We’re no strangers to high-end exotic audio equipment with awe inspiring technology and design but the ‘Opera Only’ amplifier is really very far above all. Designed by an Italian designer named Andrea Pivetta, it’s the updated and more powerful version of the Opera One and looks straight out of a sci-fi movie. Visually, the amplifier appears to be a piece of art rather than just audio equipment.
Opera Only Amplifier
The Opera Only amplifier measures 1.25 x 1.9 x 1.25 m (4.1 x 6.2 x 4.1 ft), and weighs 1,500 kg (3,307 lb. When idle, it sits closed like a monolith, a massive cylindrical object, but with the help of a remote it opens up like a transformer with its six outer doors dividing and opening out to overall dimensions of 1.85 x 2.5 x 1.85 m (6 x 8.2 x 6 ft).
The state of the art amplifier features six-30 kW triple-insulated toroidal transformers and 2,112 high current bipolar transistors, which are cooled by half a dozen fan coolers. The 2.5m-tall Opera Only amplifier is capable of producing class-leading 160,000-watts of power and it does that either as two 80kW channels or in six-channel form. The chassis is built out of aircraft-grade aluminum and steel and this made-to-order amp takes 6 months to construct.
Of course, the Best amplifier comes with a price tag, it costs €1.65 million (about US$2.2 million), with 35 percent of the cost payable as a deposit.
