With your channel you never know what’s coming but you know it’s going to be special and very interesting!

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

I hope so! Thank you for the kindness.

I really enjoyed the video man! Love your review style. Always look forward to new videos. Have a great one!

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks a ton Haven, super appreciate your kindness.

Opera speakers are a hidden gem usually in the hifi world it’s the brands you haven’t heard of it’s the good stuff. I was a PMC fan boy I was looking to replace my fb1 and thought it would hard to beat. I went to listen to a pair of callas SP small factor speakers they sounded incredible I bought them immediately I enjoyed them for 3 days and a set of seconda was available locally. You guessed it I snapped those up immediately now I have 2 sets of opera speakers. Im based in the UK these are a rarity and don’t come up for sale often on the used market im very happy with my purchases

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Greetings and welcome! Thank you for sharing your experiences. I'd love your feedback on the Seconda. Opera is a lovely brand whom really needs more exposure for their quality. Cheers!

Thank you very much for your very detailed review. It was very enlightening for a decision making 👍

Great review! Confirms the 'horses for courses' principle. These are magic speakers for Classical music - even more so with Baroque stuff - and Jazz. Also both male and female voices are projected superbly, thence the name "Opera". Also, very detailed (in my experience) with little musical nuances like triangles and xylophone sounds, you don't miss _anything_ Thanks for an interesting review, without the 'hysterics' of trying to sell something. I will certainly come back for more! 😃

Nice review and thanks for giving another nod for Unison. I have Dynaudio 40s that need an integrated amp. Based on your Unico 50 review I'm looking into the Primo to pair with them. Wish I'd seen this Opera video before buying the 40s but I think I'm on good shape. Unison gear has hot me very intrigued.

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Hello and welcome Michael. Oh my gosh, the new format for discussing gear on KZread certainly levels the playing field a bit more, doesn't it. When I read old prints of Stereophile and Absolute Sound, while the measurements are very helpful, the endless advertisements were confusing. I appreciate your comments. Each Unison Research owner I've run into has had nothing but praise for their product - albeit it is a small circle thus far. Good luck in your hunt! Thanks for watching and taking the time to post.

Nice review. Something more to put on my CL scanner...can't afford these things new. They look awesome! Wish I could hear them...

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching Jon. I'm afraid you'll be waiting a long time on CL...don't forget Hifi Shark.

That brand is known in Europe but it is a small operation. Opera is Italian and use scan speak drivers. I love the Opera Grand Callas.

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Vic.

Thank you Jason for another interesting review. I know that you aren't into using subwoofers, but if you were going to use those Grand Mezzas for the long haul (like I have to do with all my gear) it could solve the low end issues while maintaining the great midrange and treble that they already have. Oh and about the speakers you got from the estate, I don't care if they $100,000.00 plus Wilsons when they were new. I'm just happy that you found something awesome for you to enjoy.

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Indeed, I am not saying anyone else should follow my stubbornness with regard for subwoofers. If I were to settle, its going to be for something extra special. I managed to live with Acoustic Research AR9 LS for two years and not a change. If I did that now, how you guys get entertained without this fool? :-)

@marcgoldin8937

2 жыл бұрын

@@2ChannelListening You seem to have forgotten the old adage. Who is the bigger fool, the fool or the fool that fallows him?!? ;-)

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Ha ha, you got me there Marc! Cheers!

Nice Video. Im looking at some Unison Research speakers right now. The Max Mini. Beautiful, not over priced, and made for tubes (which I have 2w/ch Monos) or with a switch on the back can be suited to Solid state. So it allows a long life, if I switch to SS or just get different Speakers, and the size and front pirts allows easy placement. Hope one pair in Walnut will pop up somewhere used so I can save $1000. Cheers.

@2ChannelListening

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching. Not sure where you are at, you could be waiting a long time for Max Mini in the US. There was one Pac NW dealer for a time, not sure now.

Very smart - and always a pleasure when speakers show up in your reviews which couldn't be more "European to the core". ...But still find their way into your home right in the heart of America. Opera Audio speakers are not easy to find with a dealer network that "wide meshed" few Europeans ever get a chance to discover and listen. Their tube amplifiers are a little easier accesssible. Maybe their long speaker life-cycles (of 10+ years) do not appeal to dealers and-or potential customers so much these days. I like that brand. Their upper range "Callas" underlines even more how much you can achieve with rather conventional drivers in a well though-out layout.

