Devore O/96 with high powered amplifiers

The DeVore can do bass nicely but its important to keep in mind the speaker is not designed for a tube amp with a higher damping factor. At shows DeVore is often seen using an SET with no feedback which has a lower damping factor. He is relying on this for the speaker to make bass properly.

This is why some higher powered amps might not be ideal on this speaker. Its not the power that's the issue- its the fact that the speaker is not meant to be heavily damped by the amp.

I knew that they sound better with lower power tube amps of about 30 watts but did not know why. And yet between my eight watt Ampandsound Nautilus and my two ARC amps (150 and 80 watts) I prefer the higher powered amps. I am rather sure both ARC amps have high damping factor-I believe around 14. Bass is tighter and more satisfying with my higher powered amps. When I say that the Orangutans sound better with lowered powered amps like a 30 watt Leben I am referring to the overall presentation. 

The above video about John’s foray with amps was fun but it sounded to me like like even he was uncertain why some of the higher power amps worked better than other with the O/96.

I’ve veered away from the low powered gear for a while but seem to listen more when I’m in that camp. Nice to have multiple amps if you can swing it, multiple speakers ,dacs and tonearms too lol.

There's also the fact that maybe you like the way some amps control speakers more than others. It's a very different presentation and to each his own. I had a Coda driving a pair of Cornwall 4's and it smoked the Leben. However with other speakers I liked the Leben better.

@atmasphere 

could there be other factors than damping factor? 

john liked the devores sound with a parasound  a21 but not with a parasound jc5.  both have a damping factor around 1000.  

could there be other factors than damping factor? 

@avanti1960 Yes. The differences we are used to hearing between amplifiers is mostly the distortion signature of that amp. 

Our ears use harmonics to tell the difference between the tone colors of various instruments and in the same way harmonics generated by amplifiers cause those amps to sound different from each other. Damping factor, once its over about 20:1 has no effect on sound quality.