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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
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,599 posts
 
The dealer was driving the speakers with Audio Research separates. I don't remember the exact model but I think the combined price for the premap and amp was upwards of $15000. My opinion is that this is a great choice for folks who like the modern sound of Focal and KEF but still want a dose of the old school magic.

One thing that I'm learning about myself is that I generally don't care for high sensitivity speakers. This is not to say they're inferior in any way, just not my cup of tea. Having said that, I don't mean to imply that the Devores are not great speakers, far from it. Just not for me.

Right now, I'm leaning heavily towards Super HL5+, or Sonus Faber Olympica Nova. @twoleftears Thank you for suggesting Vienna Acoustics. I'm not sure if there are any dealers in my city that carry it, but I'll definitely check it out.
bjesien
1,251 posts
 
@arafiq it's good to see that you are on your path to finding the speaker that works for you.  I may have missed it but what are you currently using in your house?

Some of the speakers I've owned over the years (my wife as my witness) have been from Wilson, JM Reynaud, Verity Audio, Vandersteen and Devore.  One constant has been a pair of Devore's in our house since 2009.  Some of the amps have been from Audio Research, Simaudio, Luxman, McIntosh, Mastersound and Leben.  I've tried Spec and Sugden recently but not long enough to put an opinion out to the world.

I've come to be very careful with amplification because some speakers, and I think higher sensitivity speakers in particular, are more influenced by amplification and sources than others.  I agree with Prof that speakers have a signature all of their own, but again, the amp completes the circuit, so careful pairing matters, at least to me.

When the O/96 first came out I heard them in a shop and the dealer hooked them up to an Audio Research Ref 110 and Ref 3. This is what I purchased my Verity speakers with after hearing this combo so it was a seemingly "good" comparison to the salesperson.  After spending some time with them, I asked if we could hook up the EAR integrated that was on another rack.  To my ears the speakers came to life with this amp- lower powered, lower cost amplifier, and I finally understood the speaker..

I don't have a horse in this race but if I did it would have the proper shoes.            


 
mrmanisundaram
81 posts
 
I have owned the 0/93's for 3 years now.  Originally had it paired with Line Magnetic 518, and now for the last year with a Leben CS600x. Cabling is all Auditorium 23.  Having listened to Harbeth's, I prefer the O's. 
Placement is key, but the amplifier behind it is crucial.  I think the O series speakers are absolutely fantastic.
pops
2,272 posts
 
I almost bought a pair of 096’s after the CAF a few years ago I was so impressed with them. In fact, I was close to starting negociations on the pair on display at the show. My hesitation was the system was so different than mine that I was concerned they would not be a drop in.  

My amplification is Mcintosh 501’s or Classe built around Thiels. Plenty of tubes and vinyl upstream but worried about the amps. However, John Devore says they also love big power. They are still on my short list however as their sound left such an impression on me.


pops
2,272 posts
 
One plus I have is my room.  Big and acoustially designed by Rives with pleny of space to experiment with placement.

I would rather not buy another amp right now.


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