard in their price range. I have had the opportunity to see and hear loudspeakers costing far more that would have a hard time in a direct comparison with the Grand Callas. Their balance, their impressive midrange and their construction make these loudspeakers a gem that should be considered by those planning to invest in top-tier loudspeakers without having to pay astronomical prices.

Grand Callas Opera,

Specifications

Frequency response

32 -25000 Hz

Crossover

On printed circuit board

12 dB/octave for the woofers

12 dB/octave for the midrange

18 dB/octave for the doublet and triplet

Crossover frequencies around 360 and 2,300 Hz

Maximum power (long term): 240 Watt RMS

Maximum power (short term): 750 watts RMS (unclipped)

Suggested amplifier: From 10 watts RMS

Sensitivity: 89 dB/2.83 volts/1 meter

Nominal impedance: 4 ohm (Zmin> 3 ohms)

Placement in the room: At least 50 cm from the walls

Dimensions: 106 x 24 x 40 (HxWxD) cm

Weight: 50 Kg.

Highlights: Midrange, Tonal balance, Solid construction.

Could be improved: Low-frequency response, Associated equipment.

Source: Oppo BDP-105, McIntosh C48 (digital section)

Preamplifier: McIntosh C48

Amplification: McIntosh MC252, Audio Research VSi60

Cabling: Cardas Clear Sky, MIT Matrix 6, Kimber Kable Silver Streak