AVID OPUS Pre and AVID OPUS Power – New Preamplifier and Power Amplifier Combination in the AVID OPUS Range

Rather than compressing source selection, conversion, streaming and amplification into one enclosure, AVID HiFi has divided the new AVID OPUS Range along traditional lines. AVID OPUS Pre manages analogue sources, volume, vinyl replay and headphones; AVID OPUS Power takes responsibility for the loudspeakers. The two units were conceived as one amplifier system, yet each can equally be introduced into an existing HiFi installation on its own.

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This is not merely a new case design applied to conventional circuitry. AVID says that both models inherit key ideas from its reference electronics, including linear power supplies, proprietary circuit topologies and in-house polypropylene film capacitors. The result is a pair of amplifiers whose engineering priorities are expressed as much through power-supply scale and physical construction as through the published headline specifications.

Key Facts AVID OPUS Pre and AVID OPUS Power

• New analogue preamplifier and power amplifier combination in the AVID OPUS Range
• AVID OPUS Pre with four line-level inputs: 2 × XLR pairs and 2 × RCA pairs
• Motorised ALPS RK50 volume control with remote operation
• Integrated AVID Pulsus II Phono Stage for MM and MC cartridges with 48, 60 or 70 dB gain
• Separate 35 VA mains transformer for the phono stage
• Integrated headphone amplifier
• AVID OPUS Power rated at 2 × 110 Watts into 8 Ohms
• 1,1 kVA toroidal transformer and 132.000 µF reservoir capacitance
• Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA connections
• Designed and manufactured in England

A two-box system with reference-derived priorities

AVID’s approach begins with the supply of clean, stable power and an entirely analogue signal path. Both products employ substantial linear power supplies, while the audio circuits use film capacitors developed by AVID with a polypropylene dielectric. The company is therefore carrying selected construction principles from its more ambitious electronics into the OPUS Range instead of treating the new line as a stylistic offshoot.

The mechanical design follows the same logic. Large AVID logos are machined into substantial aluminium fascias, behind which heavy steel chassis are intended to shield the electronics from external interference. The fascia of AVID OPUS Pre alone is 20 mm thick. At 19,2 kg for the preamplifier and 31.7 kg for the power amplifier, neither component is remotely lightweight; together, the pair reaches 50,9 kg.

Their dimensions also deserve consideration before installation. Both are 471 mm wide, exceeding the conventional HiFi component format, and their depth, weight and ventilation requirements call for a suitably robust, generously ventilated equipment rack.

AVID OPUS Power – the power supply tells the more revealing story

The published output of AVID OPUS Power is 2 × 110 Watts into 8 Ohms. AVID recommends loudspeakers with a nominal impedance between 4 and 16 Ohms, although it does not provide a separate power figure into 4 Ohms. Viewed in isolation, the 8 Ohm rating therefore describes only part of the amplifier’s design.

Behind it sits a 1.1 kVA toroidal transformer and 132.000 µF of reservoir capacitance – figures of a scale that attracts rather more attention than the nominal wattage. AVID combines this supply with a proprietary amplifier topology and its own polypropylene capacitors. According to the manufacturer, the intention is to maintain control with demanding loudspeakers and retain adequate reserves when music places sudden dynamic demands on the output stage. Whether that promise translates into a correspondingly persuasive listening result can only be established in a full review.

Signal connection is possible through either a balanced XLR input pair or an unbalanced RCA input pair. Four gold-plated high-current binding posts provide the loudspeaker connections. AVID also identifies an integrated protection system as an important feature, but has not yet specified how that circuitry operates.

AVID OPUS Pre – analogue control built around the ALPS RK50

AVID OPUS Pre centres its line-level operation on the ALPS RK50, widely regarded as one of the more elaborate analogue volume controls available. AVID has motorised the control for remote operation without replacing it with digital attenuation. The supplied metal remote acts directly on the potentiometer, and the position of the large front-panel knob continues to provide a visible indication of the selected level.

The main power supply is derived from that developed for the AVID Celsus Pre reference preamplifier and uses a 500 VA toroidal transformer. AVID once again deploys its proprietary polypropylene film capacitors within the audio circuitry.

For the line-level section, the manufacturer specifies a frequency response from 5 Hz to beyond 80 kHz within ± 0.5 dB. The signal-to-noise ratio is quoted at 100 dB through XLR and 103 dB through RCA, while total harmonic distortion is stated as less than 0.0005 per cent.