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Picky... I'm glad I finally found one responsible, respectful and responsive representative for these brands in the US. You maybe too accurate about the life cycle, folks look at brands like cellphones, if they are not updating then they suffer FOMO. The ADS L1590's remind me of this silliness. The latest editions to my stable destroy this notion. At the end of the day, its marketing to fight for market share. Thank you for watching!

I hope you come across an Opera Seconda one day, preferably in a closed version. Beautiful speaker, both the current and the previous version.

@2ChannelListening

Жыл бұрын

Yes indeed that would be nice. Trying to get a beed on the Callas too.

@Philear4124

Жыл бұрын

@@2ChannelListening I now have the previous series of the Seconda here and the current series of the Callas Diva. Here in Europe there are of course more distributors of Opera speakers. Both stunning speakers. Grtz Phil

@Philear4124

Жыл бұрын

@@2ChannelListening I've also been looking for the Callas Monitor gen 2 with the tweeters at the back for a while. In my living room I now have the Callas Diva, beautiful speaker. Grtz Phil

this company reminds me Sonus Faber also in Italy...and both come with black leather on the speaker...the Opera line Callas and now this Mezza...🎶🎶👍🏼

@2ChannelListening

9 ай бұрын

More similarities than differences, yes.

Hello, I don't want to open any audiophile trenches. But I am honestly curious, why a lot of reviewers and audio enthusiasts show negativity, frown upon brands like b&w or Naim. Overpriced, inconsistent quality, "mainstream", sound signature? I enjoy your and other Hifi creators content and am just interested in honest opinions and experiences. Keep on the good work.

@2ChannelListening

Жыл бұрын

Certainly Rudi, I will share my own experience. I have owned and demoed several B&W speakers. Most of them are tuned with a treble bump that does not agree with my ears. Price is not even a consideration, I just do not like their sound profile. I will admit I have not demoed the big 800-802 line so I apologize if those models do not follow the house sound, though I would find that hard to believe. Second reason is B&W is so mainstream - they're marketing department has spent big money to make sure their brand is plastered everywhere - another turn off to me, I like underdogs. Lastly, Sound United owns the brand. Holding groups always put big profit margins over legacy product continuity. However, with Naim, it is the opposite. Naim sounds quite fine to me, very neutral, yet I feel for the price one pays to enter their better performing line up, my personal aestheticism are left cold. Naim expects you to buy into their entire platform, streamers, cd players and *proprietary* cabling - I'm not buying. I like to mix and match products and Naim does not offer balanced inputs. So from a use case and budget, Naim is not high on my list to own. I would recommend Naim for particular enthusiast under specific circumstances. Hope this helps you a little.

@rudivanklotenzak467

Жыл бұрын

@@2ChannelListening I understand regarding b&w's sound signature. I auditioned some bookshelf b&w and the popular 702s2 along some other new speakers in similar budget range (Focal, Sonus Faber, Canton). As I couldn't get warm with the b&w bookshelves I enjoyed the combination of Naim Uniti Star and B&W 702s2 floorstanding speakers for chamber music, Jazz and Live vocal music especially. Very direct, vivid, transparent and precise to my ears, even kinda affordable in comparison. I had the possibility to test this combo at my home. To me it mostly never felt underpowered, shrill and unbalanced or anything else that I read or heard in reviews. Only piano solo was quite underwhelming sometimes, but this differed with recordings. Perhaps it is my lack of comparison options as I could not hear some higher class gear in action, but really enjoyed this Bw+Naim combo over the other gear combos I heard, especially over the Bw702 Rotel combo bundle they offer. Thanks for your time and effort in answering, as I was really surprised upon the difference of my own impressions and some reviews I have seen.

These speakers look fancy.. I wonder if they sound fancy? If you add a sub to fill out the bass is it hard to integrate with these?

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Very well fleshed out mid's and upper range. Very pleasant for long listening sessions. Just needs a SW.

Have you listened to Triangle speakers? Interested in hearing Zu and Tekton, wondering how they compare to my Antal ESW.

