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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.
arafiq
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,732 posts
 
A new pair of Harbeth 40.2 is waaay out of my budget, that’s why I was focusing on SHL5+. But you guys are not making it any easier for me :)

The following points are working in favor of Harbeth ...
- I already have the smaller Harbeth in my study and honestly I can’t think of anything that I dislike about the sound. Well alright, I don’t think they image as well as my KEF LS50s, but other than that they excel in almost everything else that matters to me, especially vocals, texture, and tonality.
- Harbeth probably has more brand recognition than Devore. It matters because if I ever feel the need to sell it, I can probably get a better deal on it. I just wish that they looked a little nicer.

Having said that, the new set of speakers will be placed in the media room, and I do want the rest of the family to be able to enjoy them as well. So Devore’s ’fun’ factor is not necessarily a bad thing as long as it doesn’t stray too far from the sound qualities I prefer, i.e. focus on midrange, tonality, balance, etc. There’s a dealer in my city who carries Devore, I’ll call them tomorrow to see if they have the Orangutans that I can demo.

@prof You now have me looking into the Joseph Audio speakers. Unless I’m mistaken I think they are in the same price range as the Devore Orangutans, or am I looking at the wrong speaker?

prof
3,535 posts
 

Sorry, didn't mean to divert you from Harbeth/Devores :-)


Yes the Joseph Audio Perspectives that I own are around the price of the O/96.   Though you can also get the stand mounted Pulsar which go essentially as low as the SuperHL5+, and the Pulsars are less money.



Note that the Harbeth and Devore have that certain "old school" sound (even if updated), that rich tone top to bottom.   The Joseph speakers are a more "modern" sounding speaker.  Super clean and clear, precise imaging, all that stuff.  However, they are not clinical but have a relaxed sound, with enough richness especially from the lower mids down, to make them very musically satisfying as well as super resolving. 



But, again, the fact you like one school of speakers doesn't mean you'd necessarily like the other.  (That said, it is very rare to find anyone who is not impressed with the Joseph speakers - where opinions on the Devores, and to some degree the Harbeths, are a bit more divided).


Another thing to note about the Devores:  they have a mild wave-guide for the tweeter (to help match them to the big woofer) which means the high frequencies are more directional than either the Harbeth or Joseph speakers.   So, a smaller sweet spot.  (Joseph speakers in particular have wide, even off axis performance and sound great from almost any angle).


But if you are using the Devores from enough distance, or the other listeners aren't super picky,  the smaller sweet spot likely wouldn't be an issue.



atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,193 posts
 
The one fly in the ointment with all these anecdotes is no-one is talking about the amplification and its a huge variable with both of these speakers.


One thing I've noticed at shows is when the room sounds good or bad, the speakers get the credit either way. But if it sounds good the electronics have to sound that good too and vice versa, not to mention that the room itself can have its own problems (standing waves, hard reflective surfaces). I think both speakers are excellent but like any other excellent speaker you can't leave the electronics or room out of the equation!
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,330 posts
 
@arafiq  If you really want complications, throw a used pair of Vienna Acoustics Liszt into the equation.  After 40.2's and Spendor's Classic 100, they would be my #3 choice.
aj523
385 posts
 
@atmasphere 

Agreed and I listened in what appeared to be an incredible listening environment with top notch components where many pairs have been sold. I really just think it comes down to listening preference,, personal taste, including your brain and your ears. I only imagined it sounding less optimal in my set up given just how good the demo room was. 
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