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Older news - February 2002

Announcing Mini 9.0

We are also introducing the mini 9.0s this month. The mini 9.0s use the same woofer as its larger brothter. Instead of the 9900 tweeter with its large faceplate, we are using the 9700 that is electronically identical. The cabinet is a 11 liter Synthetic Marble drum. Despite its small size, the mini 9.0 still outputs an amazing 45 Hz -3dB. This is deeper bass than I have ever heard from a loudspeaker this size. The mini 9.0 is better suited for people who already have subwoofers. The smaller size and lower price open up new possiblities such as bedroom, den or even office. The mini 9.0 is available in red, white, blue, green, black or white. The mini 9.0 makes a very good rear speaker for the full size 9.0.

The introductory price for the mini 9.0 is $1,500.00. This is an astonishingly low price for a loudspeaker with this high quality of components and this level of performance.

The obvious question is which speaker is better, the mini 9.0 or the 7.0. The answer is not so simple. The 7.0 will handle more power and can play louder. The mini 9.0 is faster and the bass has more authority. Personally, I would go for the full size 9.0s and not use a subwoofer. I think this is one of those situations where while the decision is not easy, there is no wrong decision.

I want to thank everyone who trusted us to make your Holiday Season special. I am particularly pleased with those of you who decided to give nOrh loudspeakers as gifts. It is one thing to hear from someone who read about our products on the Internet. It is even more enjoyable to get e-mail from someone who never heard of us but received one of our loudspeakers as a gift. It is a real pleasure reading letters from people who only learned of our company when they received their presents.

TNT-Audio has just published their review on Le Amp. We are very proud to receive such a glowing review. Curt Wishman, Le Amp's creator, worked very hard to create what we consider the greatest value in audio amplifiers. When we announced to the world that we would build a high-end amplifier and sell it for only $495.00 per pair, we were unprepared for the hostility we would see from the audiophiles. Before we ever shipped the product, many audiophiles declared it was impossible that we could deliver a high-quality amplifier for such a low price. They assumed that because nobody else had done it, it simply couldn't be done.

After shipping Le Amps, we received hundreds of e-mails from customers telling us just how great Le Amp was. Many of these customers posted their comments on the various audio forums. Some of these customers did their own listening tests and declared Le Amp better than other amplifiers selling for many times the cost of Le Amp. As more customers posted their personal observations, more and more audiophiles came out to declare that is was hearsay to state that a low-cost amplifier could perform as well as amplifiers costing so little.

The arguments have gone on for months. Customers who bought Le Amp are saying it is truly a high-end product while some audiophiles are saying that in order for an amplifier to receive their blessing, it must cost more. One audiophile publicly posted that he refused to listen to Le Amp when he had the opportunity. He simply dismissed it based on its modest price.

TNT-Audio is a respected independent source of information on audio. They accept no advertising. We do not make claims about which amplifiers we outperform. We leave that up to our customers. What we do know is that it outperforms any amplifier in its price range —100% of them. There are no amplifiers that sound better in this price range. To see TNT-Audio's review, go here.

There are some people who will not feel that they have a high quality amplifier if they don't spend as much as they spent on their automobile. At nOrh, we are betting that there are people out there who want high quality sound but they aren't willing to dip into their children's college fund, refinance their house or take out a major loan to have it. There are people out there who can buy the most expensive amplifiers with the cash they have in their wallet. Le Amp is designed or the rest of us.

This month we have loaded down this page with a lot of graphics. I apologize for the slow upload times for these pages. I am very proud of our new colors. The photos here simply can't do justice. You already know that nOrh loudspeakers are the best sounding loudspeakers in the price range. We have always believed we are also the best looking. We have worked very hard to make them even better looking. I want to put two more photos up this month. I am trying to find a flat surface somewhere in my house so that I can put a couple of pairs of these in my house.

