Lately, I had the prospect to attend Excessive Finish Vienna, the place I bore witness to an unimaginable array of audio gear. Whether or not it was new flagship loudspeakers from Bowers & Wilkins, futuristic wanting headphones, or revolutionary transportable DACs, there was loads to get enthusiastic about. However one product actually caught my consideration.
As I walked by means of the Austria Middle Vienna, I might hear the sounds of birds singing and crickets chirping. I adopted the sound by means of and found a tropical-rainforest-themed room, and inside it, sat the Dynaudio Opus One — a big, premium soundbar with mechanized wood fins. It actually was not like something I’d seen earlier than.
I received the prospect to take a look at the soundbar for myself, I attended a listening demo, and I even received to talk with Dynaudio Chief Industrial Officer, Julien Bergere, concerning the one-of-a-kind product forward of its launch.
Newest Movies FromTechRadar
Opus One: an introduction
So what’s the Dynaudio Opus One? Bergere describes it as “a brand new, immersive sound product for the house” for each films and music. It is the primary product within the firm’s Symphony line of merchandise which might be anticipated to attach collectively to create a house ecosystem — in the same vein to Sonos’ multi-speaker array techniques, for instance.
One thing that’s immediately hanging concerning the Opus One is its grand width — it measures 73.4 inches / 1864mm throughout. Larger TVs have become a lot more popular in recent years, and I requested Bergere if this had influenced the choice to make the Opus One so giant. “Completely,” he stated. “Extra premium soundbars are normally the scale of a 55-inch TV, however there isn’t a answer when you have a much bigger TV or a much bigger room, and this one is bringing a brand new dimension by way of, you already know, bass and immersive rendering”.
Opus One specs at a look
Value: €13,000 (about $15,000 / £11,000)
Drivers: 24 precision speaker drivers (6x soft-dome tweeters, 14x mid/bass drivers, 4x dual-diaphragm force-cancelling subwoofers)
Amplification: 1,500W digital amplification
Weight: 99.2lbs / 45kg
Dimensions: 73.4 x 9.3 x 8.1 inches / 1864 x 236 x 207mm
On the subject of immersion, I used to be curious as as to whether the Opus One would assist codecs resembling Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Bergere responded: “It is going to assist all the most important audio codecs together with immersive audio, however we’re not performed but with the certification.” As well as, the soundbar makes use of spatial sound algorithms designed in Denmark, the place Dynaudio relies.
However it’s not all about immersive film watching. “It will also be used as a stereo system,” stated Bergere. “When you have stereo in, you may as well play in pure stereo with solely the left part and the correct part activated to play in a extremely pure stereo rendering.” You’re in a position to take the middle channel out of the equation totally, he stated, and I’ve personally seen fairly a couple of premium soundbars skip on such a function, leading to weaker left and proper channel separation. The soundbar may upmix some stereo content material right into a extra immersive format, however the possibility for a extra purist stereo expertise is actually charming.
There are a selection of how to expertise the Opus One. You possibly can connect with your TV through HDMI ARC, stream music over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or make use of an AUX port. There’s additionally an Ethernet port on the soundbar, enabling you to entry extra secure connectivity. The Opus one additionally includes a huge array of drivers — 24 to be precise — with six soft-dome tweeters, 14 mid/bass drivers, and 4 dual-diaphragm force-cancelling subwoofers. They arrive with 1500W of digital amplification, enabling the Opus One to ship roaring energy.
Picket fins made in Japan convey critical fashion
In addition to its spectacular connectivity, energy, and dimension, the Opus One is a pleasure to have a look at. It solely appears pure to start with the mechanized wood fins, which transfer as you watch a film or hearken to music. “We name them kinetic fins,” stated Bergere.
There are 72 mechanized fins on every unit of the Opus One, all of that are handmade, and personify Dynaudio’s ambition to forge a premium audio and visible product.
“[The fins] are literally made in a white oak from Hokkaido by Karimoku,” he stated, noting that Karimoku is among the largest furnishings makers in Japan. “We are attempting to combine know-how and life-style… attempting to cover the know-how [in] stunning objects but additionally convey a contact of magic, on this case, with the truth that the fins are shifting and can be utilized to create shock.”
Bergere confirmed that the wood fins don’t have any sonic profit, however did notice one purposeful profit. “When the product is off, they’re [the fins] really sealed, so that they’re hiding the speaker drivers and defending them on the similar time,” he stated. He additionally pointed to acoustically clear cloth, used on the highest and facet of the Opus One, which is simply as fashionable as it’s sensible.
It is a very new idea for us, you already know. Dynaudio is extra often known as a maker of extra conventional audio techniques, largely passive stereo audio system — studio audio system as nicely, lively ones and a few wi-fi stereo audio system — and this one is mostly a new path for us, extra into life-style, luxurious life-style
Julien Bergere, CCO, Dynaudio
As you’d count on, the fusion of designer-grade supplies with such a premium, 24-driver mannequin, signifies that the Opus One is fairly dear. Particularly, the Opus One is available in at €13,000 (about $15,000 / £11,000) — much more than premium bars you’d see from the likes of Samsung, JBL, and Sonos. As well as, Bergere informed me that equipment, resembling stands and mounting gear, will price between €500 and €5,000. “So along with an excellent high quality display, it’s round €20,000 for a whole setup with the ground stand,” he stated.
Sound verify: uncooked energy and spectacular imaging mix
With a value like this, you’re going to count on stellar sound from this soundbar to match its undoubtedly attractive look. And by chance, I received the prospect to listen to the Opus One for myself in a demo room. And yeah, it’s honest to say I used to be fairly impressed.
In 2025’s F1, I used to be astonished by the thunderous bass output that the Opus One conjured up — the roar of vehicles whizzing by was palpable, exhibiting off the mannequin’s 1,500W amplification to full impact.
Do you know TechRadar now has membership?
Develop into a TechRadar Insider by merely clicking ‘Be a part of Now’ on the prime of this web page. Have a query? Please electronic mail membership@techradar.com
One thing else that struck me was the effectiveness of spatial audio results. Whether or not it was automobiles zooming throughout the display or fireworks blasting into the sky, the Opus One tracked every motion with precision and care.
We listened to some music too, together with a stereo mixture of Eric Clapton’s Tears In Heaven, the place vocals have been fantastically outlined, refined strings got here by means of with nice readability, and heat bass got here by means of cleanly.
With Atmos music, I felt comparable — vocal-led tracks have been fantastically detailed, devices have been nicely separated, and percussion within the treble vary was articulate and expressive. Particular person sounds additionally dispersed throughout the listening house to create an expansive, immersive expertise.
The Opus One formally launched in June, however availability continues to be comparatively restricted. To start with, Dynaudio has opted to launch the soundbar in its house market, Denmark, in addition to China — although Bergere stated Dynaudio plans to launch the product throughout “extra markets in 2027”. It’s accessible in two totally different finishes: one with White Oak fins, and one other with Appalachian Walnut.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our knowledgeable information, critiques, and opinion in your feeds.
