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Older news - January, 2004
We shipped out 30 Le Amp 2s in December. Most of these went out right before Christmas so I have not heard comments back on these yet. One of our customers wrote to us and said that Le Amp 2 compared very favorably with a much more expensive 350 watt amplifier. He admitted that the more expensive amp had more power but he said the sound was very close. I expect to hear more raves like this as well.We now are ordering additional parts to build the rest of the amps that are on back order. We will put customer comments here on these web pages as they come available.
This December has been one of the most pleasant months I have spent in Bangkok for many years. The weather is much cooler than usual. Bangkok is usually hot. This December, the days are very pleasant and the nights are actually cool. Since coming to Bangkok, I have have only a few opportunities to listen to live music. I have heard the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. I have seen Boy Thai, Fong Nam and other Thai groups.
Many International acts come to Thailand. Diana Krall was here not long ago. The price of the tickets was quite a bit more than I wanted to pay. As much as I enjoy Diana Krall, I passed on the opportunity to see her when she came to Bangkok.
My wife told me about the International Jazz Festival. She told me that the following acts were going to be in Bangkok:
The Jazz Festival is part of the celebration of King Bhumibhol's birthday. My wife is a big fan of Joe Sample and we both have seen Tuck & Patti play live in the US. The price for the ticket was only $12.00 USD per night or $20 for all three nights.
Both my wife and I found this to be one of the best music events we have ever been to. There were two stages. As one act finished on one stage, another act would start on another stage. The event was far more intimate than a similar event in the US.
I had not seen Tuck & Patti perform for 15 years. They were fantastic. If you ever have a chance to see Tuck & Patti, please do. Even if you don't you should buy their CDs. All of their CDs are very well recorded and there are few voices that are better than Patti's. Tuck and Patti have their own sound. Tuck play guitar while Patti sings. I do not know any way to describe their style other than meticulous improvisation. Tuck & Patti anticipate each other so well that you have a very rare style. That style combines the independence of jazz with the precision of classical music.
Tuck & Patti's Chocolate Moment (click for the website)
It is hard to recommends any specific Tuck & Patti release. I picked up Chocolate Moment at the Jazz Festival. I very much enjoyed Chocolate Moment as I have all other Tuck & Patti CDs. I strongly recommend you visit Tuck & Patti's website and try one of their magical CDs. Better yet, if you ever get a chance to see them live, don't miss the opportunity.
My wife is a big fan of Joe Sample. I used to be a fan of Joe Sample's band the Crusaders. The Crusaders are best known for the song Street life which featured the vocals of Randy Crawford. I first knew of Joe Sample as an independent artist because he was one of the first artists available on Mobile Fidelity's line of audiophile repressings. This is how my wife came to know Joe Sample.
Joe Sample
My wife enjoys jazz on Sundays. She calls it Sunday brunch music. My wife likes smooth and easy jazz. She likes groups like Hiroshima, Foreplay and artists like Chuck Magioni. Joe Sample is her absolute favorite. While we were watching him perform, my wife said all she needed was a cup of coffee and a newspaper.
Spyrogyra was the last act of the evening. My wife asked to leave early. She likes listening to Sprogyra at home but found the amplified brass a bit harsh to listen to live. The sound was over amplified and over equalized.
Larry Carlton
The next evening, I went to hear Larry Carlton. I wrote about Larry Carlton last month. With Joe Sample and Tuck & Patti, I knew what to expect. I had seen Tuck & Patti live on two other occasions. I have heard Joe Sample's CDs playing just about every Sunday. I was not prepared for Larry Carlton. Larry Carlton is one of the best guitarists in the world. You might think that you have not heard Larry Carlton if you are are not a jazz fan. However, I can assure you that you have heard of him. He has played with the Crusaders, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton and John Lennon. Last month, I reviewed both Bob James' and Larry Carlton's latest solo music. Both are members of the Jazz group Fourplay. I have listened to Fourplay CDs since they founded. I have never seen a better guitarists live. I was in awe. It is a strange sensation realizing that you are listening to greatness. I was honestly mesmerized by Larry Carlton's playing.
The next day, I ran into one of my American friends who also lives in Bangkok. He also went to the event. When I talked to him, he said, "You know, sometimes I forget what a relaxing place Thailand is". He told me what a special event he thought the International Jazz Festival was.
After the festival, I was inspired to listen to more audio. I went out and bought the Miles Davis Millennium Collection, The Ventures, Walk-Don't Run, The Ventures Golden Guitar Hits and two new CDs from Tuck & Patti.
As I write this month's newsletter, I am listening to the Best of Fourplay. I am using the system that is in my office. That system is a SE 9 with a pair of Prism 3.0s. As much as I wish I could spend time in the living room listening to the nOrh 9.0s, I simply do not have the free time to be away from my computer. I am using my computer's DVD as the CD player and I using a M-Audio Sonica Theater to drive the SE 9. I am constantly amazed at how much satisfaction I get from this setup. I spend more time listening to the nOrh 3.0s than I do anything else.
The second pair that I listen to the most are the nOrh Prism 6.6s that are in my bedroom. I drive this with a very inexpensive integrated amplifier and use a cheap DVD player to drive the whole system. I like to put on music before I go to sleep and sometimes when I wake up. I can only get a few songs in but the right music can do wonders getting me ready to face the day.