Announcing the Synthetic Marble 7.0 and 9.0

The nOrh 9.0 has remained our best loudspeaker. The nOrh 9.0 was initially introduced in a wood drum cabinet. We later introduced the marble 9.0. The marble 9.0 has been called the best two way bookshelf speaker in the world. The marble 9.0 is a very special loudspeaker. After creating the nOrh 9.0, we decided to rethink and recreate our entire loudspeaker product line. The first product that resulted from this was the ceramic 4.0. The ceramic 4.0 is now out best selling loudspeaker. After that, we introduced the SM 6.9 and SM 6.1. Recently, we added the SM 5.1. We have now come full circle and we are introducing the SM 9.0.

The SM 9.0 sounds identical to the nOrh 9.0. The crossover, wiring and drivers are all the same. Even the look is nearly the same. Some people will certainly want to purchase real marble. Other people will choose to save the difference and buy the less expensive synthetic marble version.

We are also announcing the Synthetic Marble version of the 7.0. The original wood 7.0 sold for $1,400 and was praised as a fantastic value.  The Synthetic marble sounds much better than the wood version. We used to offer an upgrade to the Scanspeak 9700 tweeter.  We charged $200 for this upgrade.  When we went to marble, all 7.0s were shipped with 9700 tweeters. If anyone still has a pair of wood 7.0s, they can upgrade them to either the real marble or the synthetic marble. Please write for details.

Anyone reading these pages knows that I believe that the 9.0s are our best loudspeakers. At $3,000, the marble version was compared to loudspeakers costing much more.  We now offer the same sonic quality for 30% less.  The Synthetic Marble Loudspeakers are being introduced at $2,000 USD.  If you try to price out the parts, you will see this is an amazing offer. The tweeter sells for about $275.00 while the woofer sells for about $250.00.  It costs about $1000.00 just to buy the drivers. The capacitors we use can sell for $35.00 each and each speaker has three.  We use silver wire and stainless steel feet. Even building this speaker yourself using MDF, you probably could not build it for less money.

This month, we will make a special offer. The introductory price for the SM 9.0 is $2000.00 shipped. We are offering the SM 7.0s at an introductory price of $1,500.

There are many people who will still prefer the quality of real marble.  For those, we will continue to manufacture the real marble loudspeakers as long as it is practical.  For those who are primarily interested in the sound the SM 9.0 and SM 7.0 offer the same sonic quality for less money. The SM 9.0s are available in all the same colors as our other synthetic marble loudspeakers. Please read on for more details.

Mixing and matching nOrh products

After nOrh produced the marble 9.0s, 7.0s and 4.0s, we received universal praise how these loudspeakers sounded. We received rave reviews on all these products. We then set out to find a new way to build loudspeakers that would equal the sound of marble. After studying the acoustic properties of various materials, we found that ceramics had among the lowest acoustic absorption coefficients of any material. When we researched the Internet to see if anyone had made loudspeakers from ceramics, we found that a university in Finland had a degree course based on making loudspeakers from ceramics. We then realized this was not going to be an easy.

The sound of the nOrh 4.0s have be universally praised. TNT-Audio, GoodSound, and CheapHomeTheater have praised the nOrh 4.0s sonically. To quote a recent customer - "WOW, I am amazed at the nOrh 4.0 without a subwoofer". We are glad to let others rave about the sound of our products. This month, we are going to rave about the beauty of our products.

For the past few months, I have been working hard on something that most audiophile companies don't worry much about. I have been focusing on the look of our products. nOrh Loudspeakers sound great and most people think they also look beautiful. As beautiful as they are, I wanted them to be even more beautiful. We are now introducing new colors. The colors are now coordinated so that you can mix and match between real marble, synthetic marble or ceramic. You might want a pair of marble speakers for your left and right. You could use a ceramic 4.0 for the center and synthetic marble for the rear.

Shown below are different combinations of SM 5.1s and Ceramic 4.0s showing off new color options.

Green (Enlarge)

We have worked very hard to give our customers many options to create the ideal home theater system.

