Opera Callas Bookshelf Speakers

The Opera Callas is a two-way, rear-ported standmount speaker handcrafted in Italy, built around a 7" Seas woofer and a Scanspeak 9700 tweeter for a focused, three-dimensional soundstage. Compact in size, it is anything but small in sound. Every choice, from the acoustic-trap cabinet to the switchable midrange, was made through exhaustive listening to keep music engaging and fatigue-free, whether you are relaxing to jazz or following the finer points of a string quartet.

Key Features of the Opera Callas

• Two-Way Reflex Design: Compact 14-liter enclosure with rear porting for extended low-frequency response
• Seas Woofer: Custom 7" long-throw polypropylene woofer with annealed diaphragm and copper rings above and below the T-shaped pole piece
• Scanspeak 9700 Tweeter: Renowned 1" soft dome tweeter known for low distortion, wide dispersion, and exceptional reliability
• Switchable Midrange Output: Adjustable +2 dB boost between 300 and 3000 Hz to fine-tune voice presentation to suit room acoustics and taste
• Acoustic Trap Cabinet: Non-parallel side walls with layered polyurethane foam to suppress internal reflections and cabinet resonance
• High-End Crossover: 2nd-order network built with Mundorf capacitors, MOX resistors, and OFC inductors; bi-amp ready
• Two Italian Finishes: Lacquered Walnut or Mahogany over a curved cabinet with a leather-faced baffle, handcrafted in Treviso

Acoustic Trap Cabinet

The Callas cabinet isn’t just rigid, it’s a carefully engineered acoustic chamber. With 14 liters of internal volume dedicated to the woofer, the enclosure uses a combination of MDF and curved plywood veneer. The panel thickness varies from 25mm on the sides to 50mm on the front, with milled inner edges to minimize turbulence near the driver membranes. Non-parallel walls combat standing waves, and two layers of absorbent foam (20 cm thick total) act as an acoustic trap. This open-cell foam features a pyramidal profile (7x7 cm base, 3 to 7 cm height), delivering up to 100% absorption at 500 Hz. By killing reflections rather than coating the entire interior, Opera achieves a midrange with exceptional transparency and articulation.

Seas Woofer and Scanspeak Tweeter

The woofer is a 7" custom Seas unit with an annealed polypropylene diaphragm, optimized for a balance of internal damping and rigidity. The copper rings positioned above and below the T-shaped pole piece help suppress distortion, and its 12mm pk-pk displacement ensures clean, extended bass. Capable of maintaining accuracy well past its 2000 Hz crossover point, it allows for smooth integration with the tweeter across multiple octaves. The Scanspeak 9700 tweeter, a staple in high-end designs, is known for its low distortion, wide bandwidth, and clean integration. Used across Opera’s flagship models, it brings an unmistakable clarity and balance to the top end.

Crossover, Bi-Amping, and the Vocal Switch

The Callas crossover employs a 2nd-order low-pass for the woofer and a 2nd-order high-pass for the tweeter, with electrical phase transitions carefully controlled across the bandwidth. Component selection is uncompromising: high-quality Mundorf capacitors, MOX resistors, and OFC inductors are laid out to minimize mutual inductance and preserve clarity. The two crossover sections are completely separated, so the Callas is bi-amp and bi-wire ready through its gold High and Low binding posts.

A rear EQ switch lets you voice the speaker to your room. Flipped up, it lifts the 300 to 3000 Hz midrange by +2 dB, the band where voices and instruments sit and where our ears are most sensitive; flipped down, the response stays flat. That single control adapts the Callas to everything from a cozy, well-damped den to a livelier, more reflective living space.

Finishes and Italian Craftsmanship

The Callas is built by hand in Treviso, Italy, and offered in two lacquered real-wood finishes: warm Walnut and deep Mahogany. Each cabinet pairs a curved wood side panel with a leather-faced baffle and a gloss-black top carrying the gold Callas script. A contoured magnetic grille is included for those who prefer to cover the drivers, attaching cleanly without hardware on show. The whole speaker is built to be lived with and looked at, not just listened to.

Opera Callas Specifications