The Devore Orangutans

[tomlinmgt]

I heard the 93's a few weeks ago and I just can't get them out of my head. I actually went to the audio store that day to listen to some Golden Ear Triton Twos but had a brief experience with the Devores and man, let me tell you, they stole the show. My preconceived notions upon first glance were shattered once they started playing. They looked like home brew with exotic woods and that wide front baffle just made no sense to me. But when music came out of them they broke every rule I had come to understand. That level of transparency, imaging, sound stage depth and mid range sweetness is only achievable with ESL's and dipoles, right? That's what I thought, at least. And good Lord were they ever sonically gentle, yet commanding all at once. They are, hands down, the easiest to listen to yet most invigorating speaker I've ever heard. Now, I only heard them play some Wilco tracks but in that there was some stripped down acoustic content with some distorted, edgy guitar and a sprinkling of electronica as well as Glen Kotche's typical eclectic percussion, so the sonic demands weren't one dimensional. Have I just not heard enough modern, hi-end-ish speakers to know any better or are these things really something that special? And dammit, that price tag is just beyond my comfort zone.

- Michael

 

[Ths364]

I looked 'em up and they IS rather pricey...good lookin' too...maybe a "B" stock or demo pair can be found- if you're amenable to that. A similar thing happened when I heard the Dahlquist DQ-10's. I pretty much knew I was going to have to have a pair.
Good luck. Hope you can get them!

 

[tomlinmgt]

I looked 'em up and they IS rather pricey...good lookin' too...maybe a "B" stock or demo pair can be found- if you're amenable to that. A similar thing happened when I heard the Dahlquist DQ-10's. I pretty much knew I was going to have to have a pair.
Good luck. Hope you can get them!

Whoa! Hold on a minute. I'm not that deep in!

Besides, I have some IRS Betas I have to get going first. But I am actively searching for a Beta replacement in the event they don't work out for me....for whatever reason.

I certainly never thought a set of speakers that look like the Orangutans would be a candidate. But they sure as hell are on the list now.

 

[tomlinmgt]

John, you mentioned you'd unload your Harbeths if you came into the coin needed to pounce on a set of Devores. That's sayin somethin'....seems to me. Though I've never heard your Harbeths, their reputation precedes them. My bet is they're not an easy speaker to unseat.

 

[davidro]

how low does it go?

 

[tomlinmgt]

The 93's go to 30. The 96's do 25.

http://www.devorefidelity.com/orangutan.html

 

[davidro]

when your heard it yourself though, did they sound like they're pulling proper bass that don't need subwoofers?

 

[tomlinmgt]

The content I was listening to didn't dig deep enough to explore the very low end capabilities of the speakers. But I heard 40 Hz content that was fat and clean and a general LF character that was rich in body and tone, but never excessive.

 

[tomlinmgt]

And it was a big room with tube traps in all four corners.

 

[davidro]

thanks. sounds like they can be my dream speakers.

 

[estreeter]

Dont know anything about their speakers, but I was a little stunned when I read a teaser from a reviewer who claimed that he had signed a confidentiality agreement with DeVore and "mum's the word". They're *loudspeakers*, guys, not the Pentagon floorplan ...

 

[TimF]

The Orangutan's are definately an intriguing speaker for me to say the least, out of my ballpark for sure, but would love to listen to them. I also wonder how they would do on a solid state amplifier even though they are always mated to tubes.

I love John's designs, well made and so musical. Right now I waffle around between a pair of Devore 3XL's or Harbeth Compact 7's(and flirting with a pair of Stirling Broadcast LS3/6's), different, but they make good music.

Going to have to get off the ass and make a trip to St. Louis or Cleveland to listen to these apes soon! Tim

 

[RGA]

Yeah the older school looking speakers with the wide baffles have long been preferable to me - the narrow baffle high excursion multiple driver speaker in vogue sound really quite poor in comparison - more about flat frequency response than dynamics, tone and the overall gestalt of the musical event.

The Devore, big Harbeth 40, My Audio Note speakers and their bigger brothers, and the excellent Trenner and Freidl RA Box and the big fat Tannoy series speakers have been some of my favorites for many years now. There are exceptions to this but they cost significantly more if music is a priority over artificial hi-fi parameters like "slam."

 

[Catcher10]

'sspencif speakers.......I only see folks use them with tube amps. These guys are big DeVore fans.

http://www.pitchperfectaudio.com/

 

[MWalt]

I had quite the same reaction the first time I ever listened to DeVore Orangutans. Love the speakers, way out of my league though...

 

[the_nines]

.....

Have I just not heard enough modern, hi-end-ish speakers to know any better or are these things really something that special? And dammit, that price tag is just beyond my comfort zone.

- Michael

Devore speakers are special.

As to price tag ......... in most cases, you get what you pay for.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your listening experience.

 

[RGA]

I would suggest if the money is tight to audition the entry level Audio Note E for around $6000. It would be the AN E/LX - anyone who likes the Orangutan will like the Audio Notes and vice versa - similar design philosophy - similar look and sound. It's just that the AN E comes in prices from high $5k to $238,000US depending how nutty you want to get with parts quality.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/nestling-audio-note

 

[Seegarsmkr]

I heard the 93's a few weeks ago and I just can't get them out of my head. I actually went to the audio store that day to listen to some Golden Ear Triton Twos but had a brief experience with the Devores and man, let me tell you, they stole the show. My preconceived notions upon first glance were shattered once they started playing. They looked like home brew with exotic woods and that wide front baffle just made no sense to me. But when music came out of them they broke every rule I had come to understand. That level of transparency, imaging, sound stage depth and mid range sweetness is only achievable with ESL's and dipoles, right? That's what I thought, at least. And good Lord were they ever sonically gentle, yet commanding all at once. They are, hands down, the easiest to listen to yet most invigorating speaker I've ever heard. Now, I only heard them play some Wilco tracks but in that there was some stripped down acoustic content with some distorted, edgy guitar and a sprinkling of electronica as well as Glen Kotche's typical eclectic percussion, so the sonic demands weren't one dimensional. Have I just not heard enough modern, hi-end-ish speakers to know any better or are these things really something that special? And dammit, that price tag is just beyond my comfort zone.

- Michael

Comparing the Devore 0/93 should be made with the Golden Triton 1 if $$ is the common factor...the Triton 1 still coming in a few hundred less. If the 0/96 is the price comparo then the Reference (again MUCH less expensive) should be the appropriate comparison. If apples ($$) to apples comparison is made I would like to hear side by side specifics, base accuracy, sound stage, imaging, etc. I listened to the 0/96 and Triton 1 separately on different amps in the same room and I was more impressed with the Triton 1...but can't be objective because of the variables being inconsistent.

 

[DC]

I heard a O96 set a few shows ago (Denver, I think, or Chicago) and they were among the favorites for me for the whole show. A genuine, organic, musical presentation. On my short list for sure.

 

[theophile]

I love the way that people talk about listening to speakers, as if the only item in the room was: The Speakers.

I will guarantee that if one hooks-up the Orangutans to an unsympathetic system, they will sound awful. That is what a superb pair of speakers do. They are an open window. They are a uncompromising scrutinising spotlight. They convey everything that is fed into them. On the end of a superlative system set up in a great room, they offer a peak listening experience. If you don't own that system and room.....