We are going to allow customers to mix and match between synthetic marble and ceramic. We will put together special programs for customers looking to buy combinations of SM 9.0, SM 6.9, SM 6.1, SM 5.1 and ceramic 4.0s. Because there are so many combinations possible, please write us for a quote. We will also allow customers to mix colors. Below is a photo we took of a black and a white Ceramic 4.0. We think the combination looks striking.

Picture of Black and White Ceramic 4.0s

Last quarter was the first quarter that Amazon.com showed a profit. EBay also reported a very good quarter. It appears that Internet shopping is becoming the standard. At the same time that Amazon and EBay had record quarters, K-Mart declared Chapter 11. Another bit of news was that 58% of Amazon's purchases were made by women. At nOrh, we have always known that it is very important to consider women's tastes when selling loudspeakers. Generally speaking, women are less excited about turning their living room into a listening room than men are. Part of our success is that we have tried very hard to take styling into consideration. We encourage those of you who need spousal approval (whether that be your husband, wife or other partner, let them look at our website.

Last month we introduced the marble nOrh 3.0. As we are showing mix and match idea, we wanted to show the nOrh 3.0s with other products. Please note on the photo of the SM 5.1 just how close the synthetic marble looks like real marble. Note how well the nOrh 3.0 marble matches the nOrh 4.0 ceramic.

While I was taking photos, I asked the ladies in the office to pick out their favorite colors. I told them I wanted to take their photos with the nOrh 4.0s. If a color had been selected already, they had to pick another color. Below are the photos I took of some of our female employees showing off their favorite colors.

This is Boom. She joined nOrh last month. She works for Namphung. She helps with order processing and accounting.	Pan also picked the black 4.0. This isn't surprising as the black nOrh 4.0 is our best selling. Pan runs our manufacturing. Pan is Namphung's, Lek's and Yuth's mother. Naturally, this makes her a good candidate to be the factory manager. Pan will be 49 years old this year.	I told Pan that she had to pick another color other than black as Boom had already selected that one. She then picked the red.
Anyone who has ever ordered nOrh loudspeakers knows Namphung. She is the director of marketing. She picked white. I don't know if she would have picked a different color if she were wearing a different blouse. One of the things that bothers Namphung the most is when people ask her if Pan and her are sisters.	Kloy just got her bachelor degree last month. Kloy also works for Namphung. Kloy does up the invoices and book keeping.	Chong took her photo last. That only gave her one choice — green. Chong is engaged to Yuths and this obligates her to help us out in the office. Her mother has her own business so we are quite fortunate to have her come in and help us out.

nOrh Humor on the Internet

nOrh has generated a lot of interest and talk on the Internet. Some of it is interesting. Some of it is biased. Some of it is just funny. I am going to include two postings that were sent to me. nOrh is not responsible for the content of these postings but pass them on for entertainment value only.

Also spotted on the Internet....

New Opportunity for Investors and Partners

As many here know, my background is computers.  I worked in the computer industry for 20 years prior to starting nOrh Loudspeakers. Knowing how to use computers effectively and the basic engineering that goes with it has allowed me to quickly come up to speed on designing computers.  We use computers to design our cabinets. We use computers to simulate our circuits. We use computers to test our loudspeakers and we use computers to do our styling.

I have started a new company called NorhTec. NorhTec will try to do for computers what nOrh has done for audio--shake up the industry.  There are many things that are wrong with today's computers.  They use up too much power. They are too noisy. They take up too much space and they cost too much.  

For months, Curt Wishman, our staff and I have been studying how to make computers that are lighter, more energy efficient and take up less space and cost less. The Microservers we will build are an extreme example.  These will be ultra small computers that use up very little power for special applications such as military, police, security, embedded and mobile applications.

We are also working on computers that are designed for everyone else.  

Why are all computers noisy?

