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Considering John DeVore's long legs, on his person and in the industry, I thought a historical Q&A was in order.

Ken Micallef: Why did you become a loudspeaker designer?

John DeVore: I've always been an audiophile. I always had music on and my hi-fi carefully set up, even as a teenager. I loved music, loved the gear, and was meticulous about the sound. In college, I realized I would probably never be able to afford the best speakers I was listening to at hi-fi stores, and so in the 1980s, I began reading up, studying, and eventually…

Description: Two-way, rear-ported bass-reflex loudspeaker. Driver complement: horn-loaded 0.75" (19mm) Vifa textile-dome tweeter, 7" (178mm) SEAS paper-cone woofer. Frequency range: 38Hz–25kHz. Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms.
Dimensions: 35" (889mm) H × 14.75" (375mm) W × 9.75" (248mm) D (including stands). Weight: 40lb (18kg).
Finish: White oak.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: B051B098 (both, auditioned); B0510001 (measurements), "handmade in Brooklyn, New York."
Price: $5700/pair. Stands: $995/pair. Warranty: Five years…

Analog sources: Michell TecnoDec turntable with T3 tonearm, Goldring 1006 and Dynavector 10X5 LOW cartridges. VPI Avenger Direct turntable, VPI Fatboy tonearm, VPI Shyla MC cartridge.
Integrated amplifiers: Parasound Hint 6, PrimaLuna EVO 400.
Preamplifiers: Sugden LA-4, Tavish Audio Design Adagio phono.
Power amplifiers: Pass Labs XA-25, LKV Research PWR-3.
Loudspeakers: Devore Fidelity O/96, Volti Audio Razz, Spendor BC-1.
Cables: Interconnects: AudioQuest Pegasus, Triode Wire Labs Spirit II. Speaker: Auditorium 23. AC: Triode Wire…

I performed the measurements on a different sample of the DeVore Fidelity O/baby from those that had been auditioned by Ken Micallef. It had the serial number B0510001. I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system with a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the speaker's behavior in the farfield and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield responses.

DeVore specifies the O/baby's impedance as 8 ohms, with a minimum value of 6.75 ohms at 200Hz. Measured with…

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