GRAND CALLAS
Overview
Grand Callas is the three-way floorstanding loudspeaker that represents the pinnacle of Opera Loudspeakers’ entire production.
It is the expression of a passion for craftsmanship, the relentless pursuit of acoustic truth, and a constant commitment to transforming music into pure emotion.
With its commanding presence, technical refinement, and ability to deliver a truly complete listening experience, Grand Callas is not only the most prestigious model in the Opera catalog: it is a true statement of intent.
With this loudspeaker, the soundstage expands in three dimensions, offering impeccable transient response, extraordinary dynamics, and low-frequency extension worthy of the finest High-End achievements.
Design: elegance and acoustics
Built from MDF and wood slice, it features thicknesses ranging from 25 mm to 50 mm on the front baffle, ensuring structural stability and optimal resonance control.
The total internal volume is 92 liters, 80 of which are dedicated to the woofers, while the midrange, in sealed pneumatic suspension, is housed in a separate chamber.
The front panel is precision-milled on the inside to eliminate turbulence and reflections near the drivers, while internal bracing and the natural density of the wood provide extreme rigidity, suppressing unwanted vibrations.
The midrange chamber is treated with high-efficiency polyurethane foam sheets, capable of completely absorbing internal reflections and delivering absolute transparency in the vocal range.
The result is a cabinet that combines visual elegance with acoustic rigor.
The soul of Opera’s sound
What makes the Grand Callas a true benchmark is the excellence of its rear radiation system and the superior quality of its drivers.
The low frequencies are entrusted to two 8” ScanSpeak woofers developed to Opera’s specifications: aluminum cones, rubber suspensions, symmetrized magnetic assemblies and stabilizing rings work in synergy to deliver deep, controlled reproduction with virtually no distortion. Despite being crossed over at 200 Hz, the woofers operate linearly up to 1500 Hz, ensuring seamless integration with the midrange.
The midrange driver employs a heat-treated polypropylene cone with a symmetrized magnetic circuit and a black ABS phase plug, specifically designed to eliminate resonances between the dust cap and the magnetic pole. The result is a midband that is natural, transparent, and free from coloration.
For the high frequencies, the Grand Callas adopts the legendary ScanSpeak 9700, one of the most renowned tweeters ever produced, still considered unsurpassed today for its musicality, delicacy, and reliability.
The rear radiation system employs two tweeters in a natural dipole configuration, energizing the reflected field without interfering with the direct sound. This expands the soundstage in depth and dimensionality, enhances brilliance, and reveals details with greater clarity, yet never with aggressiveness. In essence: an extraordinarily natural sound.
Invisible precision, audible magic
This solution, the result of years of research, allows for precise adjustment of the crossover between midrange and tweeter without compromising the phase relationships between woofer and midrange. The only trade-off is the absence of tri-amplification, while bi-amplification remains fully supported.
Only state-of-the-art components are employed in the crossover: Mundorf capacitors, MOX resistors, and OFC copper inductors. Furthermore, the circuits for the tweeter and mid-woofers are laid out on separate PCBs, eliminating self-induction effects and reducing distortion and loss of clarity.
The auxiliary dipole source is also equipped with its own independent crossover, allowing fine adjustment of cutoff and attenuation for optimal integration.
The result is a system that blends technical rigor, tonal coherence, and an emotionally engaging musicality.
Freedom and versatility of listening
The sound performance of a loudspeaker also depends on how it is positioned within a room. Grand Callas has been designed to offer remarkable flexibility, simplifying placement and acoustic adaptation.
The sculpted front ensures precise imaging even in nearfield listening (from 1.5 meters), while a convenient bass switch, located near the input terminals, allows the low-frequency response to be adjusted according to the speaker’s distance from the walls. Each speaker can be configured independently, and the closure of the respective reflex ports can also be managed separately.
With the switch set upwards, the woofer enhances the low frequencies, ideal for low-volume listening or spacious environments. With the switch set downwards, the bass response becomes more linear and extended. By closing the reflex ports, Grand Callas behaves as a sealed cabinet, providing greater damping and tighter bass.
This approach allows for optimal sound quality without the need for lengthy positioning adjustments: the speaker itself adapts to the room, always delivering perfect balance.