Many computers today, dominate the desk. They use up hundreds of watt of energy--pouring out heat through their noisy fans.  Those of us that are forced to sit in front of computers all day long are forced to listen to swishhhhhhhh all day long while fans try to circulate enough air to cool down the power supply and the components in the computer.

I have owned many computers in my life. I built my first one. It was a Motorola 6802 based computer with 4K of memory and Tiny basic. I had to program it using Octal  codes.  I graduated to an Atari 800 -- spending $600 on a Percom floppy disk drive.  Because of my Geek nature, I gravitated to Unix and Linux .  I learned all that I could about these operating systems.  Played with them when I wanted to play and then went back to Microsoft when I had to do work.

I was never happy with the stability of Microsoft's operating systems until Microsoft Windows 2000 came out.  Microsoft 2000 had the stability I needed.  There were two drawbacks to Microsoft 2000. The first was that because it was designed exclusively as a business operating system, it was more expensive than Windows 98 or Windows ME.  The second was that it supported less hardware options than Windows 98 or Windows ME.  It could sometimes be frustrating finding support for hardware.

Microsoft Windows XP works best on new computers

When XP came out, I was initially very skeptical.  I am now a believer.  I believe that Microsoft XP is the best desktop operating system I have worked with.  It has all the stability of Windows 2000.  I believe that in some areas, it is even more stable.  Microsoft XP is also more compatible than Windows 2000 as it provides a compatibility mode to run existing software.  You can define the version of Windows you want to emulate, define the resolution and define the number of colors. This is ideal for people running games.  XP is also better suited for people who have a desire to use MS DOS applications.  For example, you can format a bootable floppy using XP.

XP provides more integrated features.  Without adding any software, you can use .zip files.  XP has integrated CD-R burning. It also provides the best interface for priting images I have seen.  You can rotate your files, select how you want them to print and print them--right from the OS.

Microsoft XP is available in two versions.  I have tried both.  What amazes me is how complete the Home version is.  It has all the stability of the Professional version for much less money.  I have successfully networked computers using both the Home version and the Professional version.  I had no problems combining Linux and XP systems on the same network.  In fact, it was no problem allowing Linux systems to access printers on the XP system.

If there is a disadvantage to Microsoft XP it is that you might need to buy new hardware to run it.  All these features require more disk space and more memory. Unlike past versions of Microsoft, applications actually seem to run faster using Microsoft XP.  

I have run XP on my aging laptop that is a Pentium II 300. The perforamnce is the same as when I was using Windows ME.  I did upgrade the RAM from 64 to 192 MB and I upgraded the disk from  6.5 GB to 20 GB.  

I have set up a lab with 10 computers running everything from Free BSD, QNX, Solaris x86, Windows 98 and Windows XP.  Basically, I have been on a crash project to form a team of people who are the smartest people on using computers to solve real problems.  I want people with an open mind. I want people who are willing to suggest something "outside the box" if it is a better solution.

We have succeeded in creating a computer that runs at 800 Mhz but doesn't require a fan.  What that means is that we have developed a completely quiet computer (except for the disk drive when it operates).  Even so, we have selected an ultra quiet disk drive so even it is not as noisy as most disk drives.

Most computers are too loud, too hot, too big, too complicated and too expensive

The computer that we had been working on is smaller, uses less energy, produces less noise and generates less heat than most computers.  This computer is smaller than even the typical Micro ATX or Flex ATX computers.  This computer will be an ideal computer for multimedia. It has a TV output so you can use the computer as a silent DVD player. We have even integrated a SPDIF output so you can output the audio into your standard processor.  The unit will come standard with a DVD, 256 MB RAM 20 GB of disk.  The system will include audio, 10/100 BaseT, TV and SVHS output, integrated AGP video, 2 or 4 USB, RS232, printer port, game port, keyboard and mouse.  While pricing is not final, we estimate a selling price of about $495.00 USD.  

