I auditioned the Opera w/integrated DAC, with the thought in mind to continue my upgrade path from the HeadFive, Heed CanAmp and Mapletree Ear+ Purist HD, each of which were an obvious upgrade for a variety of reasons.
Being aware to the importance a given source, its DAC section or outboard DAC of a certain quality, often gauged here by their various price point grouping, beyond price, some would of course, better match a given headphone amp. I am assured by those amps owners of the top high end amplifiers, who scoff at ownership of anything less, that the Opera is inferior. Whereas I would have great hopes there are decernable improvements to be gained as always, when paying twice as much and then still needing to audition sources which matches compatibly, moving into a $3000 price bracket or above vs. the $1100 Opera. I found alot to love here with Meiers Corda Opera offering for my applications, and very few complaints!
A likely option for myself, trading up from the $500-$700 range of headamps which also has a matched DAC is exactly why I wanted to audition this Meier offering as a logical upgrade. While obviously to those who would so argue, not on the level of the best headamp available, cost no object, that wasn't my criteria for post audition, choosing to buy the Opera. Here is why I so decided.
I found the Opera to amplify upon a totally blackground, even w/o music playing there is pitch black silence at 100% gain. Unlike a previous reviewer, I live in an area of 4 acres to build, so perhaps there was a clean power issue being picked up by the amplifier elsewhere, whereas nothing but quiet is noted here!
The Corda Opera settled the matching a DAC to a given amplifier whos symbiotic relationship is crucial to at ear presentation being pleasing. Thus leaving only material/recording to be played from transport and headphone of choice variables to dictate a pleasing presentation here.
I found substantial and subtle improvements equating to pleasurable listenability, with my most eclectic material chosen, as well as its far ranging quality of production presented as being prefered and listenable, than I have ever experienced before the Corda Opera.
My choice of material all improved in terms of listenability, Ray Charles(The Atlantic Years), to wall of sound live recordings such as Deep Purple(Made in Japan), or Cream(Wheels of Fire),
Woodstock (Three Days of Peace & Music); As well as did better quality recordings such as Dylans, Beatles(Live CD) and Mapleshade Records selections... The worst recordings were smoother yet with more dynamics and impact than with the MHDT Labs DAC even when fronting the Corda.
Classical recordings I networked to find as being fine examples of the genere and of good recording quality,
Symphonie no 5 de Mendelssohn Reformation,
Mahler: Symphony #8 In E Flat, etc all came alive with far greater details and realisim whereas they had been seemingly flat on previous systems, with relatively greatly reduced dynamic swings vs. the Corda Opera providing tight control over the drivers with this particularly difficult genere, presenting a long ago memory of the power of live classical preformances from my youth.
Although, I did wish there were more volume available for certain recordings, especially the Classical gerere when driving my k701s with the Squeesebox3 as transport, output 1.8mv... I addressed this concern to Jan and we decided to increace the gain on my opera by 3dbs, as well as opt for the dual "low z" jacks for my two person listening option. As well I found there to be a slight degree of improvement in my preferance between the two jacks with all the phones I presently own. I no longer have the RS-2s and do not utilize IEMs so my applications with these choices better suit my actual use of the Opera.
As well, the Opera as source and preamp to my home stereo 30w Digital monoblocks driving '80 Klispch Cornwalls scored in both utility and sonic improvements vs previous components. The smoothness of the presentation is a pleasure to experience with the Opera fronting my sometimes shouty midranged Klispch without the addition of a tube preamp or in this case the Opera. A nice match here!
I do believe Jan has voiced this Operas DAC to the amplifier optimally, for applications such as mine as a target market, rather than looking to provide another best money can buy piece whos buyers would also perhaps scoff condensendingly, at the use of headphones I use, or recordings of less than referance quality, and I can somewhat see thier point.
Realistically, I want to listen to a wide variety of recordings of questionable production quality, which now pleasingly come to life here coupled to the Corda Opera, no matter the choice of music I so choose to listen to.Yes, even internet radio, 192cbr.
The Operas neutral, clear high resolution, dynamic presentation allows the choice of phone amongst my many, to then dictate the at ear presentation. I really do enjoy rolling thru my variety of phones all driven better than I've ever heard before with this central piece to my home audio listing pleasure.
Thanks for the opportunity to audition and review the Corda Opera Todd, very kind indeed!
The highest recommendation I can give is this, I bought the Corda Opera after a 1 week audition. No doubt there are better pieces, however I decided there is no better retail value in competion with the Meier Corda Opera for my listening pleasure / benefit per dollar well spent.
Excellent review Hi-Finthen. I have to agree that the Opera's neutral, clear resolution and dynamic presentations makes my DT-880 sound the best I have ever heard them. It sounds great with my Grado's as well. I love the improvement the DAC/Opera makes out of my Mac. I bought mine based on recommendations from Skylab and others and wish I could afford a second for my office. The Opera is an excellent amp and a great buy!. And the service from Todd was the best.
