From time to time the topic of powered studio monitors vs. passive audiophile speakers comes up. There are compelling reasons why an optimized powered monitor should be better, but the few powered monitors I've heard have always sounded to me like they are designed for different purposes and environments, so the sonic benefits don't quite translate 100% to a domestic environment. Many have commented that the pricing of pro audio gear seems less rich than high end audio only gear.
I've been interested in the Event Opal studio monitors for a few years now. They are an Australian 2 way 8" design with ~400 WPC of built in bi-amplification, 48db/octave electronic crossovers, useful built-in EQ options and injection molded .75 cu ft. aluminum cabinets. They are very heavy at 47 lbs. each and sell for $3000/pr. with an equalization kit which includes a microphone and software to get an optimum EQ using the speakers' onboard EQ panel. Nearly all parts of the design are unique and proprietary. A lot of money was spent developing them; as I understand it the Event owners bet the company on the success of this model.
More info here:
http://www.eventelectronics.com/opalIntroduced in 2009, they have received uniform rave reviews from pro audio publications. The user commentary from pro audio community message sites like gearslutz.com is also very positive, though far from universal, as we should expect.
They have been very successful commercially, selling some thousands of pairs worldwide mostly to the pro market, as I understand it, which makes it one of the most successful new models in recent years.
A pair turned up locally on craigslist, so I though I'd give them a try. The industrial look means I could only use them in my office system, where I've been using either a pair of Volent VL-2s or for the last year a pair of Selah custom 2 ways. The Selahs are similar to a junior version of the Verita, using a 5.5" Scanspeak Revelator and the wide band RAAL 70-20 ribbon in a .5 cu. ft. cabinet.
As background, the Selahs are the best small room speakers I've ever heard, period, and I've used over 100 pairs of quality stand mount speakers in my office. The Volents are very good, but have too much bass output for the 10x12 room, and the RAAL is also smoother than the LCY tweeter in the Volents and thus easier on the ears in the 4-6 foot nearfield.
Right off the bat the bass of the Opals is the real strong suit. It is strong, useful and very tight into the mid 30s, and with the built in EQ it can be tailored enough to not overload the room; the result is very gratifying. The Volents also drop that low, but can't be tuned as well; the Selahs are nearly as tight and defined in the bass, but drop pretty sharply below 50 hz.
The mids in the Opals are very open, with very low coloration and a very nice soundstage. The horn loaded aluminum tweeter, crossed over at 1600 hz., is very detailed. It is probably the best metal dome tweeter I've heard, but it does maintain a trace of an edge that metal domes are often known for. Not enough to be a showstopper for me, but it does shape the character of the sound. Overall, the sound is full range and powerful, a bit forward in character, clear, and very well integrated. It is easy to see why they are popular in studios, achieving excellent, tune-able deep bass where space is often limited and very good insight into the details of the mix.
I should mention connectivity. Of course, each speakers requires an AC cord. I have not experimented with better choices than the supplied units. That might well make a difference. Also, the speakers only offer balanced XLR or unbalanced TS (1/4" microphone type plugs) for inputs. So- cabling is a bit different than most are used to. The power switches are on the back, while the EQ settings are on the front.
Now, here is the most interesting part. The little Selahs can't keep up in bass extension, power or volume capability, but in every other way they are superior sounding. The RAAL tweeter offers a bit more detail than the Opals, yet is smoother and more natural sounding. The Selah mids have even better midrange clarity and soundstaging.
The Selahs are more laid back than the Opals, which are very in-room sounding. Here the choice is a matter of taste as much as anything.
At $3000, the Opals offer great value, as they include amplification, useful EQ and don't require speaker cables.They are very fine perfomers with great strengths and only a few weak points, IMO. The Selahs were $2300 new from Rick, and require an amp and speaker cables. So, overall the price is similar or a bit higher for the Selahs. The Opals have much deeper bass and will play louder, and have useful EQ, but the Selahs are otherwise clearer and cleaner, and come in cabinets that are more spouse friendly, and without the need for AC cables for the speakers. With a good sub or built as a larger 2 or 3 way (such as Veritas,Tempestas, or Ottavos) the Selahs pull ahead on all counts (except EQ), for more $, of course.
At this point, although I love the bass of the Opals, I'm not willing to trade the wonderful presentation that Rick's speakers offer, so I think I can say that for me, once again the Selahs have won the shootout on points against some very strong competition. That brings the "score" for these little guys to 6-0 against speakers in the $3000 and up range in my small office. That said, there are plenty of arguments for both models. Particularly, in larger, more problematic rooms or where higher volumes are desired, the Opals might have some real advantages over the smallish Selahs at this price point.
One design parameter of the Opals worth mentioning that doesn't come into play for me is the ability to play up to 115 DB peaks, while staying clean. In studio work this kind of thing is a requirement, but this is an expensive capability which impacts all areas of the design without adding to the accuracy of the playback per se. Obviously a passive 5.5" 2 way isn't going to come close to this capability. Once again, studios have somewhat different sets of requirements that don't necessarily benefit the home user.
This is also a data point for the powered monitor vs. passive audiophile speaker argument. Overall, these speakers are more similar than different sonically, with the biggest differences being in connectivity, cabinetry, EQ, and volume capability, while in this comparison trading some clarity for bass extension. I guess as an audiophile, I take comfort that at this price point there is some parity between two models that are price/quality leaders in their categories.
Obviously there are a number of better, more expensive choices in both markets. As good as my Selahs are, they don't hold up as well against my 4x the price Daedalus speakers, and the Opals are somewhat overshadowed by often far more expensive models from the likes of Klein and Hummel and others.
UPDATE (5/29):
One speaker in this pair developed an electronics problem recently and Event chose to simply replace it with a new speaker without prompting from me. That's great customer service!
