Description
When Giovanni Nasta founded Opera Loudspeakers in 1989, he formulated the goal in a few words: acoustics with a fair price-quality ratio, pleasant to the ear and beautiful to look at. Prima V2 is the best argument in favor of the fact that this goal is achievable without any compromises. It is the flagship shelf model of the Classica line, updated from scratch: new speakers, redesigned cabinet, revised crossover - and the result, which, according to American reviewers, is not inferior to acoustics two to three times higher in price category.
The name "Prima" in musical terminology means primacy, the main part. Here it is not a marketing ploy - it is a commitment.
Opera does not take ready-made components from the catalog. Both Prima V2 speakers were developed together with Scanspeak and modified for the specific acoustic tasks of this system.
The 180 mm diameter woofer received an aluminum membrane - a material that moves almost like a rigid piston, minimizing nonlinear deformation of the cone at dynamic peaks. The geometry of the pole tip and magnetic gap has been carefully worked out for maximum linearity of the stroke, which provides controlled and extended bass even for a compact shelf cabinet. The main detail of the crossover: the low-frequency section for this woofer does not require notch filtering - the frequency response is formed exclusively by the ratio of inductance and capacitance. The result is perfect phase coherence and a natural tonal transition between bands without filtering artifacts.
The 26 mm diameter soft dome tweeter has been modified in terms of the materials of the rear chamber - it is there that the character of the upper range reproduction is formed. The high-frequency section of the crossover is designed with special attention to the thermal stability of the coil, which allows you to maintain tonal balance during prolonged listening at high volume.
The Prima V2 filter is assembled on its own board with optimized tracing, which reproduces the sound character of the reference prototype without degradation. Component base: Mundorf capacitors, Vishay resistors, inductors according to Opera's own specifications. Internal conductors are high-purity copper of increased cross-section. Bi-wiring is provided structurally.
The Opera team formulated the initial principle of development: the acoustics of the room are carefully studied, and the internal acoustics of the cabinet are often ignored. Prima V2 corrects this mistake. The proportions of the cabinet have been revised compared to the previous version - changing the ratio of the wall sizes distributes resonances over a wider frequency range, significantly reducing their amplitude. The internal surfaces are machined to eliminate standing waves without sacrificing usable volume. Total weight is 14 kg per speaker: mass damping is a conscious strategy here. The phase inverter has been moved to the rear panel - compared to the first Prima, where it was in the front. Two finishes are available: gray cement and walnut veneer.
With a nominal impedance of 6 ohms and a sensitivity of 90 dB - the Prima V2 is a relatively comfortable load for the amplifier. Recommended power: 25-100 W. The acoustics are equally well revealed in both classic stereo and nearfield mode. The natural partner is Unison Research electronics - with which Opera shares not only the production base in Treviso, but also the philosophy of sound.
