This time, we set out to review the luxurious Operly Intelligence III horn speakers, which are far from ordinary, much like the unique location where we conducted the review.
Operly's products are represented in Israel by G13 Innovation in Production.
Bottom Line
The Operly Intelligence III speakers offer an original design approach, outstanding aesthetics, and excellent sound. They are the perfect speakers for low-power tube amplifiers
Liked
- Striking and Unforgettable Design
- Exceptional Sensitivity of 100dB, Ideal for Low-Power Tube Amplifiers
- Remarkable Vocal Reproduction with Naturalness and Emotional Depth
- Three-Dimensional Soundstage with Impressive, Non-Aggressive Sound Dispersion
- Rounded High Frequencies with No Rigid or Harsh Tones
- High Dynamics Coupled with Excellent Balance
To Improve
- Requires Significant Floor Space
- Balanced and Detailed Bass, Though Not the Deepest or Most Powerful We've Heard
About Operly
We were introduced to Operly in recent months when I reviewed the Operly Phono 1.0 preamp and the Operly Amp 3.0 integrated amplifier in my home setup.
While the company’s electronics line was launched recently, its flagship product, for which it is most renowned, is undoubtedly its horn speakers. The current model is their third generation, hence the name Operly Intelligence III.
Here’s a brief reminder of Operly’s background, based on the information provided by the company’s representatives: the man behind the company is Russian-born engineer, Mr. Constantine Neymark. He holds degrees in physics and musical arts. Mr. Constantine’s background allowed him to take a research-driven, scientific approach to identify the factors needed for accurate reproduction of live music. This approach led to his patent on a horn speaker installation in 2015.
All Intelligence models are built on the same principle as Mr. Constantine’s patent. According to the company, what makes Operly speakers unique—besides their high sound quality—is their fatigue-free sound character.
The company’s offices are located in London, England.
About the Review Location – Bavarian Motors Club: A Fusion of Leisure Cultures
The Operly Intelligence III speakers were set up at a luxury car dealership in Herzliya, known as Bavarian Motors Club. This setting merges two leisure worlds—luxury cars and high-end audio. Personally, I believe this is a smart marketing move with the potential to introduce high-end audio to a new and untapped audience. For audio enthusiasts, of course, the field is alive and well, but from a more objective standpoint, awareness of high-end audio has been declining. Apart from proffesional stores, it's becoming harder to find audio products in other places. Nowadays, most people consume music through wireless headphones, soundbars, or wireless speakers.
As access to audio products becomes less widespread, public awareness declines, and as a result, a potential audience that loves music and could appreciate and enjoy high-quality sound is simply not exposed to it—unless they actively seek it out. There’s a lot in common between enthusiasts of any luxury leisure domain, whether it’s cars, watches, alcohol, or anything else. This is an audience that values quality and is willing to pay for the enjoyment. Therefore, a connection between a well-known luxury leisure field and high-end audio can certainly help raise awareness of the latter.
Here are some atmospheric photos from the venue:
For these reasons, we were excited about the opportunity to conduct this review in such an unconventional setting.
Under Test: Operly Intelligence III
The Operly Intelligence III are without a doubt some of the most unique speakers we've encountered. Naturally, the first thing that grabs your attention is their distinctive shape and design, but their uniqueness goes beyond just their appearance. These speakers are implemented using a single full-range driver, housed in a dual horn structure. The direct sound from the driver is amplified by the horn positioned in front of it.
While the sound emitted from the rear of the driver is typically dampened and considered "noise to be eliminated," in this case, it is directed into an expanding horn structure. This type of horn design is called a reverse horn, or rear-loaded horn, and it amplifies the lower frequency range, thereby enhancing the driver's bass response. According to the company, the reverse horn walls in the Intelligence III model are thicker compared to previous models, and there are also differences in the horn's length.
This large speaker structure features a single driver, with no crossover at all. Combined with the horn design, this allows the speakers to achieve an astounding efficiency of 100dB.
The frequency response of the speakers is 41.5Hz – 17.5kHz, with a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. The recommended amplifier power ranges between 3-20W, making these speakers ideal for fans of low-powered single-ended tube amplifiers.