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Amos. I have not listened to any Triangle speakers, honestly, the tweeter design is a huge red flag for my ears, I am really sensitive to bright tweeters. I'd be happy to sit down with someone who has a Triangle set up, but I'm not willing to risk purchasing a pair. The ZU are as forward as I can tolerate and still enjoy. Cheers, thanks for stopping by!

@amosscattergood1722

2 жыл бұрын

@@2ChannelListening I find mine to be well balanced. There is some extra treble detail that is probably what drew me to them originally. They sound great at low volume, but to me, don’t get harsh at louder levels. For comparison, if I set up my B&W Matrix 805 I find the treble very metallic and harsh with most music. Interested to see what a simpler design like the ZU’s would sound like, but don’t want to lose resolution and balance.

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Amos, I certainly understand your B&W comparison and would agree that's how I would characterize B&W's I've heard and owned. The ZU's are a unique beast. At low levels though...they are really good, require so little input to produce a big sound. The higher up the line are more balanced compared to the Omen/DW versions. Get a pair with the Radian tweeter and you are giving nothing up in detail resolution department. My experience anyway.

Hey Nice Review ,Quite eager to know what exactly is your hi end Product ...😊

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you sir!

It is only natural that Unison and Opera is a good combination. Their factories are next to each other and Unison also have speakers in their range build by Opera. I must admit that I am a fan of Opera and have a few Opera Callas Diva. Grtz Phil

@2ChannelListening

9 ай бұрын

Nice, thank you Phil.

@Philear4124

9 ай бұрын

@@2ChannelListening What you say in your reviews is consistent with my own experience. In the case of the Opera speakers, there is a nice glow in the mid-high.

I went to a rollout event when that Camaro model came out. They seriously wanted this car to be the one that matches or exceeds the Japanese cars. Yeah .. they said if we found even a slight flaw in the paint or whatever , they would fly a engineer to the cars location before repair so he could go back to the factory and nip it in the bud. Good intentions never manifested. True story. I got to go because I was a factory trained painter and my buddy/boss was a master tech.

Just saw OCD HiF Guy just added Opera and demoed a clieants set of $12K speakers that sounded sick

@2ChannelListening

Жыл бұрын

They are well built and very musical like Vienna Acoustics speakers, I hope they catch on. Thanks Charles.

Heyyy! A looker ! Unison is a great value!

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tex.

What about the speakers I left your comment the other day have you looked into them yet? They need some subwoofers and the Wharfedale sw150 would be a perfect match only costing £150 they can get down to 28 Hz in room response crossover at 40 Hz you should be fine really get 4 but 2 minimum 10 inch Kevlar So what's the name of the speakers just speakers you bought no amplifier would did you pay what country of origin are they made?

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Hi John, I did look into the French speakers you recommended, if that is what you were aiming at, full-range in a transmission line design. $4k before shipping... I am not releasing the latest acquisitions yet. I'm being a stinker. An enjoying every darn minute of them. No subs John, not now, not ever. Let's just say my newest (old) speakers play down into the low 20 hz range. Acoustic suspension like the ADS.

@johnsweda2999

2 жыл бұрын

@@2ChannelListening well he's an English guy English drivers but yes I think he lives in France

Those are freely available in Australia for AU$4,700 a pair. Or US$3,000.00 a pair. They are nice. But I have already purchased my B&W Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4's a year ago..........(((( But at AU$52,900.00 a pair. Or US$33,730.00 a pair, they were just a tad more expensive than those nice Opera's. Cheers!

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

There are some pretty neat speakers in OZ. I so wish I could get my hands on some Pitt & Giblin's, but man, outside the realm of my resources currently. Thank you for watching RM.

@theaustralianconundrum

2 жыл бұрын

@@2ChannelListening Pitt & Giblin. Not inexpensive for sure. I'm generally wary of bespoke manufacturers as there is far less guarantee spare parts or service will be available. Most of them seem to last but a decade and go out of business.

You should look at Audio Mart...Oh and call Tammy at Tekton.. Grill are being made again. But you're gonna have to call her...and who car how it.looks .. My Lure reference ROCKS

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

I have been regularly bugging Tammy. Thanks Wave.

