February 3, 2025

Decisions, Decisions (Not Really)

I’m torn. Just admitting my indecisiveness shows that I have been seriously contemplating laying out $18K for the DeVore Fidelity O/96 Speakers. This is about what I paid for my GS—my BMW motorcycle. And while I think they’re worth it, that sort of investment, based on the reality of my life, remains in the realm of the absurd. Even though I could conceivably pull it off—especially with a bit of assistance from a personal signature loan, to do so would be irresponsible at this point. Perhaps if I wasn’t also building a sound shed, I could justify it, but I’m not sure I ever could to Autumn.

The DeVore Fidelity O/baby Speaker.

What I step back, even the $8K for the O/baby seems a bit high, though much more realistic. And even though Lawson and Giles both recommend just getting what I really want, I’m going to have to begin my journey into the DeVore sound a bit more modestly with the O/baby.

I have to say, however, that I’m not disappointed with this more mature decision. I have not read or heard a single disparaging remark or review about the O/96’s little brother. For example, see Stereophile:

“ The O/baby's top end is sweetly extended, supertransparent, and informative—probably beyond its older, larger, more expensive Orangutan siblings, both of which spent years in this room. Its midrange is rich but also transparent, in keeping with the DeVore house sound. The low-end delivered everything that mattered on my jazz, electronic, and hip-hop albums with, in this room, more clarity and better control than the larger DeVores. ” — Ken Micallef

HiFi+:

“ The O/baby is everything that genuinely great hi-fi should be. It represents one of the very best speakers available under ten grand. ” — Ed Selley

HiFi News:

“ Only four speakers ever brought me to tears: Apogee’s Scintilla, the Wilson Sasha DAW, LS3/5As and now DeVore’s O/baby. I’m not suggesting what I heard can be duplicated even if one assembled the exact same system, as I bow to the synergy with my room. What is telling is that I spent seven straight hours in there just for the first session, transfixed. For size, if not price, these have no rivals I can name. ” — Ken Kessler

The Audio Beatnik:

“ The O/Baby Speakers have a raw liveliness to them that is absolutely intoxicating. They are also very articulate speakers, and the voices were very realistic and easy to understand. . . . Another area where the O/Baby speakers rise to the top is in imaging. They produce a more than adequate soundstage. Their soundstage, while not as wide and deep as that of my DeVore gibbon Super Nines. However, the imaging within that soundstage is spectacular. The O/Baby speakers produce images of instruments and vocals that convey precise spatial information. ”

Many reviewers remark that the O/baby is very similar to the O/96, but smaller. I figure that what they lack in bass from the O/96 will be made up by my REL T/9x subwoofer. I also chatted a bit with a guy in the r/audiophile subreddit, and he writes: “I don’t feel like I’m missing out. The O/babies are fun to listen to. I kept digging into records I hadn’t listened to for years.”

Convincing. And even if I decide that I do really want the O/96, then I figure I could pretty easily sell the O/babies after saving up a bit more for the larger speaker. Besides, the O/baby will go very well with the equipment that I already have. Yeah, the more I write, the more I’m convinced I am that the O/baby will be my next speaker. If I’m serious, I better order them to get in the four-to-six-month queue.