Hey Steve, they been doing this for awhile, targeting various people on RU-vid. Not much to do about it, RU-vid needs to step up. Let me know if you need any help dealing with it. Maybe come out with a video? Anyways, goodluck.
Thanks for reviewing a Devore speaker. Those complaining about the cost of Devore speakers should just seek out speakers they think are a better value. But they won't be Devores! I have owned the Nine, the 0/96 and now the Super 9, and they are the three best speakers I have owned, for my purposes. And I'm 70 years old and have owned at least 20 different high-end speakers in various price ranges. I also realize they are more of a hand-made, almost bespoke product, so I was willing to pay the premium price. The 0/96 was my favorite but my room wasn't quite big enough to allow them to open up like I've heard them at the dealer's larger room. I spent a lot of time listening to the O/96 and the Gibbon X. The Gibbon X was more "neutral" and did more of the audiophile things, but the 0/96 connected me more to the music. The Super 9 has that same, natural presentation, but images better in my room (15 by 19) and has terrific bass sock, which I demand since I listen to mainly classic rock.
I had the opportunity to listen to the O/96 @commonwealth in LA. My jaw dropped. Beautiful. And the sound was magical. I hope one day to own the O/Baby. It’s a speaker that for some is a realistic goal.
You must be the guy who beat me to it! Didn't know of the artist or recording until this mention...managed to finally track down a Chesky disc after hours of looking. Didn't know Chesky is mostly streaming these days, not disc. Thanks,Steve,for the great recommendation-and the hit to my wallet!
Good one, Steve! I've always loved John's speakers and I've always hoped to include one of his models in my system at some point. Who knows? This may be the one!
the price isn't bad but the development of them worries me I can build the same thing at are school wood shop and buy the driver's to but do they or will they sound right🤔
The late Ennio Morricone ranks as one the the finest composers in the film industry. While his score for “The Good the Bad and the Ugly” is highly regarded as one of the most iconic film scores in the history of Cinema, “The Mission” film score is a personal favorite. There’s just so many interesting melodic and thematic “stuff” (my basic one music term fits all with respect to George Carlin) in Morricone’s scores. Some speakers don’t project a positive visual sense of refinement and sophistication and these are ones that checks those boxes even without listening to them. Thanks Steve for another great morning presentation and introduction to an outstanding product.
Late but still but ennio music is very old the music you're talking about wasn't even recorded with stellar in mind It hard to get something out of recording that's not there to begin with is my point
Love the viewer system of the day, nice work Joe. Bet it sounds great. I admire what John D has done and is doing. I understand the risks, pressures and costs of being in business and the cost of making things in NY and it's really unfortunate that things are so expensive these days. Even more unfortunate is the fact that brick and mortar audio is a dying thing.
Heard the o- baby in NYC Listening Room recently..sound great. Very natural and easy to live with,I'd bet. Not the kind of spk that has to be cranked all the time in order to lv an impression. One thing,though-costs being what they are,I'm sure the used market may offer soon some bargains on O-93 models as Devore owners look to scale way back(micro o's) and such. I'll be watching...
beautiful speakers! i was listening to the o93s and i decided to go for the trenner friedl pharoah, just because i wanted a speaker that i dont have to sit right in the center to fully shine. wich the coaxials pharoah did better for me. but the o93 where amazing sounding, a lot of punch, but still feeling u could listen for hours, seeing the o baby now in a finally a little less fancy oak finish, id def think this is goin to be may fav for a tinier second setup! nice new o babys! looks great! id buy them blind since i heared the big ones 096, 093 🖖🏻 good job!
He has taken a less fashionable approach of adopting a wider baffle which makes counteracting the 6db baffle step loss easier. Most speakers today are tall and thin because of aesthetics. But this results in a 6db loss higher up the frequency range and into the most audible parts. Hence crossover corrections in this area can be audible. I have recently designed a mid century radiogram that effectively creates a very large baffle area and reduces the ripples associated with a finitie baffle.
While I love their "vintage" look, I am concerned about that much baffle board area surrounding the drivers. Typically this yields, well, a rather "boxy" sound. So Steve, do these in fact disappear or are you always aware of some level of boxiness? I will attempt to hear them at some point so I can answer this for myself but I must say I am not confident. Similar speaker designs such as those from Audio Note are main offenders in my experience. I've simply never heard those disappear and they always sound really boxy and colored. I find that speakers with minimal baffle board surrounding the drivers pull that ever-elusive disappearing act far more successfully. Imaging too is usually much better. Unless, of course, you do it a 'la Wilson Audio where they minimize cabinet coloration via massive amount of mass/weight - with the obvious downside that we end up paying 20k-plus price tags.
