I heard the Orangutans a couple of months ago at In Living Stereo in NYC, driven by Shindo amps and a Shindo-modded Garrard 301 turntable. I've also heard the same amps and turntable driving the Nines.
Overall, I'd say there is certainly a "house sound" apparent between the Nines and the Orangutans. I've heard Nines driven by all kinds of amps, and with the Shindo they come across as warm, rich and well-balaned. For my tastes, however, the Nines are a bit sluggish and murky when paired with the lower-powered Shindo amps, and I suspect that may be partly because they're a bit less efficient than what's ideal for a 10- or 12-watt amp. Devores also are not artificially tipped-up the way a lot of speakers are, which makes them a particularly good antidote to solid-state amps and tubes of the KT88 and 6550 variety. And in the same way, Shindo amps aren't tipped up at the high end, either. Put together, it may be too much of a good thing to my ears, which prefer Shindo paired with the Veritys or Tonians.
The Orangutans, when paired with the same Shindo amps in that room at ILS, delivered a far more rich, enveloping and lively sound than the Nines - the sound of the Nines in that room was somewhat ordinary by comparison. At the same time, however, I felt like the 10-inch drivers may have been overwhelming the room a bit. As a result, I felt like the Orangutans still lacked the speed and transparency of the Veritys in that same room, although they did have a richer and arguably more involving sound. I was with a friend who still talks about "that room" and how great it was with the Orangutans, but to my tastes the sound could have used a bit more refinement. I suspect that, in a larger room, the sound would probably balance out very nicely indeed.
I want to emphasize that I consider Devores among the best speakers out there, and thought the Orangutans were certainly remarkable. Not yet sure the Oranguatans represent quite the value that some of the lower-priced models do. Again, I'd be curious to hear them in a larger room.
Overall, I'd say there is certainly a "house sound" apparent between the Nines and the Orangutans. I've heard Nines driven by all kinds of amps, and with the Shindo they come across as warm, rich and well-balaned. For my tastes, however, the Nines are a bit sluggish and murky when paired with the lower-powered Shindo amps, and I suspect that may be partly because they're a bit less efficient than what's ideal for a 10- or 12-watt amp. Devores also are not artificially tipped-up the way a lot of speakers are, which makes them a particularly good antidote to solid-state amps and tubes of the KT88 and 6550 variety. And in the same way, Shindo amps aren't tipped up at the high end, either. Put together, it may be too much of a good thing to my ears, which prefer Shindo paired with the Veritys or Tonians.
The Orangutans, when paired with the same Shindo amps in that room at ILS, delivered a far more rich, enveloping and lively sound than the Nines - the sound of the Nines in that room was somewhat ordinary by comparison. At the same time, however, I felt like the 10-inch drivers may have been overwhelming the room a bit. As a result, I felt like the Orangutans still lacked the speed and transparency of the Veritys in that same room, although they did have a richer and arguably more involving sound. I was with a friend who still talks about "that room" and how great it was with the Orangutans, but to my tastes the sound could have used a bit more refinement. I suspect that, in a larger room, the sound would probably balance out very nicely indeed.
I want to emphasize that I consider Devores among the best speakers out there, and thought the Orangutans were certainly remarkable. Not yet sure the Oranguatans represent quite the value that some of the lower-priced models do. Again, I'd be curious to hear them in a larger room.