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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
richdirector's avatar
richdirector
266 posts
 
I went from Harbeth 30.1 to Tannoy Ardens - it is pretty hard to compare as bigger speakers move that air so beautifully - I had been tmpted by the 40.2 for my 7.5m x 5.5m x 3.5m tall room but got a steal on an open box tannoy pair that was too good to ignore. Devore in the UK too expensive with the exchange but would have loved to try a pair.
tk21
237 posts
 
I was interested in this loudspeaker (and the O/93) but found it very hard to audition/purchase now (with Covid.)  The nearest dealer did not have them in stock (only the Devore Gibbons) and did not seem very motivated to work with me. Even for delivery to the store he wanted a big, non-refundable deposit.  

vinci92
18 posts
 
I've audition many Haberth in my life. Their presentation are generally more homogeneous. My o 96 are positioned close to the wall but silver power cables and silver interconnects as well as basstrap allows me to control the bass with ease. I use a soft tube DAC and tube preamplification because my solid state amp is particularly dynamic and puts too much emphasis on female voices, brass and electric guitars (1khz to 2khz). I'm used to the more controlled Focal Scalla tones and punches. By using the Sophia preamp tubes, the sound is sublime. Beware of speaker cables that are too round like the Wireworld Silver Eclipe. The Auditorium 23 are perfect but ultra dynamic and bring the full potential of o 96s. Still I ended up with more balanced Siltech speaker cables. Transparent would probably be very different but a good match for o 96s as well. And, yes absolutely, absorbent panels and a carpet were game changer in my case. 
aj523
360 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. 
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,313 posts
 
I heard O/93's at Command Performance a while ago.  They were fine but they really didn't draw me in; there was no magic.  I've never heard the O/96's, but from the name, the price, and what I've read about them, I gather they are a step (or two) up.  On that same trip I heard 40.2's at Deja Vu, which are now what I own.
BTW, I was very impressed by Audio Note AN-E's, which I gather were part of Devore's inspiration for the O series.
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