We asked the company’s representatives to share more details about the speakers. They told us that the enclosure is made of multiple layers of fiberglass, while the custom driver includes a paper diaphragm, a one-inch voice coil, and nine powerful neodymium magnets. The speaker structure construction follows precise mathematical calculations, with a deviation of less than one percent. The speakers are assembled in England.
The dimensions of each speaker are 572mm wide, 1590mm tall, and 800mm deep, with each speaker weighing 67kg.
Design and Build Quality
Undoubtedly, the distinctive shape of the Operly Intelligence III speakers is a result of their technological and acoustic design, but this does not detract from the fact that the design outcome is both unique and prominent compared to standard rectangular speakers. Placing a speaker with such a visual impact in your listening space will certainly add character and uniqueness to your stereo system.
At the beginning of the article, we mentioned that high-end audio is a leisure pursuit, and just like in the world of cars, this hobby includes various elements beyond strictly performance. Design is an important component that allows a specific product to stand out and gives its fortunate owners a sense of pride. Operly understands this and offers a range of special finishes for the Intelligence III speakers. While the model we saw features a fairly standard glossy black finish, the speakers can also be ordered in much bolder designs, such as yellow, red, or even green.
Here are some examples from the Operly website:
The speakers come with a robust floor stand that ensures stability and isolates them from the floor. On the rear panel, you’ll find a single pair of terminals (as there is only one driver).
Another design element worth mentioning is the company's logo, which is displayed on the upper inner part of the lower horn.
As far as the build quality can be assessed under these conditions, the speakers appear highly impressive, with a high level of finishing.
The Listenning Test
As I mentioned, I see significant value in trying to connect the audio field with other areas of leisure culture, though there are also drawbacks. The display where the speakers were set up lacked any acoustic treatment and featured a high ceiling with extensive use of glass and other sound-reflective materials, making it far from an ideal acoustic space. This environment limited our ability to thoroughly assess the speakers, and our seating positions were very close to the speakers, at a distance of about one to one and a half meters. Despite these challenges, I feel we were able to learn about the various features of the Operly Intelligence III speakers, which we’ll discuss here.
The system we used for the review included the Operly Amp 2.0 integrated amplifier (a smaller sibling of the Amp 3.0 we reviewed), with a power output of 12W. The source was a Bluesound Node streamer, which we paired with my Ayre QB-9 DSD DAC via a Nordost Blue Heaven USB cable. Cardas RCA cables connected the DAC to the amplifier. The content was streamed from Tidal using Tidal Connect.
The first thing we did was adjust the playback volume to achieve the best possible results given the room’s acoustics. The first characteristic we noticed about the Operly Intelligence III speakers was their extreme efficiency, which meant that even at a quarter power of the company’s 12W amplifier, the sound easily filled the entire listening space. At higher volumes, the reflections from the windows and other elements of the showroom prevented us from enjoying the sound fully, so we had to reduce the volume to around 75dB, with peaks in the 80-85dB range. Anything louder immediately highlighted the issues with the listening environment.
Another important aspect is the seating distance from the speakers. Due to their physical size and the common perception of horn speakers, which push sound far from the speakers, one might think that sitting just a meter away would be too close. Here, we learned another feature of the Intelligence III speakers: their even and pleasant sound dispersion. The sound did not feel aggressive even at a short seating distance, and it also did not feel too distant when we moved around the listening space. My conclusion is that these speakers are suitable for both medium and large rooms. The only question for smaller to medium-sized listening spaces is whether there will be enough physical space to position these speakers.
Once we settled in and chose the playback volume, we could finally begin. We decided to start with two pieces by outstanding female vocalists to evaluate the vocal reproduction of the Operly Intelligence III speakers. The first track was Eva Cassidy’s performance of "Ain't No Sunshine." The quality of the dark background was excellent, allowing us to easily perceive the dynamics of the guitar strumming. The vocal was natural and refined, successfully conveying Eva’s voice with all its emotion.
The second vocalist we chose was Lady Blackbird with her single "Man on a Boat," a piece with more elements and a more complex production. Here, the Intelligence III speakers sound airy and deliver the vocal with powerful presence and impressive dynamics. The vocal takes center stage and is beautifully separated from the music. The highs are slightly rounded and rendered in a pleasant manner.