My only complaint, was that my inital impression with the Ety ER4-P with the P-S cable seemed lacking. The 4-P sounded much better. That is the opposite of the other amps I have used my ETY's with. The Opera sounds so good with the Beyers I have not listened to much else, and need to listen to the ETY's again to be sure my initial impression is correct.
I personally think the Opera amp\dac presents a very good value, and also it helps to take the guesswork out of amp source matching. At this price point and what it delivers, I don't think it can be beat. "Mid-fi" (as it was adequately put, on another site..*hint* *hint*) NEVER sounded so good!! lol....
__________________ Home Rig: Coby mp3 -> Boostaroo -> Bose Triports!
Well, it's my turn with the Opera, and even though I'm not ready to give detailed impressions yet, I definitely like what I hear and see. I wasn't very enthusiastic about the looks of the Opera from the pictures, but seeing -- and holding -- it in person is a different matter. It feels wonderfully solid and well made, and it's actually very handsome. (But Dr. Meier, why oh why must the DAC light throb at me when there's no digital input? It's the one disappointment in an otherwise top-notch appearance.)
As for sound -- much more listening to be done, but I feel sure already that the Opera surpasses the GS-1. I'll focus next on comparisons with the Extreme Platinum. Early take: The Opera easily holds its own on bass, but has a less lively mid-range and a slightly more limited upper treble. As I say, though, much more listening to be done before I'm ready to commit on those judgments.
For the most part, I've been concentrating on the Opera's performance as an amp, but I did do some experimenting with the DAC (USB input) yesterday. The VDA-2 sounds much better to my ears -- not really a close call. Illustration of that: I'd forgotten that I'd switched inputs and after about a half-an-hour, I was growing increasingly worried that my earlier praise of the Opera was overblown. It sounded flatter, with conspicuously less nuance. When I realized, I immediately switched back to the VDA-2 and the improvement was pronounced.
On the other hand, the Opera DAC seems on a par with my modded Adcom, which I prefer over the DAC-AH and Micro DAC. I'll test that some more over the next couple days and report back.
Someone in another thread asked about hiss with the Opera. Here's what I've found with the two headphones I have available at the moment (using the low z jack) . . .
DT-880's, hiss starts at about 12:00 on high gain and is non-existent on low gain.
W5000, hiss starts at about 9:00 on high gain and about 12:00 on low gain.
I can check the RS-1's later, but the results should be nearly identical to what I hear with the W5000's.
This is not something that really bothers me, as I can't hear any hiss when music is playing. In principle, I'd prefer no hiss at any volume. In practice, it really doesn't matter (to me) as long as the hiss isn't audible at normal listening levels.
I haven't had much time with the Opera over the last few days (damn job, always getting in the way) but I'm hoping for some good listening time this weekend.
Someone in another thread asked about hiss with the Opera. Here's what I've found with the two headphones I have available at the moment (using the low z jack) . . .
DT-880's, hiss starts at about 12:00 on high gain and is non-existent on low gain.
W5000, hiss starts at about 9:00 on high gain and about 12:00 on low gain.
I can check the RS-1's later, but the results should be nearly identical to what I hear with the W5000's.
This is not something that really bothers me, as I can't hear any hiss when music is playing. In principle, I'd prefer no hiss at any volume. In practice, it really doesn't matter (to me) as long as the hiss isn't audible at normal listening levels.
I haven't had much time with the Opera over the last few days (damn job, always getting in the way) but I'm hoping for some good listening time this weekend.
Either your amp is jacked up or it's your source. I PAUSED my CDP and MAXXED the volume, on high gain, and NOOOOO NOISE... :stoic:
__________________ Home Rig: Coby mp3 -> Boostaroo -> Bose Triports!
Either your amp is jacked up or it's your source. I PAUSED my CDP and MAXXED the volume, on high gain, and NOOOOO NOISE... :stoic:
Interesting -- when I switch to USB input, the hiss diminishes significantly. What I get instead is a faint digital "crackle" that becomes louder when I touch the volume knob. Like this hiss, it's not audible when music is playing. Weird. Maybe it's me. I don't have another source available at the moment, so no ability to see what happens when I switch from the VDA-2 to another RCA input.
Edit: When I remove the RCA plugs and turn up the volume for that input, there's no hiss. But the digital crackle (not sure what else to call it) is there. Faint but unmistakable when there's no music playing. So the crackle has nothing to do with the DAC itself. And the hiss presumably has something to do with the input from the VDA-2. As my earlier comments indicated, however, this really doesn't bother me too much, even if maybe it should.
I’m now ready to provide my somewhat belated full review of the Opera. For the two amp-to-amp comparisons below, I used the CI Audio VDA-2’s double set of RCA outputs to connect both amps using the same cables. Most listening was done through the Audio-Technica W5000’s. I switched occasionally to other headphones, but the W5000’s are easily my favorite headphone right now, and I have a hard time listening to anything else for extended stretches.
