Sonus Faber vs. Devore with Shindo

[adhesiv]

As you can see in my sig I have a pair of Original Cremonas hooked up to my Monbrison/Montille combo and ive been enjoying it immensely but I've heard so many good things about Devore with Shindo and there happens to be a local pair of Nines up for sale in my area.

Any thoughts on this? Should I put the SF up on the block for the Nines?

I'm not sure if there's a local place to audition Devore Spkrs and I also asked the Seller if there was anyway I could do a local audition. No word back yet but I only sent the msg 30 mins ago.

[howiebrou]

Originally Posted by adhesiv

As you can see in my sig I have a pair of Original Cremonas hooked up to my Monbrison/Montille combo and ive been enjoying it immensely but I've heard so many good things about Devore with Shindo and there happens to be a local pair of Nines up for sale in my area.

Any thoughts on this? Should I put the SF up on the block for the Nines?

I'm not sure if there's a local place to audition Devore Spkrs and I also asked the Seller if there was anyway I could do a local audition. No word back yet but I only sent the msg 30 mins ago.

Personally

This would be worth a go even if it costs you a little bit!

[Shindoug]

That’s a tough call. I’ve never heard the Cremoras, so none of what I have to say will be particularly useful, but by all accounts The Cremoras are very nice.
When I first heard Shindo gear it was through a pair of Nines and the sound was fantastic - no doubt about it. But, the Shindo also sounds fantastic through my Reference 3As and also sounds superb through a couple of other speakers I have heard (Auditorium Audio note). I’m not saying the Shindo is a perfect match for EVERY speaker though, all of those examples are known to be good matches.
I’m always concerned about spending a lot just to make a lateral move - sure the Devores will be different but are they better? (sort of a silly question though; music is an art form, it’s pointless to quantify it, but one form may engage YOU more than another)
My 2 cents, if you’re dissatisfied with the Cremora in any way then get the nines – you cannot go wrong (unless you have some freakish room) If you really like the Cremoras, that’s tougher. However, knowing the resale value of Devores, if for some reason they didn’t live up to your heightened expectations, you’d be able to sell them in a heartbeat. Since the only true way to audition a speaker is to have it in your own room, consider this opportunity the ultimate audition and satisfy your curiosity once and for all. (I’ve always had difficulty with the concept of auditioning speakers in a different room since speaker/room synergy is just as important as speaker/amp synergy)
Not sure if any of that helps - more rationalization than actual advice here I’m afraid.
Doug

[Mikeyc]

Tough call, I've heard both, but not in the same system so difficult to compare. I heard the Cremonas in an Audio Research system, found it very veiled and rolled off at the top end, but it may have been the AR V115 amps? There's no doubt that Devore works well with Shindo (I used to have the Super 8s), but ultimately you have to be happy with the sound. I would suggest you push hard for an audition in your room, who knows you may like the Cremonas better. The 8s are notoriously difficult to set up properly, but once you get them dialed in they snap into place and are amazing but I hear the 9s are not as fussy so that's good. Ideally you can keep both sets of speakers for a while to make a careful decision and then sell the one you like least. I agree with Shindoug - if you need to resell the 9s it shouldn't be much of a problem.

[adhesiv]

Looks like I'm going to get a chance to demo them. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

[esteban]

Originally Posted by adhesiv

As you can see in my sig I have a pair of Original Cremonas hooked up to my Monbrison/Montille combo and ive been enjoying it immensely...

I'm glad to hear you are enjoying the Cremonas. They are one of my "dream" speakers, and one of the most beautiful and timeless I've ever seen. I've been thinking about purchasing a pair of the "M" floor-standers in the not-too-distant future, but since I got into tubes (I currently own a Prima Luna DiaLogue One amp) I've been a little concerned about the Cremonas being not that easy to drive based on their impedance curve (my Sonus faber Toy Towers, contrary to what their appearance would suggest, are not that benign a load, either, but the PL manages to do the job just fine). It's great to read that this might be a non-issue with the Cremonas as well. I'm curious, though: how powerful is the Montille and how big is your room (mine is on the smallish side)?

Thanks in advance.

[metaphacts]

Originally Posted by adhesiv

As you can see in my sig I have a pair of Original Cremonas hooked up to my Monbrison/Montille combo and ive been enjoying it immensely but I've heard so many good things about Devore with Shindo and there happens to be a local pair of Nines up for sale in my area.

Any thoughts on this? Should I put the SF up on the block for the Nines?

I'm not sure if there's a local place to audition Devore Spkrs and I also asked the Seller if there was anyway I could do a local audition. No word back yet but I only sent the msg 30 mins ago.

My guess is that you will find the DeVore a better match. The Shindo as much as I love it, is simply not enough power to properly drive the Cremona.

[adhesiv]

Originally Posted by esteban

I'm glad to hear you are enjoying the Cremonas. They are one of my "dream" speakers, and one of the most beautiful and timeless I've ever seen. I've been thinking about purchasing a pair of the "M" floor-standers in the not-too-distant future, but since I got into tubes (I currently own a Prima Luna DiaLogue One amp) I've been a little concerned about the Cremonas being not that easy to drive based on their impedance curve (my Sonus faber Toy Towers, contrary to what their appearance would suggest, are not that benign a load, either, but the PL manages to do the job just fine). It's great to read that this might be a non-issue with the Cremonas as well. I'm curious, though: how powerful is the Montille and how big is your room (mine is on the smallish side)?

Thanks in advance.

I'd say my room is medium-ish. Front to back my walls are about 18' however my side wall situation is wide open with my left wall about 4' from the left speaker and no immediate side wall due to our open concept room design.

From a spl perspective, there is no issue with the Montille which pushes out about 15w. I barely move the volume above 10pm and rarely near or above 12pm. That said there's not a huge volume increase between those positions so I'm likely tapping out the reserve quickly.

SPL levels aside I have no idea how well the Montille is actually driving the Cremona with its somewhat punishing resistance and hope to get a better idea once I AB with the Devore.

[adhesiv]

Originally Posted by metaphacts

My guess is that you will find the DeVore a better match. The Shindo as much as I love it, is simply not enough power to properly drive the Cremona.

That's what I'm thinking as well. I get good characteristics out the match but I do feel like a more efficient speaker with less resistance might drive better by design which is why I'm very interested in this pair up with the Devore.

Appreciate all the comments so far. Looking forward to sharing my findings with you all. I might have a pair ofthe Cremona up for sale soon

[metaphacts]

Originally Posted by adhesiv

I'd say my room is medium-ish. Front to back my walls are about 18' however my side wall situation is wide open with my left wall about 4' from the left speaker and no immediate side wall due to our open concept room design.

From a spl perspective, there is no issue with the Montille which pushes out about 15w. I barely move the volume above 10pm and rarely near or above 12pm. That said there's not a huge volume increase between those positions so I'm likely tapping out the reserve quickly.

SPL levels aside I have no idea how well the Montille is actually driving the Cremona with its somewhat punishing resistance and hope to get a better idea once I AB with the Devore.

The DeVore will tell you nothing about how the Shindo is driving the Cremona.

It will tell you only how the Shindo is driving the DeVore.

My point is that you are not comparing speakers at all. You are comparing the system of amp/speaker. The DeVore/Shindo is a better electrical match and will show it. The Cremona/Shindo is not a great match and is already showing it (dynamic compression) in your description above. That you like it doesn't change that.

That's why I suggest that if you are staying with your model of amplifier, the DeVore is likely a better choice.