Resolution Audio Opus 21 Full Stack

[Welly Wu]

Hello! Yes, I am still lurking at the periphery.

Several members requested for me to post a new thread to describe my Resolution Audio Opus 21 system. I have the Opus 21 separate CD player and the power center, the S30 power amplifier, and the XS (extra sources). I also have acquired the Boothroyd Stuart Meridian Audio Signature Reference 808i, but that will not be discussed within the purview of this thread.

A plethora of information from current and past RA Opus 21 Head-Fi owners is still abound: do your searches. The XS has received few comments thus far. It is quite simply one of the most versatile one-box pieces of high end high fidelity that I have come across thus far (do pass the sea salt). Of particular note, the headphone amplifier is quite simply superior to that of my much beloved Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 with the stock AD797 operational amplifier ICs. It is in perfect harmony with the Opus 21 CD & power system and leaves me flabbergasted after each listening session. At first, the speed and pace were much faster. I had thought something was off, but it took time to acclimate my ears. The deep bass is not necessarily the most bottomless, but the midbass and upper bass / lower midrange are quite warm without sounding slow or intermeshed. The prick of bass guitars, the boom of kick drums, and the deafening explosions of cinematic war scenes (of which I am accustomed to) are astonishing. The midrange is particularly sumptuous. Clear, open, honest, and yet quite warm are choice descriptors. Somewhat similar to the Meridian 808i, the RA Opus 21 XS warmly invites into the heart of the music. I can easily pinpoint time and spatial cues (training helps too) with clarity and this has surprised me given the particular voicing of this system. That is not easy to accomplish. The trebles are well extended, clear, and clean. Supremely smooth. There are no major sonic distortions except in the lower midrange, but it is quite pleasant and slightly warmer.

I look forward to acquiring the Grado GS-1000 and RA-1 headphone system to compliment the Resolution Audio Opus 21 full stack soon. I think the Ultimate Ears Ue-11 will match the Meridian 808i better based upon careful scrutiny of the said posts.

I have not yet had the opportunity to try the S30 power amplifier although I own it. Delayed gratification is not popular, but a necessity these days. I will turn my focus upon loudspeakers next year.

I will have some free time this December 2007. I will look into a New Jersey meeting with greater interest and commitment. Now is the right time for me to reach out in person to this community. Be forewarned though: I simply can not take my entire system with me to each meeting as it is not wise and I still have yet to do more research into a pickup truck (Ford F-350 or Toyota Tundra...perhaps not so much so).

I do welcome questions, comments, concerns, and criticisms within reason. I look forward to reading your replies, if any, in the future. Thank you for your time.

Do visit http://www.resolutionaudio.com for more information. Mr. Jeff Kalt is a very nice and down to earth businessman. I actually requested the S30 be sent directly to my home with instructions on how to build the kit. Aha! My first DIY project. It was fun and nothing blew up when I was doing the electrical wiring. Thank God!

[Absorbine_Sr]

Excellent comments, the full stack sounds very interesting indeed. I recently purchased KenW's Opus 21 CDP and Power Center. My previous source was an XRay V3 CDP. Like you, I am frequently amazed at the music I'm now hearing through my rig. I'm still working on the best IC's to go between the Opus and my Zana, but so far only one thing has sounded better to me. That was an Audio Aero Capitole CDP through my Zana at a meet. But I'm very happy to be an owner of the Resolution Audio Opus. I think it will serve my needs for a long time to come.

A_Sr.

[drp]

Originally Posted by Absorbine_Sr

..........I'm still working on the best IC's to go between the Opus and my Zana......

I really like the DNM DIN to RCA cable. In addition to bypassing the preamp function of the Opus, I find it neutral and clean sounding. Nothing added, nothing taken away. With this cable in place, I have the XLR out going to a small amp and speakers, which utilizes the preamp function and remote. Excellent versatility to go with the excellent sound reproduction.

Welly - Thanks for checking in with us, and congrats.

[Welly Wu]

Please be mindful in your replies. Thank you.

I hope that some current RA Opus 21 owners will be open to adding the XS unit to their system. It is quite versatile and the combination of an outstanding headphone amplifier as well as USB port is perfect for me. I just bought an internal Hitachi SATA-150 400GB 7200RPM hard drive and I plan to convert all of my CDs to FLACs using EAC in burst mode with AccurateRip. I will use iTunes as my player or Foobar2k. Even though I plan to format the drive in NTFS, both RHEL 5 SELinux and FreeBSD can read the drive and play back the music in their native applications while sending the digital information through the USB cable to the RA Opus 21 XS. I tried it already for one random CD in FLAC files.

I really like the simplicity of the entire RA Opus 21 full stack. Two remote controls control everything and most of the time I only use the remote that controls the CD player & power center.

I also love how there are so many upgrade options that anyone can add on later or right away. This system has so many options to cover all of the traditional bases and it never leaves me want for anything more within the design and price constraints. I plan on adding a turntable and loudspeakers sometime in the future and route everything to my full stack.

Finally, the whole stack measures less than 1 foot high and 11 inches wide. It's really unobtrusive. Jeff Kalt said that he plans on adding a more powerful amplifier to this system so there is room within the power center to drop in an additional power core and windings plus another plug on the bottom of the S30 to connect that future box to my existing system. Whatever else he has planned, the RA Opus 21 system can be upgraded and components can be stacked on later. That's cool.

[Welly Wu]

DRP is right about the DNM DIN to RCA cables. I need to check out the back of my full stack to see if I still have those DIN ports open. I may buy them later this year.

A less expensive alternative is to try the BJC low capacitance ICs. If you can afford it, then the Cardas Cross are a good match with this sound signature. You're looking for a warmer cable that still has clarity and an open midrange to match this system perfectly. My top choice is the Cardas Golden Reference power and ICs, but that costs a lot of money.

[recstar24]

Hey Welly,

I really don't have anything to contribute to the thread, other than to say I am glad you are still around posting. I have heard many good things about the opus, and it appears your building yourself quite a nice rig. Looking forward to hearing more impressions, especially on the 808i.

BTW - what speakers/headphones are you running your system on?

[vcoheda]

Originally Posted by recstar24

Looking forward to hearing more impressions, especially on the 808i.

x2. very interested in 808 impressions.

[Welly Wu]

recstar24:

I am still using the AKG K 701 and Ue-10 PRO. This Christmas, I am going to buy either the Grado GS-1000 & RA-1 or the Ue-11 PRO. I am leaning in the direction of the Grados because they will last many years without any potential custom fit issues, but the Ue-11 PRO is a terrific product and I still retain Beth Orliss as my audiologist. She fit me for the Ue-10 PRO and they still fit quite nicely after four years without one single problem. We shall see.

I am trying to stay away from loudspeakers right now and staying focused on my headphone rig. It will be necessary as I plan to buy an apartment or a home in NYC next year so I can't get bogged down with bulky, heavy, and expensive loudspeakers right now.

[Welly Wu]

I shall write a review of my RA Opus 21 full stack by the end of this year. I hope to be able to do some decent photo shots and package it in a .PDF file.

[recstar24]

Good to hear Welly. Didn;t realize that thing had a powerful internal headphone amp to boot as well. Good luck with everything and I hope you have many hours of happy listening.