DeVore Fidelity Speakers Owners & Discussion Thread

[Mendes]

Starting this thread as I have not seen many of the "Apes"  out in the wild here on SNA.

I know off another pair of O96's here in WA and have seen a pair in NZ.

Would be good to share what model you have, what amps you are using, basically anything of interest.

And of course some pictures from the wild.

Hoping it's of some benefit to owners and others 

 

A shot from the wild here in Perth 

 

 

[Riddo]

I’ve been tweaking the positioning of mine, and they have really surprised, given the hostility shown by my room to every other speaker I’ve introduced to it. 
   I have a Trinnov, which has until now been the most important component in my system, having previously used Acourate to “correct” the room using a PC. I haven’t used the Trinnov with the O/96s yet as I’m mesmerised by the sound I’m getting without it. 
   

[Mendes]

On 22/11/2024 at 9:14 AM, Riddo said:

I’ve been tweaking the positioning of mine, and they have really surprised, given the hostility shown by my room to every other speaker I’ve introduced to it. 
   I have a Trinnov, which has until now been the most important component in my system, having previously used Acourate to “correct” the room using a PC. I haven’t used the Trinnov with the O/96s yet as I’m mesmerised by the sound I’m getting without it. 
   

How many hours do you have on them now Graeme?

[Mendes]

@dafloro6601

[Riddo]

8 hours ago, Mendes said:

How many hours do you have on them now Graeme?

  About 500-600 hours, Steve. 
Probably 250+ hours at normal listening levels and the rest at low level. They sounded  good from the start and seem to be better every time I sit down in front of them. 
   One of the things that surprised me was the development of sibilant sounds. They seemed a little muffled for the first few weeks. An example: I had to strain to hear the  ‘s’ in the phrase “…direct you into my arms” in the Nick Cave song “Into My Arms”. I’m not a fan of prominent sibilants, but it initially sounded like a blanket had been thrown over the speakers. Now, everything is in a natural balance. 
   Of course, replying to your message, I had to listen - there goes another three or four hours!

   Zero buyer’s remorse. So many happy hours passed and to come!

  

[Mendes]

Another pair of O96's out West, owner may chip in with amplification details.

 

[dafloro6601]

Here you go gents, a few more pics…

 

Currently driving the 0/96s with my favourite amp, the Luxman 590 AXII - 30 watts of pure Class A bliss. Tried a couple of different amps on the speakers (Sugden, Pass Labs F8) and they sounded great will both, just differerent.

 

When I first got the speakers, I was a bit worried they would not be able to fill the room, given the high ceilings, but they are just wonderful.

 

Definitely the best speakers I have ever owned - I can’t believe how the treble and mid-range sound, not to mention how low they go. I had REL 510s subs with my previous La Scala speakers, but I just didn’t need them with  the 0/96s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2024 by dafloro6601
Typo

[Mendes]

Some light reading for over the Xmas break 

 

https://pt.audio/2016/02/13/review-devore-fidelity-o96-loudspeakers/

 

[Mendes]

Worth a look for Devore Fidelity fans.

How the O/baby speakers are made, hope you enjoy 

 

 

[Riddo]

Small update here. I’ve had a First Watt SIT 4 for a couple of weeks now, and it’s just more of the Nelson Pass magic! After putting in the second-hand F8, I was surprised to find that it continued to improve for months, so I’m giving the SIT 4 plenty of time. I was interested in the Leben 600x at first, but Bill McLean - while praising the Leben - suggested that the SIT 4 was a great pairing with the O/96. 
I’ve also replaces the ISO Pucks under the speakers with Herbie’s little fat dots. I’m not sure about these. It seems to have resulted in a tipped up balance. It’s probably the result of lowering the speakers by about 3cm. 
The speakers still sound as wonderful as always!

[Mendes]

43 minutes ago, Riddo said:

I’ve also replaces the ISO Pucks under the speakers with Herbie’s little fat dots. I’m not sure about these. It seems to have resulted in a tipped up balance. It’s probably the result of lowering the speakers by about 3cm. 

The SIT 4 will be a great match for sure, well done.

I use Herbies Gliders under my stands, mainly so I could slide them around while finding the sweet spot. They are not very high in profile, If I remember correctly JDV does not recommend raising the speakers too much. cannot remember why??

Thanks for posting Graeme  

[Herbyj]

Interesting that Bill McLean would say that re Leben.

I think John Devore uses Leben to demo at the shows?

Herby

[Riddo]

14 hours ago, Herbyj said:

Interesting that Bill McLean would say that re Leben.

I think John Devore uses Leben to demo at the shows?

Herby

He likes Leben with Devore. 

[Gryffles]

On 17/04/2025 at 10:46 AM, Herbyj said:

Interesting that Bill McLean would say that re Leben.

I think John Devore uses Leben to demo at the shows?

Herby

Its difficult to go back to valve power amps once you find the First Watt amp that suits tastes and speakers. 

 

I heard some Shindo Haut-Brion amps driving some O96's a long time ago and that was marvellous and really stuck with me. 

 

 

[Mendes]

I think the magic of the O96 is the impedance.

Sensitivity: 96 dB/W/M
Impedance: 10 Ohms 8.75 Ohms minimum at 190 Hz

This makes them very amp friendly.

I have used mine with-

SET 300B 8 W

FW F8 25W

FW J2 25W

Sugden IA-4 33W

 

All sounded amazing, just depends on the flavor you like.

@dafloro6601 uses a Luxman 30W Class A which sounds quite incredible.

 

My pal @stereonut has a Sun Audio 2A3 SET Int that I am keen to plug in for a listen as well.

 

So many options and so much fun.

 

[Riddo]

15 hours ago, Riddo said:

He likes Leben with Devore. 

By “He”, I mean Bill McLean. I know that John Devore does. 

[dafloro6601]

As Mendes said, just depends on the flavour you like. I have tried mine with the Pass Labs 25W integrated, the Pass Labs F8, the Sugden IA4, the Luxman 550 AXii, and the Luxman 590 AX ii.

 

They all sounded great, just different presentation. I have heard the Mendes combination and it sounds fantastic!

 

The room also plays a role, as I have mine in a much larger room than Mendes which presents its own challenges.  In the end, in my room, I preferred the result with the Luxman 590 AXii - 30W into 8 ohm (and possibly conservatively rated according to some).

 

I have never heard the Leben, so would be interesting to hear from others what they think.

 

 

Edited yesterday at 06:13 AM by dafloro6601

[parrasaw]

46 minutes ago, Riddo said:

By “He”, I mean Bill McLean. I know that John Devore does. 

Having just read Jeff Day's review of the Leben CS 600x integrated amplifier, I can understand why.

The Leben/Luxman "connection" in the article is very interesting

A great read for what must be a great amplifier:

https://jeffsplace.positive-feedback.com/sneak-peek-the-leben-cs-600x-integrated-amplifier-feature-review-for-positive-feedback/

Edited yesterday at 06:56 AM by parrasaw

[dafloro6601]

Very interesting thanks Paul.