The Lowdown
The dB Technologies Opera series loudspeaker and subwoofer system has excellent build quality and its sound is second-to-none. We were blown away by its crystal clear his, warm mids and solid low-end. As the name implies, you could set these up in an opera house and be more than satisfied with the audio quality. They are rather pricey and heavy, but if space and budget are no issue then we can’t recommend this system enough.
First Impressions / Setting up
As we reviewed these speakers at BPM|Pro 2017, we can’t comment much on set up time and unboxing because they were already on display at the exhibition. The dB Technologies Opera 12 Loudspeaker & Sub 15H Subwoofer look great in their black polypropylene enclosures. The Opera 12 isn’t so heavy for a loudspeaker at 14.4kg, but the Sub 15H subwoofer is a hefty 32kg.
dB Technologies Opera 12 Loudspeaker
The dB Technologies Opera 12 is a 12″ two-way active PA speaker capable of pushing out 600w of continuous power. This speaker is versatile and can be used as a floor monitor, satellite speaker in combination with subwoofers, or as a full-range system on pole mounts.
This active loudspeaker is powered by a 600w Class-D amplifier with advanced digital signal processing (DSP) where FIR filters allow the systems to deliver uniform, clear audio from multiple listening positions. It has two handles (one on the top, one on the side) for easy handling.
Round the back, the Opera 12 has two combo XLR/jack input channels (mic-line and mic-instrument) and a selectable XLR output channel so you can choose between Channel 1 Link or Mix Out. The onboard DSP has eight presets and can be customised so that you can get the speaker set up according to your venue or requirements.
dB Technologies Sub 15H Subwoofer
The dB Technologies Sub 15H active subwoofer is capable of putting out a constant 1000w and this is made possible with its 15″ woofer with 3″ coil. It is housed in a plywood enclosure with a black PVC finish, and round the back the sub offers stereo inputs with selectable link or crossover outputs, a crossover frequency switch at 90 or 120 Hz, a phase inversion switch and built-in delay of up to 4.5ms (adjustable in 0.5ms steps). The delay helps you to improve the correct coupling with other dB Technologies full-range speakers and also to make more advanced subwoofer configurations without the help of any external processor.
The sub also features a mini USB port to update system firmware and retrieve a log file that provides information on abnormal events, usage time and amplifier status (great stuff for us audio geeks). That being said, things are kept simple on the back of this subwoofer. Similar priced offerings from competing brands seem to have more “gimmicky” features like LCDs and the like. Overall, the Sub 15H seems to be beginner-friendly and best suited for small or medium-sized events.
In Use
We listened to a selection of demo tracks from different genres on this system this PA system blew us away with its crystal clear sound and wicked low-end. We couldn’t find any fault with it and were surprised at how it outperformed the RCF system that was set up nearby, for its size, the Opera 12 delivered a surprisingly punchy bass.
The subwoofer is perfectly matched for use with the Opera 12 loudspeakers. We had no complaints about the sound or simplicity of the speakers’ EQ and connectivity controls on the back. Overall, it’s a great system for mobile DJs.
Conclusion
This dB Technologies loudspeaker and subwoofer combo has excellent build quality and its sound is second-to-none. We were blown away with its crystal clear his, warm mids and solid low-end. As the name implies, you could set these up in an opera house and be more than satisfied with the audio quality. They are rather pricey and heavy but if space and budget are no issue then we can’t recommend this system enough.
