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Old 05-13-2007, 06:16 AM   #27 (permalink)
calaf
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very well written review. While I agree with many of your findings, I am afraid I find this statement too sweeping
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Originally Posted by granodemostasa View Post
The largest problem the Opera has is with Dynamics. Play any of Mahler’s symphonies and you’ll see the problem: the Opera doesn’t have the power to really expose the great dynamic contrasts in the music. While the problem doesn’t exhibit itself on most rock and pop music, on Jazz and Classical it is so apparent as to make the music boring. This problem doesn’t just exist with large musical flourishes but with nearly every note played. It seems as if there is an extra layer of fog or liveliness that disappears with the opera. Things just don’t come out or jump out in a way that makes the music what it is; the passion, excitement, energy, and intensity of classical music has been sucked out.
I have listened to live classical music for most of my life, and to my ears (older than yours I am afraid, and that could explain the difference) the Opera /K701 sounds very close to the real thing. To be more specific, I'd say the Opera gets the timbre of most instruments (and voices) right. Another very nice feature of the Opera is how well it separates individual voices in the orchestra and how it allows you to enjoy the little details in the instrumentation (if you like Mahler you know what I mean). But the thing I really love about the Opera is that, finally, I can use my headphones to listen attentively to ... an opera for three hours straight without ending up with a headache. I will gladly trade the ultimate "crystal clear" sound for this.

Quote:
cause i really don't like the K701 or Z.
same here! That really makes the Opera/K701 sound dead and boring.
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