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
Keep helping your neighbors, you will find the right ones.  What speakers have you heard that you really like?
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@chrisoshea ... well, thank you for the fantastic advice. I can't believe I never thought of doing it this way, especially the last point. Pure genius!
@bjesien So far I've listened to Harbeth SHL5+, Focal Kanta, Devore O96, KEF Reference 1, Sonus Faber Olympica Nova II, Proac (can't remember the exact model), and B&W 802D.

I have already crossed out Kanta, Proac and B&W 802D from my list. They were awesome and competent speakers but I just couldn't connect emotionally. I have not heard Focal Sopra yet, which I heard are much smoother compared to Kanta. Other than SF and Harbeth, the one that came closest was KEF Ref 1.


I haven't heard all the speakers you mention, but I recently replaced my harbeth super hl5 plus with the KEF reference ones in my main system. There are more detailed, more dynamic, have a great soundstage and imaging, and are easier to listen to at higher volumes.