I also use the bedroom system to watch movies as I exercise. I tend to multitask. I will watch a movie and exercise or work and listen to music. There is always so little time and so much to do. I can honestly say that I have not sat down and just relaxed in four years. Music is a substitute for relaxation. Even if I am working, music makes work feel like relaxation. I can't watch movies and answer e-mails. I can listen to music without impacting my productivity.
"I received my replacement speaker over a week ago
while I was traveling. Thank-you for your attention and follow-through on this.
The new speaker
arrived in perfect condition.
...
The speakers are used with a 300B tube amp and CD in my office. No one who sees them fails to ask about where to buy them. They sound excellent."
Thanks once again and best regards,
- Phil
"I am now happily listening to the warm sound. Very satisfied with
the quality and volume for my space. Already having experience with Norh products
it is not a surprise. Thanks again."
Tom Bartlett
"Hi, just wanted to tell you I am very happy with the 6.1 classics i received on Thursday. They are worth the price just for their looks alone! They sound great even though I am using a rather cheap amp right now ... " - Tony
"I've had a chance to listen to this combination for over a week now and I'm enjoying it very much. I have these two hooked up to my PC and all my other digital inputs (using an ART D/IO dac). The 7V of output from the DAC is really nice - I don't have to push the volume on the SE9 at all. And I love the idea that all this fancy digital stuff is hooked up to some vacuum tubes. What's been most impressive to me about the speakers is that they've handled the most complicated CDs I have with no problem (e.g. "Passion" by Peter Gabriel and some of the Mapleshade jazz recordings)... Shipping was incredibly fast, packaging was excellent, and these products are wonderfully designed and built. Congratulations! (I'll definitely be recommending your company to others)" - Bob Malos, USA
"I've setup my system with the SM 6.1's, and they sound awesome!" - Tad
Stefano De Luca wrote to tell us about his Christmas webpage. There is a photo of nOrh Loudspeakers. The website is in Italian. This is what he wrote:
My new home office is smaller than my old home office. My wife has made me put all the cabinets that store my collection of laser disks, CDs and DVDs in my office. The only place left to put a pair of speakers is on the shelves. I got the factory to make me a pair of Prisms 3.0s. I didn't want to go to the expense of real teak so I asked for black prism 3.0s.
My personal pair of nOrh Prism 3.0 (black)
The Prism 3.0 loudspeakers are the easiest to place loudspeakers I know of. The nOrh 4.1s are also easy to place and angle and I use them on my main system for center (waiting to be set up). I hooked my 3.0s to a SE 9 integrated. I drive the SE 9 with an M-Audio Sonica Theater. I use the DVD player in my computer to play music. I also have a World Space Satellite Receiver. I like to listen to RIFF, which is a jazz station.
SE 18 Integrated Tube amp -- 18 watts, Single Ended, Integrated Phono Preamp
I recently moved to a new house. One of the last things to get set up is my stereo systems. I have been listening to my office system because I simply can't fit the rest of my equipment into my new house. The new house has as much total space as my condo did but the rooms are broken up differently. This has been a real learning experience for me. One solution for me was to move out one of my separate systems. I have replaced it with the SE 18. After listening to the SE 18, I have decided that for my second system, I really don't need any more power than 18 watts. They SE 18 actually uses less power than the combined power of my amplifier and preamp. My amplifier was 100 watts CLASS A and it drew 1000 watts. My preamp was also CLASS A but I do not know how much power it drew. One of the things I really appreciate was how simple it was to hook up the SE 18. I am using an external processor to input all my video gear. I use the one of the inputs for my video processor in and the other for my CD Player. My processor has three inputs.
I would like to replace my other big system with a pair of Le Amp 2s and an ACA 2b. I would save a lot of space and give up nothing. I need to get on the waiting list.
I had to change out my speakers. In the past, I used a pair of 9.0 marbles for my front, a 5.1 for the center and a pair of 7.0s for the rear. My new house has a bar area so I have very little room for the rear speakers. I have replaced my 5.1 with a 4.1 that I put on top of the TV. I really like the way it looks and it saves me a lot of space.
The Teak 4.1 (real Teak)
For my rear speakers, I am now using nOrh 5.2s. I think that one of the best home theater systems for the money is a combination of the Teak 4.1 and the teak 5.2s. These take up very little space and they sound fantastic. Teak wood is always going up in price. These speakers are beautiful, practical and great sounding.
Pictured above are the Teak nOrh 3.0 Prism, Teak 4.1 and the Teak 5.2
If you know anyone looking for an audio system and they have no idea what to buy, why not send them to our website. I believe that we have the highest quality products for the lowest price. I am particularly proud of the SE 9 and Classic 6.1 combination. I get many letters telling us how much the people who bought these systems like them. There simply isn't a better sounding combination. The Classic 6.1s are carved and hand crafted from real wood. The drivers are made by Vifa. We bought these drivers last year when the dollar was 30% stronger against the Euro. I hate to think what it is going to cost me to buy new drivers when we are sold out.
The Classic 6.1s are very efficient and they will play quite loud with the SE 9s. The combination will cost about $900.00. That is shipped to your door. We have been selling the SE 9s for two years. They are holding up remarkably well and I expect that the SE 9s will become classics.
The SE 9 is bound to become a classic
The Classic 6.1 is the ideal speaker choice for the SE 9
Sincerely,
Michael C. Barnes
nOrh Loudspeaker Company, Ltd.