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Older news - February, 2003

Happy Chinese New Year to all existing and future nOrh customers

Beautiful beyond its price, the nOrh SE 9 Single Ended Tube Amplifier

Look at the photo above. It is a photo posted on the Internet by a satisfied nOrh customer. He took this beautiful black and white image of his SE 9. I posted this picture last month and I am posting it again this month because I think that it really does capture just how uniquely beautiful the SE 9 is.

One of our customers posted a complete review on the SE 9 on the Audio Circle website. To read the complete review, please follow this link. The author states:

"Music sounds so much more natural than what I've been used to. It seems to flow from the speakers with more smoothness and ease. I think a large part of this may be the midrange. I think this amp puts out more of it than I had before. Even on my Norh 7.0 drums, which I've been unrelentingly critical of ever since I've had them, seem to have improved bass."

I have been told that two reviews additional reviews on the SE 9 will be posted this month. One will appear on TNT-Audio and the other on Enjoy the Music. I have seen the TNT-Audio review and it confirms the opinions of our customers as well as our own opinion that the SE 9 is the best sounding integrated amplifier in its price range.

I get many questions every day about the SE 9. The most common question is whether or not the SE 9 has enough power. The SE 9's has 9 watts. This sounds very modest when compared to some of the monster amplifiers that can offer 100 or 200 watts of power. The best way to understand the SE 9 is to think in terms of quality and not quantity.

Most people have experienced that when they turn up their audio system loud, it sounds full and rich. However, when the system is turned down to lower volume levels, the sound becomes thin and veiled. Many people will listen to audio loud because the equipment they have simply isn't able to product high quality sound at more modest levels.

There once was a little girl named Goldenears. She went to the house of an audiophile family, baby audiophile, mommy audiophile and daddy audiophile. She was very tired and wanted to relax to some music. At first she tried Baby Audiophile's system. Baby Audiophile's system was a tube amplifier but it only had two watts. She tried to listen to the music but it never play quite loud enough. She then tried Daddy Audiophile's system. The music came on loud and barring. The sound was harsh and strident. She quickly turned off the system and took time to let the ringing in her ears go away. Finally, she tried Mommy Audiophile's system. As she sat back and relaxed, she said "yeah, this system is just right".

There have been many articles that suggest that the most important watt is the first watt. In the 1950s, Paul Klipsch once stated that "What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier". The SE 9 is capable of producing wonderful sound at all levels. Is the SE 9 loud enough. Is your TV loud enough? Your TV probably has less than 1 watt. Is it capable of playing loud enough? The answer is probably yes but your TV most likely doesn't produce rich and textured sound.

The SE 9 does have limitations but for most people, the SE 9 will play loud enough to fill the room with rich and textured music. The SE 9 has shocked some people who write to us that they never had heard recorded music sound so live.

One of the things that makes me very happy is that many women have purchased the SE 9. Women like the way it looks and they like the elegant simplicity of how it works. For the first time, the SE 9 is an piece of audio doesn't look ugly and doesn't cost a fortune. Matched with any nOrh loudspeakers, the SE 9 looks and sounds wonderful.

nOrh Loudspeakers are elegant and beautiful. They can be easily placed just about anywhere. The black 5.1 is pictured with the SE 9 on the left and the marble 3.0s are pictured on the right.

Last month, the nOrh and NorhTec team went to Las Vegas and to Canada. We were there to kick off our new computers that are featured on www.norhtec.com. We set up a pair of nOrh 3.0s at the reception. Five people who came to the reception asked to purchase the 3.0s. Every time we have shown them, people have wanted to buy them right away. We could sell them for much more than we ask but the 3.0s are designed to introduce people to the superior nOrh sound. The superior sound comes from our original drum design that we call an inverted horn. No loudspeaker this price or size sounds or looks better. The nOrh 3.0s are a great match for the SE 9.