Artistic concept of the upcoming NorhTec Microserver, Server Edition

The NorhTec Microserver is the first self-contained server featuring a PC/104 bus

I started nOrh Loudspeakers with no intention of making money on the project. I wanted to preserve handicrafts and create jobs. Each time a customer writes and tells me how much they treasure our loudspeakers, I feel I have been compensated. My real career has been computers. I have worked in the computer field for 25 years. I worked for Sun Microsystems for 13 of those years.

I have helped to form a new company, NorhTec Microservers. This company is based out of Calgary, Canada. We will be building devices that run existing x86 applications but in a form factor small enough to allow computers to be used in locations that they could never be used before. The first product will be a general purpose server. It will be able to run Windows 9x, Windows 2000, Linux, Solaris x86, QNX, Vx, and BSD. It will have 2 x USB, 2 x 10/100BaseT, 2 x RS232, IrDA, VGA in, NTSC/PAL (in and out), audio (in and out) and PS/2 keyboard and mouse.

We believe that there is a huge market for this product particularly to build out the Internet into new locations. We believe that eventually, Internet access will be offered aboard airplanes, ships, trains busses and automobiles. For this to happen, smaller and more energy efficient servers will be required. There are a variety of solutions coming out that offer energy efficient designs. Many of these are based on RISC chips. While these solutions are fine for applications that are custom ported, these RISC solutions are not able to run the large library of applications that already exist on the x86 platform.

NorhTec Microservers can save substantially any time a network has to be rapidly deployed. NorhTec Microservers can be configured as firewall, gateways, application servers, video teleconferencing servers, bridges and laptop replacements. They key advantages of the NorhTec Microservers are:

1. Energy Efficient

Drawing only 5 Watts, our server will be very energy efficient. It will be possible to power microservers with a small battery or solar power.

Our devices will create new opportunities to help bridge the so-called digital divide and extend the Internet geographically (e.g. remote areas) as well as to expand the usefulness of mobile communications. They will make personal computers appear bulky, heavy and impractical. They will give professionals everything they need in one device and it will fit into a shirt pocket.

2. Small Footprint

As our servers are very compact, our customers will enjoy a significant reduction in the amount of floor space required (i.e. lower real estate leasing costs).  

3. Portable

As our server is very small, very light weight and very power-efficient, it will be completely portable. Portability also translates to rapidly deployable.

4. Cross Platform Compatibility

Our MicroServer GP will be capable of running Windows, Linux, Solaris x86, QNX, Vx or DOS. This will provide mass market potential as it allows our customers to choose from thousands of existing applications.

Our server will employ an Internet standards-based architecture that enables it to function with other network devices that operate on a variety of operating systems, including Windows NT and UNIX.  By being cross platform compatible, our server will enable our customers to realize the benefits of our products as part of their existing network infrastructure.

The compatibility of our products with various operating systems allows our users to run thousands of applications. It will be possible to install these applications through direct connection, over the Internet or through infrared transmission from another device. In addition, users will be able to synchronize with widely used desktop organizer software packages including Microsoft Outlook, and will be able to easily import personal data from other applications. The user can upgrade the functionality simply by adding standard PC peripherals.

5. Video Output Port

Our server will feature a video output port. This will allow users to browse web pages through their TV.  We plan to create a communications link between a Palm device and the server so that a person can use their Palm device to interact with the server.  The IrDA (i.e. Infrared) link will allow a person using a browser on their Palm device to navigate the web and input information into the Palm.  This will then be beamed to the server via IrDA and the output will be displayed on the TV screen.  In this way, a user can easily access Internet information through their ISP using the Palm as a remote control.

6. Attract and Support Application Developers

We intend to actively promote third-party development of software applications for our servers through a comprehensive partnership program with independent, open source software developers. We believe that our use of the Linux operating system is a fundamental element of this program, since an open source operating system better enables developers to create optimized and reliable, high value added applications.

