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Devore Fidelity Orangutan O/96

My neighbor had to move some heavy furniture from one room to another so he asked me for help earlier today. Although, we've been neighbors for almost two years I had never been inside his house up until this afternoon. As I walked through the foyer and into his family room, I saw the speakers hooked up to some McIntosh separates. I have to admit that these were one of the most beautiful speakers I had ever seen. He offered to play some music and of course I was not going to say no. They sounded quite decent, although the sound was not as hefty or lush as I was expecting. Don't know if it was his equipment or room (wood floor, no rug, lots of windows), or maybe the Devore's are not quite going after those big, lush, and slightly warmer sound characteristics.

I'm actually saving up money to buy Harbeth SHL5+, or used 40.1, sometime next year. But boy did the Devore Orangutans caught my attention. And yes I know I shouldn't be basing my decision on looks alone, but if they're comparable to Harbeth in terms of sound quality, I'm definitely interested in exploring.

Just wondering if someone has had a chance to compare them directly to the Harbeth speakers I'm considering. Anyone moved from Harbeth to Devore O/6 or vice versa? This will be a system that I'll be building from scratch so I do have the luxury of building the system around my speakers -- total budget is around $15000. I usually buy used equipment whenever I can.

Please note that I'm not soliciting advice for other speakers at this time. Mostly interested in hearing about real world comparisons between the Devore Fidelity Orangutans and Harbeth SHL5+ or 40.1/2.
128x128arafiq

Showing 5 responses by aj523

aj523
375 posts
 
@arafiq 

Wow.  Right on point with me. That's rare. Anyway, glad you liked the Olympica. Now that we clearly have the same musical ear and listening preference, see if you can demo the Harbeth 40.3 XD.  Prepare for happy tears! 
aj523
375 posts
 
@keithr 
Before I demoed the O/96 this past July, I spoke to Mr. Devore about the timing of any future upgrade since the same model has been out there for over a decade and I didn't want to get burned. He told me, yes there is a 2nd gen in the works and most likely would be released in the latter half of 2021.  So there you have it.  Anyone interested in an update to that, just call him, he picks up the phone directly. 
aj523
375 posts
 
So I spent a solid 2 hours demoing the O’96 this past July at In Living Stereo in Manhattan. The room was extremely well treated and the accompanying electronics were Mactone. I don’t remember the cabling.

From my written notes on that day - O’96s throw a wide soundstage, very dynamic. You can feel the instruments, the drums, the bass thumping. These speakers put out a ton of energy but unfortunately this wall of sound is VERY fatiguing and very forward in your face without finesse. Also imaging is a bit vague and smeared.

So that might sound negative but those were my notes from that day and it really was impressive unique sound in that small box which many people love.

Anyway, believe it or not, I would up purchasing the Harbeth 40.2 Anniversary, just an absolutely amazing musical sweet sounding speaker that i listen to for hours at any volume without fatigue. Out of all the speakers I auditioned, this one put the biggest smile on my face and tears in my eyes. 
aj523
375 posts
 
@atmasphere 

Agreed and I listened in what appeared to be an incredible listening environment with top notch components where many pairs have been sold. I really just think it comes down to listening preference,, personal taste, including your brain and your ears. I only imagined it sounding less optimal in my set up given just how good the demo room was. 
aj523
375 posts
 
@arafiq

Yes yes yes. I looked up the 40.2 impedance curve and it dipped below 8 ohms at 90hz to 6 ohms but other than that it stayed above 10 for most of the curve and even hitting 12!!. A 12 ohm speaker lol. Super easy to drive. That’s why I went with 90+ wpc tube amp(zotl40 ref).
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