Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Nine Speakers by kev313

Model:	Gibbon Nine
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$6,500 - $7,500
Description:	2.5 way floor standing speaker
Manufacturer URL:	DeVore Fidelity
Model Picture:	View

Review by kev313 on July 11, 2008 at 22:06:53
IP Address: 98.193.80.207 Add Your Review
for the Gibbon Nine

Sometime it just takes me a while to get a handle on a new component. I've had the DeVore Nines for a year now and I think I'm ready to tell my story.

Disclaimer: At one point, (about 10 months in) I was so frustrated with this experiment I tried to sell the speakers.

How's that for a start? Fortunately I caught buyer's remorse BEFORE I sold them and promptly pulled them off the 'gon. I've used a good number of different amps on these speakers, so I'll do my best to describe the various pairings and, ultimately, their effect on my opinion of the speakers. The preamp remained consistent - a Juicy Music Peach II using the 6h30 and 6922 tubes.

Before I get to the specifics of the sound, I have a few words on the purchase of the speakers and of the speaker itself. I purchased the speakers from Matt Rotunda at Pitch Perfect in San Francisco. I honestly can't remember if this was the first time that I worked with Matt. As that implies, I have called him on more than one occasion. Matt is always helpful and generous with his time. No high falutin' audio salon attitudes here!

I ordered the speakers in the premium walnut finish and had them within about a month. The speakers are surprisingly small. I previously owned the Gibbon Super 8's and the Nines are not much larger. The veneer work is first rate, as it had been on the Super 8's.

With respect to placement, the buzz on the Nines is that they are easier to place than the Super 8's. To be honest, I never thought that "room intolerance" was the problem with the Super 8's. The problem with my Super 8's was a thinness in the bass - a lack of weight - that I found to greatly diminish the overall presentation of the speaker. Articulate in the midrange and treble? Check. WIIIIIIde soundstage with other audiophile approved imaging effects? You betcha. Involving well balanced sound? Well, no, not to my satisfaction.

I digress. Placement of the Nines is easy (the set-up manual that comes with the speaker is quite helpful). While wiggling the Nines about the area in my room where speakers generally end up produced some changes to the bass response and imaging, the sound was of similar character just about anywhere I plopped 'em down.

The initial impression was, as you may have guessed from my confession which opened the review, not good. In fact, the sound was rather flat and thoroughly disappointing. At this point I was using the Cary v12r amplifier with the new Gold Lion kt88 tubes (in both triode mode for 50 watts and ultralinear mode for 100 watts). Jazz, classical, pop, rock -it didn't matter. The result was the same: boring. My jazz sounded like discombobulated squeeks, classical sounded like a ringtone, and pop recording such as Bright Eyes, Radiohead, M. Ward, and Leonard Cohen had me preferring the presentation of my car stereo. I didn't even hear a family resemblance to the Super 8's. The sound was stuck to the speakers and had me reaching for the pillow. It was all of the weaknesses of the Super 8's with none of their considerable strengths.

I kept at it for a few months to be sure that I wasn't suffering from a case of speakers that badly needed some break-in time. Although I heard some improvement, I was never wowed. Of course, I also started to worry that I was just getting used to the sound and tricking myself into thinking that the NInes were good. In the end, I was left with only one option. One that we are all familiar with.

I threw money at the problem.

Next up was a Rowland 112 which represented a major break from my using tubes amps exclusively since 2001. It's a big change, but I was desperate (and curious. Wait...that's a different story). It was, as it turns out, a major change in both topology and sound. The Nines were positively holographic with the solid state Rowland. Can a soundstage climb the walls, open the door, and sit down in the next room? Yes it can. Listening to any of The Orb's albums was akin to climbing into a gigantic set of headphones. Fun as it was, the Rowland had a midrange steeliness with the Nines that made its continued residency in my system impossible.

It was, however, clear at this point that the added woofer had moved the Nines into territory that was not familiar (in my room anyway) to the Super 8's. There was a weight or authority to the sound that had me more involved in the music. It was an emotional dimension or connection that was sorely lacking from my experience with the 8's. Now if I could just clear up that midrange...

EL34 to the rescue!

I took a flyer on an Air Tight el34 based ATM-1 on Audiogon recently. What a jewel of an amp. Build quality is right up there with the Shindo pieces I used to own. With my room happily glowing again I found the "sound effect" performance of the DeVore had decreased, but not in a way that I terribly minded. I'm not going to lie to you guys. I like that stuff. I really like it. I might even HAVE to have it. The hi-fi world seems to be breaking off into camps on this issue. The "musical" crew will tell you that that kind of stuff isn't important. What matters is the connection to the music. The flow, man. The flow. Screw that home theater sound effect ping pong garbage! To that attitude I must employ the most unassailable device of the modern debate toolbox..."whatever".

To me, both elements - the musical element on one hand and, on the other, what is sometimes derisively referred to on forums as the "audiophile" characteristics - contribute to my enjoyment of the music. If I can have them both (and I can), I want them. If I *had* to choose one, however, I'd pick the former.

What had changed with the el34 amp was that the Nines had developed a midrange palpability that was both engaging and seductive. I've used other el34 based amps before and have found them to be somewhat overly romantic and thick. With the current system, however (and perhaps because the Air Tight is much better than my Joildas!), the el34 adds just the right amount of sugar to the spice of the Nines. Where the el34 might otherwise gum up the works, the character of Nines, I believe, allows the music to retain a certain clarity while letting the slightest amount of bloom come through.

At the end of the day, I am left scratching my head as to why I had such a negative initial reaction to the Nines. Was it a break-in issue? An amp issue? I don't know. What I can say, with certainty, is that the Nines are not warm and fuzzy "happy" speakers. They are mean (which is not to say lean, per se) music machines. These zippy little cabinets will give you solid dynamics, bass punch, airy treble great imaging and a vast soundstage. There is, however (for some) a price to be paid. The Nines will not romanticize the mids. Coloration vs. accuracy? Oh lordy, let's not go there. Don't know and don't care. Well, actually I do. I care to the extent that the speakers make music in a way I like. I just don't care to know if it is accurate or not. To that end, I think I like a speaker that does sound a little warm. THAT requires a little work with the Nines. If that is what you want, put that effort in and you will be rewarded.

Thanks to John DeVore for making such a lovely speaker, Jonathan Halpern of Tone Imports for giving me the heads up on the Nines a long time ago, Matt Rotunda of Pitch Perfect for being a first class dealer, and Ken Micallef of 6moons for helping me out with amp issues.

Product Weakness:	The overall balance of the speaker is very dependent on the rest of your components. Choose carefully!
Product Strengths:	Well defined soundstage, articulate, punchy bass, and extended treble. A very nice, well-rounded speaker in a small, easy to integrate, package.

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Air Tight ATM-1
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Juicy Music Peach II
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Thorens 124 / Yamaha PX-2 / Oppo 980 with Eastern Electric BBA
Speakers: The Nines
Cables/Interconnects: Various: PHY-HP / Kimber
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Various
Room Size (LxWxH): 20 x 20 x 10
Time Period/Length of Audition: 1 year
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Shunyata
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Air Tight ATM-1
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Juicy Music Peach II
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Thorens 124 / Yamaha PX-2 / Oppo 980 with Eastern Electric BBA
Speakers:	The Nines
Cables/Interconnects:	Various: PHY-HP / Kimber
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Various
Room Size (LxWxH):	20 x 20 x 10
Time Period/Length of Audition:	1 year
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Shunyata
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner