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

I was raised by opera lovers, which means as a child I was an opera hater. Then when I became involved in high-end audio I finally got to hear opera well reproduced, and found myself almost overwhelmed by the emotion conveyed. Now I can keep my parents paralyzed for hours by putting on "The Pearl Fishers" or "Rigoletto" on the system I demo in my living room. Opera is the most emotional music there is. It is souls bared, both in the performers and in the audience. So what I am going to suggest here is a system that conveys the enormous emotional vibrancy of opera. I suggest the Sound Lab Millennium-2 full-range electrostatic speakers, Wolcott Presence amplifiers, Thor preamp, and from your original post I cannot tell what kind of source you friends would want. With good discounts (which I offer) they would have a source plus cabling budget of about seven or eight grand. The system I'm suggesting here is built around the Sound Lab electrostatics, which excel at voice and instrumental timbre, which in turn is what conveys that rip-your-heart-out emotional impact opera unleashes.

I listen to opera a great deal and am exceptionally pleased with this coordinated system. Balanced Audio Technology VK-50SE preamp, VK-60 amp, and their CD player. Speakers are Avantgarde Unos, cables are top of the line Nordost. Sound is detailed, smooth and very involving. Soloists seem to be right in the listening room. Jazz is spectacular!