Devore O/96 with high powered amplifiers


Just picked up a used pair of Devore O/96 and am awaiting delivery. Still have a pair of McIntosh MC501s (500W) and a pair of Quicksilver V4s (170W) that I used with my previous speakers.

Before I sell the amplifiers for something with less power, I plan to at least try them with the O/96s.

What can I expect to hear? What issues might I encounter?

 

 

allison2

I have powered my Devore O/93's with an ARC Ref 150 SE and it sounds better than with my ARC Ref 80S. They simply come alive to a greater degree with the higher power.  High powered amps with high efficiency speakers are fine so long as hum is not a problem. Having a well matched amp and preamp certainly helps so the you don't have too much gain. 

Great points; I am encouraged.  If there is hum, I'll notice it right away.  My preamplifier has a gain reduction switch, so that may come in handy.  

Too much power shouldn't be a problem, That is what volume controls are for.

The old saying is very true. You will far more easily destroy a speaker with too little power than one with too much.

Through experience have found more powerful amps can really bring efficient speakers alive, especially ones like the Devore’s.  What you will have to pay more attention to is the gain across everything in your set up.  If you use XLR’s natural has a higher gain.  Higher powered SS amps can be more sensitive to gain and if fed higher gain can really highlight the hum and or any type of noise finding its way into your system.  That said, attenuation can solve the issue.  They sell high quality attenuators that you can place between your pre and amp that would solve any issues if you can’t solve them using the gain settings on your pre or on other devices in the chain.  I found the attenuators to be more effective than gain adjustment for some reason.  My speakers are efficient but definitely sound better with more powerful amps. 

Low power Jazz and small scale, keep the power for large scale.  I had the O/93 with a little Leben and a bigger Coda. I liked things about both.

The low power tubes will just sound incredible through the speaker. You will hear the magic of the amp. The power will grip the speaker and fill the room with a different sound. Some amps can grip the speaker the wrong way, or at least with a signature that might not agree with you. 

Best of luck with them!