De'Longhi La Specialista Opera (EC9555M) vs Lelit Victoria
A thermoblock against a single boiler — two philosophies of the same morning.
The Victoria runs ~13% more (listed in different currencies) — the split below is what the gap buys.
De'Longhi
US$849–899 · CA$1,195–1,200
The Opera is a well-specified all-in-one for someone who wants the tactile feel of pulling shots without sourcing a separate grinder or fussing with a standalone tamper. The built-in grinder…
Full record & live prices →
Lelit
Community defaultUS$999
The Victoria is the tidiest expression of the compact PID single-boiler: real 58 mm hardware, front-panel temperature control, and a pre-infusion routine that actually works, all in a footpr…
Full record & live prices →The split
Where they actually differ
On 8 of 11 measures these two tie. The 3 rows below are the entire argument.
La Specialista Opera (EC9555M)
Victoria
Ready when you are
La Specialista Opera (EC9555M) leads, decisively
40 sec· ~23 min
Push-button convenience
La Specialista Opera (EC9555M) leads, clearly
Parts & repair
Victoria leads, clearly
The price
La Specialista Opera (EC9555M) costs less, clearly
CA$1,195–1,200· US$999
weakerstronger
The counter’s vote
Looks barely figure in either machine’s record — the counter can sit this one out.
La Specialista Opera (EC9555M): Stainless steel design wins kitchen-approval talk in forums; aesthetic is professional appliance-neutral, neither polarizing nor distinctive — 2.5-range revealed preference.
Where they tie: milk & steam · shot ceiling · back-to-back drinks · reliability record · forgiving to learn on — don’t let a spec sheet invent a difference.
On the counter
The size difference, to scale
So — which one?
Take the La Specialista Opera (EC9555M) if —
- Patience is not your virtue at 6 a.m.
- You want a button, not a ritual
- The difference stays in your pocket — or goes into beans
Take the Victoria if —
- You plan to fix, not replace
Both columns reading true? Take the La Specialista Opera (EC9555M) and put the difference into fresh, roast-dated beans — they move the cup more than this choice will.
Known weak points
La Specialista Opera (EC9555M)
Steam wand solenoid leaks reported; single-boiler temperature stability under steam-immediately-after-espresso workflow; OPV pre-infusion tuning limitations out of the box.
For the row-by-row readers
The whole sheet, side by side
Matching rows fade back — the ink is where they differ.
La Specialista Opera (EC9555M)
Victoria
Type
Thermoblock / thermojet
Single boiler
Heat-up time
40 seconds
~23 min
Steam power
3/5
2.5/5
Brew + steam at once
No
No
Guest recovery
2/5
2/5
Shot quality ceiling
3/5
3.5/5
PID temperature control
Yes
Yes
Milk system
Manual steam wand
Manual steam wand
One-touch drinks
5
—
Removable brew group
No
No
Hot-water tap
Yes
Yes
Cup clearance
10.5 cm
10.2 cm
Workflow demand
3/5
3/5
Maintenance
3/5
2.5/5
Noise
3/5
3.5/5
Build longevity
3/5
3.5/5
Dimensions
38 × 37 × 44.5 cm
22.5 × 27 × 38 cm
One owner each
“It's a fantastic machine at the $1K price point, and in some ways, I prefer it over the Profitec Go (though not in every way).”
Wrong match-up? Change one side → — any two on file compare.
Still torn?
This page weighs them against each other. The finder weighs them against your mornings.
Two minutes of questions — milk, noise, budget, space — scored across everything on file. It’s honest when the answer is neither of these.
Take the two-minute finder →