Devore O/93's with Naim??

I run a pair of Rega Rx-5's off the end of a Naim Nait XS-2 fed by an LP12. I've had Naim and Linn (and some Rega) all my adult life, and very much appreciate good timing and a clean, taught bass. I'm considering a pair of Devore Orangetangs O/93's, but will not be able to demo them in my own house. I'm looking for a bit more color and wallop. But I worry about "boomy-ness", and although I'd like more "presence", I'd need to avoid anything syrupy.

Can the O/93's move when they need to move? Or are they a flabby mess? I've demo'd them in the shop, but with tubes (which is what my local shop has) I just can't tell.

Judd

 

I think if you're going to use solid state, there are probably better choices then DeVore. I know he uses different amps to voice his speakers, solid state among them, but there's a reason your local shop is demoing them with tubes. I have DeVore Gibbon 3XLs, and I've run them with a couple solid state amps (McIntosh and Rega) when circumstances demanded it, but I don't consider them to sound 100% right with them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they'll sound terrible with solid state, but as I say, there's a lot of fantastic speakers out there, and likely some better matches for your system exist.

 

I'd bet the combination sounds great! My opinion only, but I think you'll gain more tone colour with the O/93's. And presuming you have the space to experiment with placement, boominess shouldn't be an issue.

I'm biased, admittedly; I run an XS2 in my own system, and the O/93's I heard were part of the best-sounding system I've ever heard (driven by Line Magnetic CD player and Leben integrated amp.)

 

The DeVore speakers are tube friendly, meaning they are reasonably efficient and have a benign impedance curve. Given that they are tube compatible, many owners prefer to take advantage of these qualities. That does not mean the speaker cannot be used successfully with solid state gear. I bet that the warm and harmonically fleshed out sound of the 093 would work fine with the slightly lean sound of NAIM amplification. I also think the 093s might take that slightly sharp "edge" (hardness to the initial attack of notes) that is something I don't like about their amps.

 

While I've never heard the 93's with Naim gear, the whole DeVore lineup sounds quite good on SS gear.

I've run 93's with quite a bit of different amps, and believe it or not, one of my favorite combo's is with Bel Canto!! (REF600's)

Nothing "flabby" about the 93's at all.

 

Are you listening to them at Don Better's?

If so, he should have Sugden, SPEC, Ayre and Rega there as well that you could likely try them out with for SS options.

 

Yep, I've been out to his place a few times. I bought the Rega's from him last year. Those were easy, as I had Rega Ela 1's (since the beginning of time), and I just wanted something I knew I'd like, but that looked much better for the room they were going into than the 25 year old Rega Ela's (which are pretty rough now).

The fact is, I'm in a bit of a transition from what I want to get out of a system now, and I think I'm ready for a change in "character". I HAVE heard the relative lack of color the Naim/Rega system gives. To be honest, I absolutely COVET three items he has there, the O/93's, the LM 219 and the Leben CS300XS. Believe it or not, I want the Leben the MOST, but it sure as hell won't drive my Rega's (particularly the way I have the room set up now, with acres of space behind them - even my Naim no longer feels like it has an endless well of power when driving the RX-5's). I feel fairly convinced, it's not quite enough for the O/93's either. I suspect that big woofer needs a strong hand and short leash.

I was out to Better's place last week and heard the O/93's on the end of the new 508. A very nice combo, as far as I could tell. But the bass was flabby unless we dialed in some negative feedback on the amp. Which is fine. I felt they did better on the LM219, even though this had less power (the LM219 was AMAZING, but outside the budget). His place is fantastic - with TONS of great gear, and he's a super nice guy. My taste in sound runs different to his, though. For instance, I didn't like the O/93's on Shindo, and I have not yet been able to appreciate the virtues of horns or single driver speakers - he was quite right when he said I need "a traditional tweeter", and I seem to like the sound of transmitter tubes over alternatives (though the Leben sounds AMAZING to me as well). I can bring my Naim out to his place (in fact, I have in the past - though I didn't listen to the O/93's on it because I got distracted by the Consonance Solo, which turned out not to be for me once I'd gotten it into a bigger room). But the fact it, speakers are very personal - and the Devores would be a HUGE change for me. When plunking down almost 9 bills (with tax) I feel like I need to hear them in my room with my amp and front end. So, even though I've heard them several times, the main decision is still a leap of faith. So, I'm trying to get as many opinions as possible.

Anyway, I'm blabbering incoherently.

Judd