I have a set of opera mini bookshelves. 20 years old and I am not sure what the model is. But listening to them is like drinking the finest wine. Like drowning in honey.

@2ChannelListening

Жыл бұрын

Not sure I would want to drown in honey...but I get what you are saying.

Could I run these speakers of the Willsenton r 8 amp?

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely you can, I ran these speakers with a 12 watt tube amp, as well as my former 50 watt Unison Research Unico P. They sound wonderful with tubes.

What’s wrong with the Bible Belt? Of which I’m in. Quit drinking years ago:)

@2ChannelListening

6 ай бұрын

Nothin wrong with the Bible belt. I'm an Okie.

What was the pun? Love the channel

@2ChannelListening

6 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching!

Whats better the Rib Shack, or Bodacious?

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Bodacious isn't bad, great sauces. Have not done the Rib Shack yet.

@bornces

2 жыл бұрын

@@2ChannelListening I went to the Shack when I was in town and the beef (brisket and burnt ends) was great. Good review, I would love to hear that tweeter...I have Goldenear Triton 7's so I also dig the AMT.

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

@@bornces good to know, I'll have to take the misses to the Shack, thanks! I am really surprised I have not been able to get an AMT equipped pair of speakers yet, I absolutely must try them...I was hoping to get a pair of Legacy's with them, the Studio Monitors or Classic's.

Lose viewers due to a product reveal - not likely - keep up the good work!!

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, will do!

How does these speaker rank vs tekton lore vs kef 104/2?

@2ChannelListening

Жыл бұрын

Oooh, that's a tough one... Opera's are easier to drive and much more placement friendly than the KEF's. Probably equals on mid and upper range, slight nod to the Opera for smoothness. However, the KEF fill out the bottom end much more thoroughly and complete a package. The Opera's are much more refined and so much more WAF versus the Lore. The only thing the Lore outshines the Opera's on are bass response, lower register retrieval. The Opera's absolutely nail musical separation at this price point and exceeded my expectations. They do require a nice fast REL SW. If I have a smaller room and want a sub, the Opera will top the other two. If you had gobs of power on tap and bigger room, it would be the KEF 104/2 for me.

@jianboo

Жыл бұрын

@@2ChannelListening hey, I do appreciate you taking time answering my question to the best of your knowledge and factoring all the important details like room size, bass, mids, highs and subtlety like refinement in sound. As an audio enthusiast this make sense to me and are absolutely helpful in comparing the sometimes hard to compare audio components specially those that are out of reach for the time being.

@chadrobinson7234

7 ай бұрын

@@2ChannelListening I had a set of mini-Lore's and a set of KEF 104/2. Sold both because I found them to be too dark sounding. Do the Grand Mezza's sound brighter than the KEF's? There's a used set for sale near me at a reasonable price that I'm thinking about getting.

@chadrobinson7234

7 ай бұрын

@@2ChannelListening I can get the Grand Mezza 2012 for $1000. Should I?

@2ChannelListening

7 ай бұрын

@@chadrobinson7234 hello Chad, honestly I can not tell you if these are the magic bullet you are looking for. KEF 104/2 driven by powerful mono block amps and somewhat revealing sources were amazing. The fluid was replaced in the pair I lived with. The Grand Mezza are cool little floor standing speakers, wonderful mids and clean top end with no bass below 50hz. Still a compromise you have to live with unless you have subs.

Great video but man,the wall behind you is very bright and hurts the eyes!

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Sorry about that, still figuring out the best compromise with my family and using a room for video. I do plan to get a different curtain. It gets tedious sending them away for a few hours at a time.

The stock T56 is a POS...just saying. Yes, I owned a 2001 WS6 Trans Am. The rear end also had a tendency to self destruct under any hard use. Very fast, nice looking IMHO, but it's a cheaply built car. Still wish I never sold mine.

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Lol, the last line says it all :-) Thanks Blue!

buy ATC SCM ASL 3 WAY ACTIVE MONITORS instead .

@2ChannelListening

Жыл бұрын

Did you really suggest a pair of speakers that are $17k?

D-vorak... lol....!!!

@2ChannelListening

2 жыл бұрын

Everyone's a linguistic critic...*sigh*