Telefunken Opus

[theebadone]

Just wondering how good the Telefunken Opus 5430 MX Hi Fi Stereo Receiver is. How is sound and build quality?

 

[Patrice B]

I have a 5550 MX and it sounds really good. It's also beautiful and as an added bonus, it's one of the rare German tube radio with separate power amplifier section (I think...).

My 5550 was a part unit (used by previous owner to repair/scavenge for another one). I had to buy some tubes, recap all the power supply, replace the big selenium bridge, replace all ERO caps in the preamp and amp section, build some fake "piano keys", buy a set of similar knobs, repair the bass pot and repair/paint the case...

It's clean and clear and push a lot of power for an 8w push-pull section! However, I'd have to realign the tuner section as it is weaker in stereo and the beacon doesn't light (even if it sounds stereo without a doubt).

No pics unfortunately.

 

[Danny Brown]

I had the Opus MX series... cannot recall the model, but it had a solid state output stage with all other parts vacuum tube. Warm Sound, but like most older tube equipment, the channels drifted and one was stronger than the other and the output transistors of this era were likely Germanium and absolutely unobtanium. Although "warm", these sets like most German and Euro sets of this era had **** FM Selectivity and Sensitivity... they were truly city sets (that's most of Europe afterall) and in rural areas you had to force feed them an amplified antenna signal to get anything.

 

[BrassTeacher]

I worked on an older Telefunken Opus once. It was stereo, well-built, and was having typical old tube gear power supply issues. New rectifier, new caps, and it was ready to roll. The owner got quite a few good years out of it after, but the power transformer eventually died.
IIRC, it was all-tube, with a solid-state rectifier that actually came in a can, like a capacitor.

 

[Patrice B]

Yeah,

I had the Opus MX series... cannot recall the model, but it had a solid state output stage with all other parts vacuum tube. Warm Sound, but like most older tube equipment, the channels drifted and one was stronger than the other and the output transistors of this era were likely Germanium and absolutely unobtanium. Although "warm", these sets like most German and Euro sets of this era had **** FM Selectivity and Sensitivity... they were truly city sets (that's most of Europe afterall) and in rural areas you had to force feed them an amplified antenna signal to get anything.

my Opus was not a strong FM performer while we had a cottage in a rural area. However, the sound is to die for, PP EL95 separate power amp!