7. Reliability

Our servers will be highly reliable. NorhTec Microservers will have a fail-safe feature that allows the server to always boot, even in the case of a hard disk drive failure. As the server will require ultra-low power, batteries will provide for several hours of emergency backup in case of power outages. The server will be designed to operate 24 hours a day without intervention.

8. Excellent Value Serving Multiple Customer Needs

We will design our products for quality, superior functionality and performance, all at low but fair price. This will allow us to gain acceptance in the worldwide office/consumer server market. Today’s personal electronic market is highly fragmented. Consumers are forced to purchase a number of different devices, which in fact, contain virtually identical hardware components. For example, consumers buy PDAs, some of which only store personal information and may perform minor computing tasks (e.g. templates).  Similarly, digital cameras capture photos but are inconvenient and expensive when it comes to storage of the digital images. Other single function devices include e-books, voice recorders, electronic games and MP3 players. Now laptops are perceived as large and not so portable and convenient. Business travelers, who carry along a laptop for presentations, experience frustrations with short battery life and slow boot-up times.

Our initial product, the MicroServer GP, will work in conjunction with, and will complement many devices by providing a file storage system. Our second product, our MicroServer PE, will be designed to perform most of the functions mentioned above - all in a single device - a device that could be with its user throughout the day.

9. Low Heat Dispersion

Operating at only 5 Watts, datacenter users will not require air conditioning as is needed in today’s server rooms. This will further reduce operating expenses (e.g. power for air conditioning).

10. No Cooling Fan and Vent

Our servers will not require an internal cooling fan. This feature offers significant advantages in certain market segments. For example, in hazardous or corrosive chemical environments such as found in the chemical processing, pulp and paper, and the oil and gas industries, our server will be more adaptable as it will be easily encapsulated. Our server could be used in certain applications (e.g. emergency rooms) where fans are not permitted or in applications where cooling fans must be eliminated in order to ensure system reliability. We expect our servers will find ready markets in many countries where humidity and salty (e.g. ocean spray) or dusty environments cause premature failure of computing equipment requiring fans.

11. Networking and Internet Access and Home Networking

Our MicroServer will be designed to allow anyone with a cable modem or DSL connection to add a server between their home network and the Internet connection. Alternatively, the server can access a modem directly to allow the user to access the Internet. The user can use this server as a router, firewall or gateway for other computers or Internet appliances in the home. Builders of new homes may wish to include our server as they do a kitchen appliance package (e.g. home automation, home security).

12. Ease of Installation and Use

Our server will be pre-configured and include a simple set-up procedure designed to require less than 15 minutes for deployment by a non-technical person. Our web-based user interface will be intuitive and easy-to-use.  It will shield the user from technical complexities and will minimize the need for a trained information technology employee.  The MicroServer may be administered from any Internet accessible location.

13. Building Blocks for Future Growth

As the amount of data traffic handled by our customer’s MicroServer GP increases, additional units can be added at little incremental cost.  This ability to easily add our servers (i.e. salability) provides an evolution plan that allows customers to develop their network infrastructure according to their needs.

14. Complete Integrated Solution

Artistic Concept of the upcoming personal edition

The personal edition of the Microserver will feature a 640 x 480 4 inch screen. It will be x86 compatible and run existing Windows 9x applications. Pictured below shows the extensive I/O offered by the NorhTec Personal Server. The Personal Server will have 2 x USB, IrDA, microphone, 1 serial port, 1 Ethernet port, 1 keyboard, 1 mouse and a VGA port. The NorhTec Personal Server will provide desktop functionality in a form factor similar to a PDA. It will be the first device that can replace a desktop, laptop and PDA.

Our products will provide our customers with complete solutions that do not require additional hardware or software.  We will deliver customers the solutions they require, cost effectively.

NorhTec Microservers is looking for investors and partners. For additional information on NorhTec Microservers, please contact hambrook@apectec.com .

Sincerely,

Michael C. Barnes
President
nOrh Loudspeaker Company, Ltd.

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