Best system for opera lover at $30,000

All of the replies so far make good points- especially about room treatment (hopefully dedicated) and self-education. Remember to point out to your friends that a dedicated room does not have to be like a dealer's showroom to have good sound. It must be "livable" before they will want to sit down to enjoy their chosen performances. The topic of room treatment could go on and on... the best advice is to find a local dealer that respects its customers and is willing to take the time to teach and LISTEN. If travel is not out of the question, many out of state dealers (especially the big boys) go the extra mile to satisfy a long-distance client. Now, everyone has their own opinion about equipment, tubes vs. solid state, analog vs. digital and so on. Opera lovers tend to have different equipment requirements that most audiophiles. The main reason is that many good opera performances are available on laser disc and DVD requiring good video as well. You did not mention if this was a factor. It also sounds like they are not interested in the merits of equipment- they just want great sound. I have a system in mind, but I have to go right now. Get back to you in a bit with the envelope. Till then, Fielden

OK, I'm back- I have listed many options and brief descriptions for each. Life's more fun with choices. SPEAKERS: Sadly, the absolute best speaker for the opera lover is no longer available. The Sonus Faber Extrema ($10,000 with stands) would be an excellent choice if a pair could be found from someone crazy enough to let them go. Simple, elegant, unobtrusive, and stunning sound quality, especially on human voice. Actually, most of the Sonus Faber line would satisfy. Second choice is the Aerial Acoustics 10T ($8000 with stands). Detailed, awesome soundstage, open, and also good with voice. Semi-unobtrusive and relatively small footprint for a large speaker. Third choice is a little different. Martin-Logan's CLSIIz ($4500) with dedicated Arici stands ($300) would be superb. Limited low-bass response (still to 40Hz), but not a factor on opera. Could match with good sub (I like REL) for full range response. The room is more critical as placement needs to be well into the room for best performance. AMPLIFIER: I would recommend solid-state amplification for simplicity, ease of use/maintenance, and possible remote/hidden placement. Tubes are HOT!HOT!HOT!- your friends may not want to display a light bulb rack! For SF Extrema, Audio Research D400MkII (discontinued- find used), Mark Levinson No.333 (also discontinued) or other high-powered Levinson, McIntosh MC500 (yes, McIntosh). Aerials are great with Pass Aleph 2's (discontinued, but widely available on Audiogon) but should work well with the new Pass lineup. M-L CLSIIz with McIntosh MC500 (this is a great amp!), Pass Labs (any high powered), and especially nice with the Classe' CA- series amps. PREAMP AND DIGITAL: Levinson, Levinson, Levinson. The most well thought out, easiest to use, and best sounding digital gear on the planet. Mates well with just about everything I have heard. Ergonomically superior to everything available. Have not listened to the new gear, but should be outstanding as well- have never been disappointed. VIDEO: Just about anything will work as a DVD transport; I wouldn't spend too much money here. If they have a laser disc collection, Pioneer Elite rules. For TV, Sony WEGA XBR 36". FM TUNER: Yes, there are good opera performances on public radio as well. Magnum Dynalab Etude or MD-102 with their indoor antenna would be a great source. CABLES: For Sonus Faber and Aerial, use double or triple runs of OCOS EvoIII speaker cable. Tara Labs is also good with Aerials. Do not use OCOS on CLSIIz. Instead, try Monster Cable M2 or the new Audioquest G8 (relatively cheap). Interconnects, in my opinion, are not as critical- any quality cables of choice will do. I know this is a bunch, but these are great system choices. I will recap with one more reply. Hang in there, Fielden

OK, using the previous reply, I will only list the budget for each category and let you guys choose. SPEAKERS: $8000-$10000; AMPLIFIER: $6000-$8000; PREAMP/DIGITAL: $6000-$9000; VIDEO: $$4000; FM TUNER: $1400-$2400. Here is a typical system I would recommend: Aerial Acoustics 10T ($8000); Mark Levinson No.333 ($8000); Mark Levinson No.39 ($6000); Magnum Dynalab Etude ($1400); Sony WEGA XBR36 ($2300); DVD and Laser Disc ($1600); Cables and antenna ($2700). That's $30k! Good luck- hope you get some help from all who reply. Fielden

Hey Snoop,do you actually think that these people will follow the advice we have given here? By your last post, I think you do. If so, that's great- but I wouldn't count on it. If they read these 24 posts (so far), I'm sure the conclusion drawn by them would be "These people are crazed lunatics. That Bose Lifestyle system sure looks good. Hey, what's this? A Wave Radio? Concert sound? Replace all those components? We can have opera in bed!" Advertising does work you know. Paul Harvey can't be wrong! Right? Keep it real yall. Fielden

Hey Plsl- thanks for reading my post. It's always good to get feedback from others. I would agree with your assesment of the Amati's, but an Amati is no Extrema. I owned a pair of Extremas in my 25x17x9 listening room and they could shake the floor (yes, even on the stands). A very well-rounded speaker for just about every type of music other than metal. In-room response was -4dB at 31Hz, which I thought was pretty good, considering the superiority of the rest of the frequency range. Cya-Fielden

Yes, Dunlavy V's should do it! DOH! Well, the Extrema is no longer in production. I bought the last new pair in existence in June of '98. Stirling Trayle shipped 'em straight to my door. I sure wish I had kept them, but it was just one of those things. There is actually a pair for sale on audioweb.com for $4700 with stands and including shipping. Looks like a good deal. I found them while searching Mark Levinson, but I'm sure Sonus Faber would do it too. You might check it out. Later, Fielden.