I’ll begin with my complaints, which are fairly minor. I really wish that the DAC light wouldn’t throb when there’s no digital input. I’d rather have my gear complaining at me, as if I’ve done something wrong. Similarly, the DAC clicking can also get on my nerves. As for the differences between the headphone jacks — I’m sure that Dr. Meier thought a lot about this before implementing it, and I assume that there are people for whom it’s a plus, but the two jacks would be more valuable to me if they were both the same. Finally, it’s a shame that the design makes it impossible to stack anything on top of the Opera; it’s caused me to have a bit of trouble finding a place for the Opera on my crowded desk.
Okay, now to the good stuff. First, the build and feel. I commented earlier on the very solid construction quality and appealing aesthetics, and after living with it for a few weeks, I continue to be very impressed. It’s not equipment that calls out to be babied; nor is it so bland and unimaginative that you forget it’s there. I take my hat off to any equipment that’s attractive, bold, and built to last.
I’ve been a crossfeed fan for a couple years, ever since the Headroom Micro Amp swept away my prior skepticism. I’ve been without the Micro Amp for a long time now, so I’m in no position to do a true comparison of the two crossfeed implementations, but I can say without reservation that the Opera’s crossfeed is excellent. I’ve put it on and left it there (except when making amp-to-amp comparisons).
Now about the sound. First came the GS-1, which the Opera bested in most respects. Most striking is the Opera’s superior body — every note has a very satisfying weight to it. By contrast, the GS-1 can sound slightly thin. To some listeners, the GS-1’s leaner signature might sound superior, but for me the Opera provides a lot of what I value in tube amps. If the GS-1 is a sports car, the Opera is more of a luxury sedan. They’re equally powerful but the former emphasizes nimble handling, while the latter provides a smoothness that lets you really settle in to the ride.
(Please Note: Whenever I make these comparisons, I always feel the need to stress that what I’m presenting as a significant contrast is really a matter of “very good” vs. “very very good.” In other words, no one should construe the above comparison to mean that the GS-1 is thin sounding in absolute terms or that the Opera lacks agility.)
After deciding fairly early on that I preferred the Opera to the GS-1, I spent most of my attention to testing the Opera against my Singlepower Extreme Platinum. All in all, I prefer the Extreme, which provides even greater body without sacrificing speed or dynamics. The trick, of course, is to lend satisfying weight to the notes without making the music sound thick or too warm, which is a sin that the Extreme and Opera both manage to avoid.
Depending on the tube set, I think that the Extreme yields equal or superior treble. With the perfect tube combination, the Extreme adds an extra trace of extension to high notes. For all but careful critical listening, however, I'd call it a tie.
The mid-range is where the Extreme is the hands-down winner for me. There’s nothing wrong with the way the Opera presents vocals, but I’m very much a fan of intimate presentation, and the Opera puts you a couple rows back whereas the Extreme places you right on stage where you can feel the singer. Here again, it wouldn’t surprise me if some listeners might prefer the Opera’s relatively leaner mid-range. To them, the Extreme might be “colored.” For me, it’s spot-on perfect and better at conveying raw emotion and the nuances of vocals and some acoustic instruments (think sultry sax solo).
Ah, but then there’s the bass. This is a different story, and I was surprised. The Extreme has a well deserved reputation as an amp that provides a powerful bottom end. But the Opera is even better. It goes lower and hits harder. Tight, impactful, and very satisfying.
The Extreme’s soundstage is a bit more holographic and has more top-down space, whereas the Opera tends toward a wider sound. Here again, I prefer the Extreme, but it’s not significant enough that I would declare the Extreme’s soundstage objectively “better.”
All in all, the Opera is a very tough competitor for rock, trip-hop, etc. — anything that calls for powerful bass and that can benefit from a more relaxed mid-range. The Opera excels at finding the dynamics and delivering good instrument separation even in over-saturated recordings. That said, I couldn’t find anything that Opera sounded bad with, including music at the other end of the sonic spectrum.
It’s important to emphasize that my preference for the Opera was only apparent when I was doing direct A-B switching. When I switched off the Extreme and listened only to the Opera, I had no complaints. I never found the vocal presentation, or any other aspect of the Opera’s signature, unsatisfying or the least bit wrong. In fact, the Opera’s performance has got me re-thinking my future upgrade path. The truth is, several weeks ago I considered writing Todd to cancel my Opera review. As other amps have come into the HeadFi spotlight, my initial interest in the Opera waned, and I really didn’t picture myself getting one. Not so now.
Many thanks to Todd for his generosity in making this superb equipment available for review — if only we could get these kinds of extending listening tests with other gear. And of course I have to conclude with thanks to Jan Meier for having designed and produced something of such high quality.
lol....
Opera vs. GS-1 vs. Extreme -- Full Review
Linear Mode