Certainly! Here’s the revised text:
In the next section, we aimed to dispel another misconception about horn speakers—that they are less suited for modern and electronic music. We used several tracks for this purpose, starting with the energetic and captivating duet by Fantastic Negrito and Sting, "Undefeated Eyes." Here, we experienced impressive balance and energetic, precise delivery with excellent separation of voices and a wide, three-dimensional soundstage without a hint of aggressiveness. The bass was pleasantly smooth with a satisfactory level of detail.
Next, we moved on to two electronic tracks. First was "The Game Has Changed" by Daft Punk. At the volumes we could play in this space, the bass had a good level of detail, and the electronic effects accompanying the explosions were well rendered. However, the bass didn’t quite reach the visceral punch you might expect. Still, the track delivered dynamic and dramatic performance.
In a more tightly controlled and precise piece like "Intervals" by Boris Blank, we experienced impressive soundstage reproduction. The soundstage was wide, with effects moving from side to side, and the water drop effect was clear and easy to place within the soundstage. There was a certain refinement or softening of the electronic music that I personally found pleasant.
I then moved on to smooth jazz, starting with "Chacha Rom" by Avishai Cohen’s Trio from the album Shifting Sands. The piano opening sounded tight and fast, with a lot of air and lightness, which suited the piece wonderfully. Avishai’s bass playing was detailed and well-separated, and the drums were balanced nicely between impact and softness.
In the classic jazz piece "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)" by the Oscar Peterson Trio, the reproduction was very delicate. In such music, the impact of the room diminishes significantly, allowing the naturalness and airiness of the system to shine through. The speakers showed their potential to deliver jazz in a soft and emotional manner.
Another notorious misconception associated with horn speakers is that their high frequencies can sound harsh. To dispel this notion, I chose two trumpet pieces. First was "Essência" by Jéssica Pina, which sounded wonderfully smooth and pleasant, with no harshness, aggression, or shrillness in the highs. I experienced the same sensation with "The Smile of Rita" by Ibrahim Maalouf. In this piece, the Operly Intelligence III speakers also performed convincingly, recreating the energetic and festive atmosphere of the music.
How about some rock? This time I chose probably my favorite rock vocalist of recent years, Rosalie Cunningham, with her single "Return Of The Ellington." The Intelligence III speakers effortlessly recreate the fast rock rhythm, and once again, the standout is the vocal, which exhibits a high level of detail. Rosalie’s voice sounds so natural and accurate, complemented by a three-dimensional soundstage with easily identifiable placement of objects, resulting in an excellent performance.
As we neared the end, I chose to revisit a track that was a staple in my early days as an audio reviewer: Björk’s "Hunter." This piece features a fast and aggressive bass line, and on many systems, it can sound either harsh or muddy with insufficient separation. The Operly system performs admirably here, with the bass effect moving easily from side to side. It’s fast and tight with good layer separation, so I was very pleased with the bass reproduction, which was accurate and well-balanced. However, for fans of deep bass, there might be a desire for a bit more power in the bass.
I chose to end the listening test with my favorite Leonard Cohen track, "Famous Blue Raincoat." This perfect ballad served as both the conclusion and the highlight of the review, as the Operly Intelligence III speakers conveyed the vocal and the nuance of the guitar strumming with such naturalness that the charm of the music was undeniable, even in the less-than-ideal listening environment.
Summary
Our experience this time was unique in several respects. Let’s start with the speakers: the impressive appearance of the Operly Intelligence III speakers is just the tip of the iceberg. With a design based on a single full-range driver integrated into a horn, and the rear portion directed to a reverse horn for bass enhancement, these speakers are undoubtedly exceptional.
Another unique aspect was the location of our review—the luxury car dealership. It was striking to see high-end audio integrated into the world of automobiles, which could open the field to a broader audience.
Despite the challenges presented by the listening environment, we were impressed by speakers that dispel misconceptions about horn speakers. They excel in delivering natural vocals, creating a three-dimensional soundstage, reproducing high frequencies without a hint of harshness or rigidity, and maintaining impressive balance.
In summary, the Operly Intelligence III speakers offer an original approach to design, with high build quality, exceptional aesthetics, and excellent sound. Additionally, with an extreme sensitivity of 100dB, they are particularly suited for low-power tube amplifiers.
Price: 180,000 ILS
Warranty: 1 year
For more information about Operly products, you can contact a representative from G13 Innovation in Production at: 054-456-4922.