Opera Callas Bookshelf Speakers; pair

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: A 1" tweeter without ferrofluid, with a double decompression chamber; Opera calls it one of the best tweeters ever made, and highly reliable
• 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 black grain-textured front, 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), absorbing 60% at 250 Hz and almost 100% 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. Opera calls the Scanspeak 9700 one of the best tweeters ever made, and chooses tweeters with a very wide frequency response and wide linear displacement. 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. It raises the 300 to 3000 Hz vocal range by +2 dB, and Opera suggests choosing whichever position sounds better to you, set the same way on both speakers. 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 black, grain-textured front and a gloss-black top carrying the gold Callas script. A contoured grille covers the drivers when you want it. The whole speaker is built to be lived with and looked at, not just listened to.

More in the Opera Callas Line

The Callas is the standmount in Opera’s Callas line, the maker’s reference series. Step up to its three-way floorstanding siblings for deeper bass, or add the matching stand to set it at the right listening height.

• Opera Callas Diva: The floorstanding Callas, a three-way design that reaches 30Hz.
• Opera Grand Callas: The three-way Callas floorstander, with a dipole rear-firing radiation system and two 8" woofers.
• Opera SP1 Speaker Stand: The Opera stand, sized to bring the Callas to the right listening height.

The Listening Room Difference

We’re a third-generation family business with a brick-and-mortar showroom in Chestertown, Maryland, and a reputation built on exceptional service and relentless passion for hifi. Whether you’re visiting in person or ordering online, we bring decades of experience, personalized service, and honest guidance to every interaction. We don’t just ship boxes. We help build systems, answer your questions like real humans, and make sure every detail of your setup is right, from the cables to the final connection. Our passion is helping you get the most out of your gear, with support that lasts well beyond the sale.

Opera Callas Specifications