2022 Updates

Owner

@peterf6 In my opinion the DeVores sound as good as they look! I do love the two tone wood.

I still own the Arros (they're in our living room TV system). I don't think I could ever not own a pair of Totem speakers. The Arros have a great dispersion and off axis listening too, which is more accommodating for our multi-seating living room.

Bummer you had issues with the Rainmakers. I also owned them once, but mostly for near field listening and didn't find I had a problem with imaging.

stereosanctity February 02, 2025 05:48

Those Devores are beautiful to look at! I don't know their sound. I see you have Totems in your former and other system. I had Rainmakers and loved their ability to go deep. But I had trouble getting them to image and finally sold them. Happy listening!

peterf6 February 02, 2025 00:05

@stereosanctity

That's cool! Yeah the finish is really cool. From a distance, it looked like the faces were painted yellow, but zooming in and seeing it's just a different wood type was great. Has a very mid-mod feel to it color palette wise.

Oh great! I'm not quite ready to get a rack just yet since I'm in the process of swapping out some gear, but once I get settled, I'll probably reach out for info!

mmcgill829 October 31, 2023 06:15

Owner

@mmcgill829

Thanks! I purchased the DeVores used but like to think i would’ve picked this finish if i were purchasing them new 15 years ago. I like the contrast made by the Italian oak and Birds Eye maple.

A local-to-me carpenter made my rack to my specs. I’m very happy with it. He has made racks for other A’goners here and shipped too. If you’re ever interested I can check his availability and connect you two. Cheers.

stereosanctity October 28, 2023 16:34

Nice system! I like the finishing option you went with for the DeVores. They pop without being too loud (visually lol). The rack is really nice too. I'm struggling to find a nicely made, clean wood rack as well, especially with isolation shelves built-in. Butcher block acoustics makes good shelving, but have to buy the isolation blocks separately and can quickly get up in to the $3000+ range.

mmcgill829 October 28, 2023 02:14

Owner

@tmortsd

Thanks! I just sent you a private message with their contact info. He'd love to the opportunity to build more racks.

I feel our cat tries to get our attention again whenever the focus turns to the stereo. Ha! She wants to be at the center, always.

stereosanctity March 18, 2023 16:44

Owner

@jumia

Yes. I'm using the Node with the BorderPatrol DAC and I feel the BP DAC takes a lot of the edge off. The Node's internal DAC, combined with the Heed amp, is too brittle and lean for my taste. I've considered upgrading to Sonore or Auralic or Innuos, but feel I get enough performance out of the Node and BP DAC combo to not have to justify the expense.

stereosanctity March 18, 2023 16:40

Like everyone else I love the rack. I think the meridians CD player is kind of cool.

Appears you're not using the Dac within your blue sound. I have a blue sound and didnt like the dac and put it back in the box and never saw it again, maybe the streaming is ok but I'm not sure because I got something else.

jumia March 18, 2023 16:36

Stunning rack, can you put me in touch with your contractor friend? Beautiful overall set-up! Our kitties have a tendency to come when I fire up the system!

tmortsd March 18, 2023 14:52

Owner

@tmiddle

Thanks for commenting. Love my rack! We have a carpenter friend who's done a lot of projects around our home and he made this rack for me. Couldn't be happier with it.

stereosanctity March 17, 2023 14:19

Love your system and music room. Also had a rack custom built up in Portland about 15 years ago.

tmiddle March 17, 2023 00:29

Owner

@mjcmt

It plays fine and is still reliable after 30 years. I bought it last summer from the original owner and cosmetically it's pretty new looking. I'm running the digital out through the BorderPatrol DAC and no complaints.

Right now I do not have another player to compare to (well, except a Sony Playstation 1 that I use for CD-Rs), but the Meridian is very full sounding, dynamic, and with a lot of scale. Compared to Streaming it is way less squished sounding.

stereosanctity January 31, 2023 23:43

I am curious how the vintage Meridian 206 is holding up in operation and sound compared to modern cd sound?

mjcmt January 31, 2023 23:09

Owner

@mjcmt

Wow. It means so much hearing you say so. This has been a slow process over the last 9 years, or so, and have been loving the mix of newer and older gear. I'd like to think I'm set for awhile now, but we all know how that goes. I'm sure a new piece of gear will come along (maybe a new streamer? New cartridge?).

stereosanctity January 31, 2023 15:36

Reviewing your system again. Gorgeous, inviting, and high end!

mjcmt January 31, 2023 03:28

Owner

@subterranean6

Thank you! I'm very happy with Soundsmith even with this entry cartridge. I've heard the next model up, the Carmen, and it gives even more drive and detail.

I've seen your system on the DeVore FB group and have always admired your space so much. I think a lot of our tastes are pretty aligned ;)

stereosanctity January 11, 2023 22:53

Love your setup, room, style, and that's a cute cat! I need to check out Soundsmith carts at some point. Obviously we have similar tastes in speakers...

subterranean6 January 11, 2023 01:48

Owner

@toro3

Ha! Good call. Just added it and linked to the video in the description. That was an unexpected surprise to see in John's latest video.

stereosanctity December 23, 2022 21:12

@stereosanctity I mean, you should probably post that picture of your cat’s leg with Devore Fidelity in the background given the most recent video. Very cool!

toro3 December 23, 2022 14:19

Great to know. Thank you! I will reach out to you for more info - it might be a couple months before I do. I'm in the info gathering stage while I get funds together for the next set of upgrades, which includes a rack.

I'd love to hear the O/Baby's. I considered them for a second system and opted against them for now.

Cheers from Maine.

dullgrin December 02, 2022 04:32

Owner

@dullgrin

The builder of my rack is also willing to ship if you're ever interested :)

stereosanctity December 02, 2022 04:07

Owner

@dullgrin

Thanks again for complimenting! I purchased the DeVore's from the previous owner back in April and they work so well in this space. Really versatile speakers. I hope to snag some O/Baby's at some point down the line, but for now the Super 8s are great.

stereosanctity December 01, 2022 16:54

I suspected it might be a custom piece. It's absolutely gorgeous - really my ideal for an equipment rack, so I was crossing my fingers it might be an option available to me. Being on the East Coast, it's probably not terribly practical.

Enjoy that gorgeous system - love those DeVore's, too! And thank you for the info!

dullgrin December 01, 2022 04:12

Owner

@dullgrin

Thanks for your kind words regarding my system and room, and appreciate your question about my rack!

It was custom made by a carpenter and builder who is local to us here in Portland, Oregon. It's solid walnut and each shelf is decoupled from the frame. The platforms have coned feet that rest inside small recesses notched into the frame.

stereosanctity December 01, 2022 04:02

Beautiful system, beautiful room!

May I ask for some details on your equipment rack? Is that a commercially available rack or one you had custom made?

dullgrin December 01, 2022 02:52

Displaying posts 1 - 25 of 48 in total

Description

Room Details

Components Toggle details

DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Super 8

Heed Audio Obelisk SI Mark III

Heed Audio X-2

Clearaudio Concept

Soundsmith Otello Cartridge

BorderPatrol DAC SE

Meridian 206ΔΣ

Bluesound Node 2i

Sony Playstaion 1 SCPH-1001

Signal Cable Co. Various Cables

AudioQuest Various Cables

AudioQuest PowerQuest 2

HiFi Man HE-300

Various Tweaks from Herbie’s Audio Lab, etc.

Comments 48

Audiogon

Forum

Bluebook

Merch

2022 Updates

Description

Room Details

Components Toggle details

DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Super 8

Heed Audio Obelisk SI Mark III

Heed Audio X-2

Clearaudio Concept

Soundsmith Otello Cartridge

BorderPatrol DAC SE

Meridian 206ΔΣ

Bluesound Node 2i

Sony Playstaion 1 SCPH-1001

Signal Cable Co. Various Cables

AudioQuest Various Cables

AudioQuest PowerQuest 2

HiFi Man HE-300

Various Tweaks from Herbie’s Audio Lab, etc.

Comments 48