Last year when I was looking to upgrade my speakers these three (O/96 and SF II/III) were at the top of my list. I listened to both quite extensively at the local dealer and preferred SF over the O/96. All speakers were demoed with the same equipment including top of the line ARC amp/preamp. I had high hopes for the O/96 but was a little disappointed in the end. It had a huge wall of sound but I found it lacking in warmth and holographic imaging. For some reason, the SF sounded more full bodied with better timbre and tonality across the spectrum. The SF II/IIIs drew me into the music more than the Devores.
If you search the forums you'll see that I started a thread last year with the words 'Devore Orangutan' in the title. You can find lots of useful comments and recommendations there. There were folks who absolutely loved the Devore line of speakers. Others felt that the O/96s were a little finicky with partnering equipment, but if you manage to find the right one they absolutely shine. They seem to prefer tubes over SS.
With this kind of budget, my advice is to audition as many speakers as you can. Once you narrow down your choices to 3 speakers, see if your dealer would let you do an in home audition. Good luck!
If you search the forums you'll see that I started a thread last year with the words 'Devore Orangutan' in the title. You can find lots of useful comments and recommendations there. There were folks who absolutely loved the Devore line of speakers. Others felt that the O/96s were a little finicky with partnering equipment, but if you manage to find the right one they absolutely shine. They seem to prefer tubes over SS.
With this kind of budget, my advice is to audition as many speakers as you can. Once you narrow down your choices to 3 speakers, see if your dealer would let you do an in home audition. Good luck!