The second-generation Opal 23 builds on a proven concept. It retains the precision of the first model while offering an even more mature, spacious and dynamic sound.
Available in 2 distinctive finishes
The Opal series has offered sound beyond its class from the very start. In designing the next generation, we combined better components, modern technology and more advanced design tools. At the same time we kept the proven midwoofer-tweeter-midwoofer configuration, known for its coherent and precise sound. In the mkII it works even more accurately, performs better when listening from a greater distance and fills larger rooms with sound more effectively than the previous generation. The crossover architecture has likewise stayed close to the first generation, but we used higher-class components in it: air-core coils, including in the mid-bass section, for high linearity and lower distortion, along with a high-quality capacitor in the tweeter path.
The new mid-bass drivers are the heart of the changes. The cones remain cellulose, but they are now thicker, stiffer, heavier and more durable, which gives a cleaner and more natural midrange. We also shortened the decay time of the cone’s own vibrations, so the driver responds faster to the signal and handles more power without losing control. Heavier by just a few grams, the cone lowers the resonant frequency and extends the response towards the lowest tones. To preserve sensitivity and dynamics, we designed a far more powerful magnetic system than in the first generation. The biggest change, however, is visible at a glance: we replaced the stamped-steel basket with a precisely moulded plastic one that guides the moving assembly more stably and allows greater cone excursion. Together with the retuned bass-reflex system, this delivers bass that is deeper, stronger and better controlled than before. Bass you can not only hear, but also feel.
The new tweeter is one of the model’s most important elements. We used a graphene-reinforced textile dome, a lightweight CCAW voice coil and a Faraday ring that reduces distortion, and we enlarged the diaphragm area by half compared with the first generation, so the tweeter can work freely with the more powerful mid-bass drivers. We integrated the driver into the front baffle, where it works with a shallow horn formed directly in the face. It improves the coherence of the sound and reduces edge reflections, and thanks to its slight depth it introduces no horn coloration. A vented chamber and a heatsink inspired by professional drivers let the tweeter work cleanly even at high volume levels, without compression or any limiting of dynamics. The high tones are open, spacious and full of detail.
Every change to the cabinet has a concrete technical justification. The slender body made of 18 mm MDF and the 22 mm front baffle draw on the proven design of the Opal 23. We placed internal bracing at key points, and a carefully chosen damping filling reduces resonances. We refined the whole on the basis of measurements taken in our anechoic chamber with a laser vibrometer. Fewer cabinet vibrations of its own mean cleaner sound and better detail resolution.
Woofer
Tweeter
Woofer
2 x Pylon Audio PSW 18.8 CP
Tweeter
Pylon Audio PST 30.4-TGN
2 x Pylon Audio PSW 18.8 CP
Pylon Audio PST 30.4-TGN
PVC veneer
PVC veneer
