DeVore Gibbon Super Nine

LOUDSPEAKER

- KEN MICALLEF

1 The Orangutans are especially easy loads, with sensitivity that's way above average and remarkably benign impedance curves, but even the Gibbons have sensitivity in the low 90s, 8 ohm nominal impedance, and impedance curves that don't drop much below 4 ohms.

I've watched the DeVore Fidelity factory develop from its humble start as an early tenant in the Brooklyn Navy Yard— once a sprawl of crumbling ruins, now a sleek high-tech hub— into a thoroughly professional facility housing a cabinet shop, assembly, and R&D. It is also the legendary Monkeyhaus, where late-night listening sessions and pizza feasts are a tradition.

I've owned several DeVore Fidelity speakers, from the original Gibbon 8 and Super 8 to the Gibbon Nine and the O/93. I currently own the O/96. What unites DeVore speakers—the singular quality that has earned them a devoted following—is their versatility. All of DeVore's primates—whether tall, sleek Gibbons or squat, broad Orangutans—possess at least above-average sensitivity and relatively unchallenging impedance characteristics, meaning that they can sing with almost any amplifier. But it’s their voicing that truly sets them apart. They reproduce vocals and instruments with natural tone, lifelike texture, and human-scale dynamics. Since the company’s founding 25 years ago, CEO and designer John DeVore has won over hundreds of discerning listeners, many of them for the long haul.

"I think the brand DeVore Fidelity is widely known in the industry, but I'd argue that our speakers can't really be considered popular," DeVore demurred over email. "We are a tiny company hand building only about 200 pairs of speakers a year, sold through a small dealer network. This makes us far smaller than the average hi-fi manufacturer."