Speaking of rooms that always make the list, John DeVore of DeVore Fidelity had his flagship O/Reference in action for Axpona 2026.
And I admit I was initially concerned that the O/Reference, specifically its pair of powered Bass Machines that can take things down to 15Hz, would overwhelm Room 646. Silly me, as I slipped back into thinking I know more than I know and more than the guy who makes the speakers. Don’t try this at home.
Sure enough the full-range O/Ref took control of Room 646 thanks to (Duke) Ellington Indigos and “Autumn Leaves” followed by “Total Eclipse of the Sun” from Einstürzende Neubauten, a one-two punch I didn’t see coming but it hit hard right between the ears before traveling deeper. I love when that happens. DeVore is another ‘set-up’ guy, someone who knows how to make a system work in a room partly due to being fairly fanatical about sound quality, appearance, system synergy, and music.
That’s the lust-worthy Yuki AP-01EM Turntable set up for stereo and mono action while a tiny stack from Phasemation took its output before letting a Nagra II-S Preamp and a pair of Nagra Classic Amplifiers perform their respective roles. Superbly, I might add.
The System
DeVore Fidelity O/Reference System: $99,350
Yuki AP-01EM Turntable: $31,975
Glanz MH-100S Tonearm: $8975
Glanz MH-9BT Tonearm: $4975
Phasemation PP-5000 MC Cartridge w/Diamond Cantilever: $15,995
Phasemation PP-Mono MC Cartridge: $3795
Phasemation EA-1200 Tube Phono Preamp: $16,975
Nagra Tube DAC: $32,450
Nagra Compact Streamer: $5950
Nagra II-S Preamplifier w/Compact PSU: $27,900
Nagra Classic Amplifier: $42,350/pair
Box Furniture Custom HT3S Heritage Triplewide 3-Shelf Rack in Sapele: $9500
Box Furniture ISO.SE Heritage Isolation Platform (single width in Ebony): $3500
Cables from AudioQuest