Devore Fidelity O/Bronze

DeVore Fidelity O/Bronze Speakers

The DeVore Fidelity O/Bronze is a 2-way stand-mounted loudspeaker positioned between the O/96 and the O/Reference in the Orangutan series. Sharing the O/96's cabinet dimensions, it uses the tweeter from the O/Reference and a new 10-inch paper cone woofer, with both drivers built on cast and machined bronze chassis. Bronze port tubes, isolated from the cabinet, complete the construction. At 96dB sensitivity and 12 ohms nominal impedance, it is designed for the same range of low-powered tube and high-quality amplifiers suited to the O/96. Handbuilt in Brooklyn, New York, and shipped with dedicated stands.

Position in the Orangutan Lineup

The Orangutan series currently spans the micr/O, O/baby, O/93, O/96, O/Bronze, and O/Reference. The O/Bronze is the only model to use the O/Reference's tweeter in a cabinet sized for the O/96, and it introduces construction techniques and materials borrowed directly from the flagship. According to DeVore, the goal was to bring the O/Reference's performance closer to the O/96's price point while using the same enclosure tooling. Visually, the O/Bronze and O/96 are close to identical; the differences lie primarily in the drivers, chassis material, and port construction.

Tweeter

The O/Bronze uses the 1-inch silk dome tweeter from the O/Reference. As reported by Michael Lavorgna in his Twittering Machines review -- drawing on information from DeVore -- the tweeter's motor, magnet, and cast machined bronze horn all contribute to performance improvements relative to the O/96's tweeter. The bronze horn provides both the gentle horn-loading that characterizes all Orangutan tweeters and a structural stability that the zinc or aluminum assemblies used in other speakers cannot match. The tweeter is made to DeVore's specifications.

Woofer

The O/Bronze's 10-inch woofer uses the same German paper cone as the O/96 but the similarities end there. According to DeVore, as reported in Lavorgna's review, three significant changes distinguish the O/Bronze woofer from the O/96's:

A pair of large Faraday rings, positioned at each end of the magnetic gap, reduce nonlinearities in the woofer's motor, improving linearity throughout the drive unit's range. A copper ring mounted directly to the machined bronze phase plug acts as a heat sink, drawing heat away from the voice coil during demanding passages and reducing thermal compression. The chassis and rear ports are cast from the same bronze alloy as the tweeter assembly, improving mechanical stability and reducing resonance compared to the zinc chassis used in the O/96.

Port Tubes and Cabinet

The reflex port tubes in the O/Bronze are cast from bronze and, critically, are isolated from the cabinet structure. DeVore states this is the same approach used in the O/Reference, and that isolating the ports from the cabinet walls minimizes the transfer of vibration from the cabinet panels into the air column inside the port, reducing a potential source of coloration. The cabinet itself shares its dimensions with the O/96: 12 inches deep, 18 inches wide, and 35.5 inches tall including the included stands.

Binding Posts and Stands

The O/Bronze uses Cardas binding posts, positioned on the underside of the cabinet. Dedicated stands are included with the speaker. Finish options are American Black Walnut, Lace Walnut, or custom.

The DeVore Fidelity O/Bronze is handbuilt at DeVore Fidelity's facility in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and ships with dedicated stands.