It's less of a baffle thing then it is a box resonance thing. Especially the Audio Notes are built without any damping in the cabinet to the best of my knowledge. The upside theoretically is higher sensitivity the down side is more box resonance. They also use very thin plywood as part of the concept. So that's why those sound "boxy" it's the box.
Retail background I think is huge. Like me having a religious background is huge in my reviews (I started a church about Elvis and Saints) Thanks Steve!
Dear Sir, When will you Interview founder of Grell audio , who has designed legendary Sennheiser HD 800 headphones. He has designed a new in ear headphones Grell TWS 1. Looking forward to enjoy the interview with him.
It can't be low distortion, it's a single driver speaker, a wideband and something on the top. They can't be low distortion by the design. What might be so appealing is the lack of a crossover in the vocal region, or the complete lack of the crossover. Kudos to the waveguide
I have diy wide baffle speakers, previously they were small narrow baffle. The difference is between on axis vs off axis response, one can say either a design compromise or tradeoff. Musically, i like wide baffle, i could hear echoes of musical instruments which I couldn't hear in small narrow baffle speakers, though i admit to poor WAF.
I have heard a pair of o/96's... a pair of full range driver speaker in the same room had a more laser-like focus on the imaging, but, imo, to the point of unrealistic, I did not prefer them. in a jazz club or a concert hall the instruments are usually not tiny points in space. I think the o96's are realistic. and these being a bit smaller should be a bit more middle of the road on this spectrum of narrow to wide I'd assume.
Great music selections! I usually own about half of the stuff you use for reviews, and I often put them on to see if they move me the same way. And they do! And then I’ll usually check out the records I don’t own!
Nice review, I'd love to spend a couple hours of listening to music with you. I appreciate your love of music and equipment, you've made me embrace my own enjoyment of these magical things.
When Steve said that the DWX were more satisfying at a louder volume, is he saying they are not for low volume listeners? Can anyone who has these speakers address this issue further?
Thanks Steve, really enjoyed this review and your 2 June audio podcast about viewpoints on expensive and less expensive components, especially speakers. You're right that attending to where speakers are made, how their components are sourced, and whether a company name is really that company anymore or even that company's values anymore, all important to think about when comparing pricing. Ultimately, it's about sound quality, but also quality of life for others, including the people who make the components and their families. I always learn a lot, and your musical selections while testing become artist recommendations for me, which is a double gift. Hey I was wondering whether John DeVore's guidance on the placement of his speakers recommend placing them in front of a bare wall surface. I noticed in your video that your initial placement had them in front of a few shelves, your final placement had them in front of bare sheetrock or plaster and they sounded like they were meant to sound. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.
Love your enthusiasm and review. I wish you would do the o/96. I’m not where I can here them, (location) and have had my eye on them for awhile, primarily due to the Jana video art art Dudley’s place
"version" being the keyword here, you (we), can not get the exact same mid-bass driver as it is proprietary to Devore. DIY can be great and I'm all for it but you'll have to pay to play if you want an O/Baby. Fortunately, Devore has a good following so not too risky of a proposition if you do bite the bullet, and you just may be happy that you did.
The dimensions are unusual but in a way remind me of the old Boston Acoustic a200. I hope you get to do a review of the micr/o which looks like a interesting true bookshelf speaker.
5k a pair pretty much up my price range what I play with. I wonder how they hold up against what I play with. It's a bit steep for a 2 way, doing barely 40hz
I have had great experiences in audio stores, and ones where if you asked a question they tried to make you feel like an ignorant peon. I think I know which experience you would have with Steve.
The pricing seems about right for a Boutique manufacturer of this high of order. It seems that many comments here are about price and I am sure that comes from the large scale China influence audio makers. Devore is a made specifically tooled rare product and cost is appropriate for this level of design and attention to sound reproduction. I can't wait to hear these at some point.
Yes, Devore is a boutique manufacturer and very cleverly has a product range with a very high aesthetic appeal that looks like almost nothing else on the market. If you’re willing to pay a HUGE premium for this, good for you, but these are very poor value for the $ overall, imo.