A complete AVID Pulsus II Phono Stage rather than a token input

Vinyl replay is not treated as a peripheral convenience. According to AVID, the built-in phono preamplifier corresponds to the separate AVID Pulsus II Phono Stage and uses passive RIAA equalisation. A dedicated 35 VA mains transformer powers this part of the circuit independently from the rest of the preamplifier.

Its adjustment options are unusually extensive for an integrated phono section. Gain can be set to 48, 60 or 70 dB. Available load impedances are 100, 300 and 500 Ohms as well as 1, 5, 10 and 47 kOhms, while input capacitance can be selected at 100, 200 or 500 pF. That range allows the phono stage to be matched not only to moving-magnet designs, but also to a broad selection of moving-coil cartridges. AVID specifies RIAA accuracy within ± 0.5 dB from 5 Hz to 70 kHz.

Four line-level sources, two output formats and headphones

In addition to its dedicated phono input, AVID OPUS Pre accepts four line-level sources. Two balanced XLR input pairs sit alongside two unbalanced RCA input pairs, with source selection handled from the front panel. Connection to a power amplifier is available through one XLR output pair and one RCA output pair. Output impedance is specified at 47 Ohms and the nominal output level at 11 V.

An integrated headphone amplifier broadens the role of the preamplifier further, although AVID has not published detailed power specifications for it. Within its deliberately analogue remit, AVID OPUS Pre consequently covers line-level source selection, volume control, MM and MC vinyl replay and headphone listening in a single chassis.

Analogue by decision, not by omission

There is no streaming platform, D/A converter or digital interface in either OPUS component. That absence defines the product concept: digital sources must arrive through a separate D/A converter, AVID OPUS Pre handles analogue selection and level control, and AVID OPUS Power drives the loudspeakers.

The combination consequently makes most sense in a system where digital replay is already entrusted to a suitably accomplished external converter, or where vinyl occupies a central role. It is a classical division of labour, executed at a price and physical scale that leave little room for uncertainty about AVID’s intended market position.

The Most Important Advantages at a Glance

• Purposeful analogue architecture: Both components concentrate on analogue signal handling without duplicating streaming or digital-conversion functions already present elsewhere in the system.
• High-grade volume control: The ALPS RK50 retains analogue attenuation while adding the convenience of remote operation.
• Serious vinyl capability: The integrated AVID Pulsus II Phono Stage can remove the need for a separate phono preamplifier with many MM and MC cartridges.
• Extensive cartridge matching: Three gain settings and numerous resistance and capacitance options provide targeted adjustment for different pick-up systems.
• Balanced and unbalanced integration: XLR and RCA connections allow the components to fit into differently configured HiFi systems.
• Substantial power reserves: A 1.1 kVA transformer and 132.000 µF of reservoir capacitance give the stereo power amplifier an unusually ambitious supply foundation.
• Headphone listening at the preamplifier: The integrated headphone amplifier extends the usefulness of AVID OPUS Pre without an additional component.
• Heavy-duty construction: Aluminium fascias, steel chassis and a combined weight of 50,9 kg create a physically substantial foundation for the electronics.

Price & Availability

AVID OPUS Pre and AVID OPUS Power are available now worldwide through authorised AVID HiFi retailers. The recommended retail price is € 24.995,- for AVID OPUS Pre and € 22.995,- for AVID OPUS Power. The complete preamplifier and power amplifier combination in the AVID OPUS Range therefore costs € 47.990,-.

Getting to the Point

The AVID OPUS Range is not trying to win a feature-count contest. Its proposition rests on a much narrower and more deliberate set of priorities: an elaborate analogue volume control, a genuinely adaptable phono stage and power supplies whose scale is arguably more revealing than the nominal output figure.

AVID OPUS Pre is particularly distinctive. Combining the ALPS RK50 with the integrated AVID Pulsus II Phono Stage gives it rather more substance than many sparsely equipped High-end preamplifiers. For AVID OPUS Power, a specified output into 4 Ohms would nevertheless have made the technical picture more complete.

On paper, the two components form a coherent and very consciously positioned amplifier system. At a combined € 47.990,-, however, an extended audition with the prospective owner’s own loudspeakers is not merely advisable; it should be regarded as part of the buying process.

Technical Specifications

AVID OPUS Pre

AVID OPUS Power

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