What is best tweeter height for the Devore O/96?

I heard back from John Devore, who kindly replied to my question about this. He explained that the tweeter height is set low on purpose for the O/96s, with the ideal listening height being slightly above the top of the speaker cabinet. The system is aligned for that listening axis. With the Gibbon Xs, the listening axis is right around the tweeter height or slightly above, so the cabinets are taller.

Based on my own experience with the O/96 and Gibbon X, this is what I’ve observed also. I’ve noticed that the sound of the O/96 has added dimensionality and clarity when the listening height is slightly above the speaker cabinet.

Does the Audio Note AN-3 has a similar listening axis?

To clarify, my intent here is not to criticize the Devore O/96 which I think is a remarkably fine speaker. It’s an extremely musical and involving speaker which has much to offer, especially for enthusiasts of low power tube amps, SET amps, and low power solid state Class A amps. I just found the tweeter height to be an interesting choice by John Devore and wondered about his reasons for this. I’ll forward my question to him for a response.

Also had a question for owners of Audio Note AN-E speakers, which shares some design principles with the Devore O/96. Certainly they are different with AN-E designed for corner loading of bass, but the general philosophy seems to share some similarities, 2-way design, wide baffle, larger lightweight woofer cone, higher sensitivity, etc. Have AN-E owners experimented with speaker height to bring tweeter up to ear level? What are peoples experience with that speaker? Thanks.

Erik and Charles,  Many thanks for your comments. I agree.

In my experience, the Orangutan produces an image height that is entirely satisfactory, with image height higher than the speaker cabinet.  The O/96 can produce a very wide soundstage with excellent height too, when properly set-up.  This apparently is exactly what Devore intended, with listening axis slightly above the upper edge of the speaker cabinet.  The speaker sounds somewhat taller than you'd expect.  :-)   They have excellent clarity and imaging while producing a rich and musical tone with great dynamics.

Hey ladok, I totally agree.  The O/96 is capable of excellent imaging, both horizontally and vertically.  It's an amazing speaker and demands first class upstream components to hear it's full potential.  Cheers!

I have used the O/96 with a variety of SET amps including 300B and 845 designs with good results.  The O/96 is very revealing of upstream changes in amps and preamps, and it is highly compatible with different designs, including SS amps.  The O/96 works well with the First Watt J2 (as reviewed recently in Stereophile), but the speakers are even better with Pass Labs Class A amplifiers like the XA30.8.  The resolution, bandwidth and imaging are superb with that amp.  I also think the speakers benefit from higher damping factor of these amp designs compared to SET amps.  I'm using the XA30.8 with XP-20 preamp from Pass Labs, a wonderful combination with the O/96.

Try the First Watt J2.  The J2 is a really good amp.  It's lightweight and easy to move, and sounds splendid with the Devore O/96.  Yes, the XA30.8 is built like a tank and weighs nearly as much.  Tremendous build quality and sound.