[db597]

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnaud /img/forum/go_quote.gif Talking about run for the money! I very briefly hooked up my Tomahawk to the Meridian through a cheap RCA-mini cable and listened to the K701s and it was pretty close to both the Opera and Stealth! At least, it did not sound bad at all! I think it was a bit too warm for my taste but the bass sure wasn't sloppy. So again, price and value, it's all relative to what you're after!

The Tomahawk is even a portable amp! So either it's surprisingly good, or amps actually don't make that BIG a difference to the sound?

At the rate you're buying these high end amps, wouldn't it have been better to go for a Stax Omega II? Costs the same in the end.

 

[arnaud]

Ah, that's a very good point: why bother with dynamic rigs. Well, I have listened to the Omega II with various Stax amps (717 and 007t and which ever is the top of the line tube amp) on multiple occasions and I have always preferred the dynamic rigs. Even if the Omega has such a dark tonal balance it still sounds thin compared to a good dynamic rig. And with the K701, there's no shame to speak of in terms of fine treble and detail + the bass trounces the Stax in terms of punch (and it is good quality bass).

So, no, Stax ain't for everybody...

I will spend more time with the TH, that was a 5 minute test. But in the end, I would not be surprised that the differences aren't huge. Again, it's all in the subtleties you differentiate the good from the great. And I don't think there will ever be a product coming out of RSA that is less than "good" by head-fi standards!

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Tomahawk is even a portable amp! So either it's surprisingly good, or amps actually don't make that BIG a difference to the sound? At the rate you're buying these high end amps, wouldn't it have been better to go for a Stax Omega II? Costs the same in the end.

 

[milkpowder]

Oh no, the Opera is calling for me. I can't possibly sell my Stax to finance it though (they sound incredible!), or can I?

I'm in need of a source upgrade and the Opera kills two birds with one stone.
AudiophileUSB/SRM-006tMk1/SR-404 vs AudiophileUSB(transport)/Opera/HD650... this is going to be a tough one. Must resist.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 /img/forum/go_quote.gif @Iron_Dreamer. Thanks a lot for sharing your experience with us. Great to know that you're finding it that good. Is it improving even further with burn in?

Todd said the amp was burned in for a week before he sent it out, so I suspect there should be little change. As well as it's sounding, I'd be very surprised if burn-in hadn't already been completed.

I can see Skylab's point about how well the Opera does with the 990's, but this is the combination that I can't stop listening to:

 

[apostate]

Must.... fend.... off.... upgraditis.... I'd love to get an Opera so I could move my Proceed over to the HT stack and the Aria to the bedside rig but I have a feeling my wife would kill me. Still, all the great reviews aren't making it any easier.

Ant

 

[db597]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Todd said the amp was burned in for a week before he sent it out, so I suspect there should be little change. As well as it's sounding, I'd be very surprised if burn-in hadn't already been completed. I can see Skylab's point about how well the Opera does with the 990's, but this is the combination that I can't stop listening to:

Ah... W11JPN with the Opera! That's quite a sight! The only thing worse than an expensive piece of kit is an expensive piece of kit you can't buy even if you had money.

How are you finding the different impedance sockets. Does it make any difference?

 

[ALBPM]

I'm still waiting to get my Opera. Ordered from Jan on Feb 7th.

All these great reviews are just making it tougher....

 

[user18]

The Opera description mentions a USB DAC. Does this mean I don't need a soundcard if I hook it up to a computer? Apologies if this is a stupid question, I'm still trying to learn some of the lingo with amps.

 

[calaf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by user18 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Opera description mentions a USB DAC. Does this mean I don't need a soundcard if I hook it up to a computer?

that's correct, the Opera USB DAC will be seen by your computer (Window$ or Linux, and I presume Mac) as a soundcard.

 

[db597]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calaf /img/forum/go_quote.gif that's correct, the Opera USB DAC will be seen by your computer (Window$ or Linux, and I presume Mac) as a soundcard.

Do we need drivers for that?

 

[arnaud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do we need drivers for that?

On my intel imac, the only thing I had to do is plug in and change the output to external USB DAC under system preferences. No driver required.

arnaud.

 

[visualguy]

I just received my Corda Opera.

I compared the Opera to the following amps:
Gilmore Lite with the standard Elpac power supply
M3 with AD843 op amp

I compared the Opera DAC to the following DACs:
E-MU 1212M on-board DAC (CS4398)
X-Fi Elite Pro on-board DAC (CS4398)
M-audio Super DAC 2496 (AK4393)

The headphones I used were Sony MDR-SA5000.

I like the Gilmore Lite with my Shure E4C earphones, but not with my SA5K. The Gilmore doesn't have good synergy with the SA5000, so I won't comment about it further here, even though it is a good amp.

I find the M3 and Opera to have pretty similar sound signatures with the SA5K. Both are warm, but the M3 is slightly warmer. Bass is slightly more pronounced on the Opera. I prefer the Opera to the M3 somewhat, but I would be happy with either one. They both have excellent synergy with the SA5K.

The Opera is definitely a top-notch amp - excellent detail, clarity, and soundstage, and I find it to be a slight improvement over my M3. It has a little more "air" and it sounds a little more neutral without sounding bright or harsh.

I experimented a little with the crossfeed, but I typically turn it off. I believe it could be useful with some recordings, but it's not something that I would like to use for all my listening.

I strongly recommend the Opera as an amp.

The DAC, however, didn't impress me much, unfortunately. Sound quality when using the coax digital S/PDIF input isn't great. There's some loss of detail and it feels like there's a very slight veil. The USB input is noticeably better, and quite acceptable. However, I get the best sound feeding analog to the amp from any of the DACs listed above.

 

[visualguy]

One thing I forgot to mention is that I'm perplexed about why the USB input to the Opera DAC sounds better than the S/PDIF because most likely the USB audio goes through the same circuitry as the S/PDIF audio with one additional step (the PCM2704 USB-to-S/PDIF receiver).

I'm using bit-matched S/PDIF from my X-Fi, and the X-Fi is in "Audio Creation Mode", so it should be fine. Also, it sounds fine on my Super DAC, so it's quite a mystery.

 

[visualguy]

I spent a few more hours listening to the Opera... I like this amp a lot. I didn't think I would find an amp that would sound better than the M3 with my SA5K, but the Opera does indeed sound somewhat better. I verified this on multiple types of music.

As to the DAC, it's quite good but somehow not as outstanding as the amp itself. I got used to listening to the S/PDIF input after a while, and it's ok, but a little different from what I'm used to with my other sources. It's a little more laid-back - the details don't jump at you quite as much, and the soundstage seems a little smaller or the sound less 3-dimensional - it's hard to explain. It's subtle, but noticeable to me. It's easy to compare the analog to the digital by hooking up both, and switching between them with the input selector.

Again, this is subtle, and I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't done these direct comparisons between the analog and digital inputs.

One thing I haven't mentioned is the build quality of this amp - it's absolutely superbly made, and also very attractive.

Overall, it's certainly thumbs up for this amp, and I would buy it again without hesitation. It will now replace the M3 on my main system!

 

[Fafner]

The Opera needs some time to burn-in before sounding its best. I would say at least 150 hours. Any earlier impression could be a bit unfair, as the amp isn't sounding its best.

I really can't comment on the DAC quality: I bought it as an amp for my Marantz SA-17S1 (and for my coming soon SA-7S1) and at least for the moment I don't need it as a DAC.