Worked repairing and testing audio equipment for Philips and associated company's products, for many years, opinions on performance varied so much, I stopped listening to the other people's comments, I rarely agreed with any of them, it's just like asking how spicy do you like your curry? How crunchy your toast?
The wide front baffles/shallow depth kinda remind me of the old Boston Acoustics A series. They look simpler in construction and size when you pit them against the Cornwalls. I listened to Steve’s last podcast and read some of the comments here; I’m sensing more of a “where’s the value” vibe than an outright disgust at the price. Can’t really tell anything about them without hearing them, but spending $6k with tax can give you a bunch of options, no matter where they’re made. I’ve had more issues with my American-made audio electronics than anything from overseas - not niggly stuff but missing and nonfunctioning parts.
Good to see you doing a speaker of interest. Who makes his drivers? Does he like the AudioNote Hemp Speaker? $6.4k At Axpona the AN room was my favorite. Not so at other shows in the past. And it was not a big room.
John designed both drivers, the woofer is made by SEAS in Norway. Not sure where the tweeter is made. To get the full story please watch the John interview. I would never ask a designer to critique another companies competing speakers!
Maybe because I've been a deejay for decades, but I wonder if it would be possible to get an interview with another NY audio designer legend, Craig 'Shorty' Bernabeu?
Veey sweet looking. However, I prefer the Klipsch La Scala, Belle and vintage Altec Lansing horn speakers like Model 19.Robust, realistic, lively and full bodied. You think youre there type of feeling.
If their too expensive in your mind, then don’t buy them. It’s as simple as that. You have plenty of choices at lower prices. Personally, I appreciate what companies like DeVore Fidelity have to offer (boutique, hand built, premium materials, backed by passionate people who actually care about a lot more than simply pushing boxes out the door). There’s lots of overpriced gear in audio - I give you that. However, based on the Devore designs that I’ve heard, one can do A LOT worse for the money.
Truly dig John Devore, what he's about, etc. But damn, it's tough for me to see the value here... At this segment, I'd think the loudspeaker would offer additional capabilities... ie., a down/rear firing .5 driver. Perhaps an active/DSP aligned accompanying driver picking up below the -3dB point of the Norwegian woofer... again down firing/back firing. My guess is the aesthetic appeal. Just because it goes unappreciated by me, obviously there's ample enthusiast buyers that feel otherwise. I wish John all the best. The professional market for monitors offers superb value high performance that's un-matched. That $6k level, is super competitive, so much performance can be had. Active, or passive ATC 6.5" 2way @$6.5k, or $5k Genelec 3-way point source @$5k (brilliant, innovative design) PMC @$5k Adam 9" 3way active $4k Dynaudio 9" 3way @$3k Then the absolute best high performance value, the remarkable JBL 708P @$2k! Thoughts? Am I alone in my take? Is the appeal aesthetic... or what is the performance appeal?
You are bang on. One of the main reasons he gets away with the outrageous pricing on his speakers is their aesthetic value. Also, as a boutique speaker manufacturer, with made in USA products, the cost is likely 40% higher than that of a manufacturer with much higher volumes and overseas manufacturing. For some the aesthetics and the esoteric quality of these (i.e. not that many out there) make them attractive. But yes, you can get similar performance at a third of their price.
@@mpi5850 Agreed, good points. Just think of JBL's 308p @$219 each... !!!! I use them daily, and mine are atop a pair Seaton SubMersive subs... incredible, $219! I also have a set of $4k actives in the same system, what JBL has done is remarkable. Leveraging all their extensive research into an offshore 8" two-way, it's impressive.
Why does exceptional sound made in the USA need to be this $$$$ exclusive? Is the high price just part of the marketing ( "if it costs this much it must sound good") or is the cost of design manufacturing really that high? Sales would go up if the price was lower and the cost per unit for production would go down with higher production volume.
To put things in perspective. You can get several nice pairs of used magnepan speakers for the cost of these speakers. Some will argue these speakers are a good value which I will have to strongly disagree.
These remind me of entry-level poor man’s BMW, Mercedes, etc. You pay a HUGE premium for the badge, and get performance that cars at half the price will give you.
I think it all depends on what someone is looking for. If it's got the sound they've been chasing after and really enjoy it, who is anyone else to say what their joy is worth?
I sometimes ask myself and others what the most sensible way is to measure value. Is it the cost of materials? Is it rarity? Personal sound preference? Care in craftsmanship? Measured technical specs? Number of components? Physical appearance? All of these things matter to someone somewhere. When we consider price the question immediately becomes one of economics and business and not just sound quality. If everything were about sound quality, we'd never mention prices. But of course we do think about prices which means we are commenting on someone's business model, and someone else's priorities. So if we accept that somewhere there is someone who will buy something for any reason other than sound quality, we have to concede immediately that the value isn't strictly a cost divided by subjective sound quality rating calculation. If sound quality truly was the only important factor, most people would probably build their own speakers or buy them from a no frills company that made low cost but great sounding designs. But that's not what even most audiophiles do. There is more to the value of a speaker than the sound quality, not to mention that sounds quality is an incredibly subjective vague thing in the first place. I personally don't think I would ever spend this kind of money on this kind of design. But I understand the appeal. I've seen this brand in person and they are indeed very finely crafted. Is there thousands of dollars worth of materials in them? Of course not. But I do think the careful design, quality materials, care in construction and finishing, and the rarity of this kind of speaker do make them quite valuable to many people. Ultimately my response boils down to just: these are worth a lot to some people but not strictly for how they sound. It's reasonable when assessing the value of speakers consider more than just the sound quality.
Hi Steve, I would like you to ask people on the next high end meeting which player- as if in software, do they use with windows/mac to play the music. I thought it would be a good idea, thanks!
One would think any logical speaker designed would know how to design cheaper, especially taking into account the actual part cost, and then having another company build the cabinets, I mean come on, are we only pursuing sales from the wealthier 2%?. Of course selling only 10 say $10.000 speakers as opposed to 20.000 ones which cost a mere $1.700-$2.500, would pay bills more or less the same, provided I’m not missing something that is?.
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Steve. You refer to JM Labs. Its a different brand where JM stands for Jaques Mahul. Today more knowned as Focal. Reynauds are a different flower.
I just don’t solely depend on reviews when I buy a product because the sound of a speaker depend on your amp,preamp,and turntable,cables vs.People have to pay attention to what kind of system the reviewer is using.In my case Steve’s reviews very accurate because I also use lots of Pass labs gear.
You’re right, but that would require people getting to hear the product at home, which isn’t usually possible. That’s the purpose of Reviews, it’s not a perfect solution, but it’s all we got. As I’ve said many times, if you have a local dealer you’re lucky. And if you’re going to spend thousands of dollars on an audio component, you should make the effort to go and listen for yourself. Even if that means flying to a place where you can hear for yourself.
Wish Steve would profile the Rose streamer with its CD ripper add on deck. Right now, I am just using my Oppo 203 to play CD's and WAV files from an external USB hard drive. Sounds nice, but not as good as records on a Rega P10 w/a Gold Note PH10. So been thinking aboud adding the Rose unit but would to hear Steve's opinion on it first.
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Thanks Steve. I don't plan to sign up for Tidal or other online music services right now, just looking for something better to upload and replay all my CD's than on to an external USB drive played through an Oppo 203. BTW, do you have any tips on uploading LP's?
How specifically do you mean that his background in HiFi sales helps him design speakers? Is it in the voicing or net frequency response that deviates from neutral for a more pleasing sound?
It’s nothing specific, each customer was looking different things. I’m referring to John’s experiences of interacting with so many people auditioning gear. Most designers are stuck with just their own values.
Fun review as always. Out of sheet curiosity, while they where sitting in place of the Klipsch speakers did you try them with the J2 or XA25 as opposed to the F7? I have O93s and am always curious about peoples experience with the Pass/FW amps matched with Orangutans.
I did try them with the XA25, and they sounded more muscular than with the F7. When I moved them across the room with lesser electronics they sounded better than with the XA25. Point being, room placement, speaker placement improvements are bigger than electronics improvements.
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac So, true. I've had the 093 for over 6 months and still find myself tweaking position in the room, sometimes pretty drastic changes also. Each move tends to emphasize one trait over another. I drive mine with a XA30.8 and would agree with the muscular comment but as one of Nelson's flock have been learning to build his DIYaudio amps. One of these days I would to try either the J2/F8 as both John and other Orangutan owners have said they are the best match in the FW flock.
Anybody that places their speakers against a wall in not an audiophile. I learned many many years ago to leave a cushion. Pull out your speakers from the corners and walls and you will immediately hear the difference.