Our Reception in Calgary, Canada. Note the nOrh 3.0 loudspeakers above

nOrh Loudspeaker is best known for its inverted horn design. We also have two other designs that are uniquely nOrh. The Prism is designed for easy placement. The Prism is available in both bookshelf and floor standing versions. The Prism 3.0s are made from real teakwood. No picture can capture the true beauty of these loudspeakers.

Real Teak Prism 3.0s

nOrh has a complete selection of real Teak loudspeakers. These are among the most beautiful small loudspeakers available anywhere

2003 has been very busy for us so far. The nOrh gang went to CES in Las Vegas. This was our second trip to the United States. It was great to meet many of our customers. While we had the SE 9.0, the Pyramids and the nOrh 3.0s with us, we were primarily there to show NorhTec's new computer products. NorhTec's website is now up at www.norhtec.com. We will be upgrading it soon with actual photographs. It was really quite interesting seeing people's reaction to a computer playing music through a integrated tube amplifier. So many people said that they didn't know that anyone used tubes anymore. The reaction from most people was "It looks cool".

The nOrh and NorhTec staff at CES

nOrh and NorhTec are two separate companies. None-the-less, we have shared resources on projects. NorhTec is focused on computers and trying to build computer for the next generation of network computing. One of the projects has been to build the ideal low-cost multi-media computer. We have worked on this project for over a year. The project is the Panda PC. We showed the Panda PC for the first time at CES.

The Panda PC as displayed at the 2003 CES show in Las Vegas

The Panda PC has many advanced features. It has integrated MPEG II decoding for silky smooth DVD playback. Using a computer to playback DVDs is superior to commercial DVD players because computers can scale the image to higher resolution just as much more expensive line doublers and quadruplers do. The Panda PC has a SVHS output so you can use it to drive a high quality TV or you can use any XVGA compatible projector or monitor. The Panda PC has a coax SPDIF output so you can connect the Panda PC to a receiver or separate processor. Additionally, the Panda PC has six channel output and with the appropriate software, the Panda PC can provide 5.1 output without any additional hardware.

Another important feature of the VT1616 is that the codec and amplifier are separate. This results in much less noise and better audio performance than other computer based sound systems.

While the Panda PC incorporates the best sound inboard sound technology, this would be useless in most typical computers. Most computers have multiple fans. They have a fan for the VGA card, a fan for the processor, a fan for the power supply and a fan for the case. NorhTec has spent a year developing custom technology to create a computer that does not need a fan.

The Panda PC features firewire, USB 2.0, DDR RAM and high quality audio output. All of this would be worthless if the Panda PC were not also silent. We use costly laptop components in order to provide the quietest and most energy efficient platform. The Panda PC internally only requires about 20 watts of power. The power supply and processor are fan less. Under most circumstances, the Panda PC can operate without a fan. A large, quiet, slow moving fan is mounted on the case just in case the inside temperature gets too high. Even if the fan ever does come on, it should not be audible.

The Panda PC comes with a 40 GB hard disk, DVD/CDRW combo drive, and 256 DDR RAM. The price is $595.95. Please note that this price does not include monitor, keyboard or mouse. We believe these are highly personal choices. The Panda PC will start shipping in March.

nOrh Loudspeaker prides itself with superior customer service. Superior support means we want you to be satisfied. nOrh has earned a reputation for offering heroic support to our customers. Our staff is dedicated to make sure that you will you will not only come back to nOrh when you need more products, we want you to comfortably recommendus to your friends and relatives.

Supporting customers is an investment. There is no better advertising than a satisfied customer. Given that anyone can reach thousands or tens of thousands of people over the Internet, any dissatisfied customer can easily express their displeasure. nOrh has been doing business over the Internet for nearly five years. Perhaps the reason we have succeeded where so many have failed is that we understand that the key to being a successful Internet company means you must provide superior service.

It always amazes me how difficult it is to get support from companies these day. Most companies make it impossible to reach anyone in charge via e-mail. There have been many instances when I have given up trying to reach anyone in the company. It is as if it is a secret how to reach anyone.

I try to answer every e-mail personally. Perhaps at some point, I won't be able to do this but today, anyone who wants to write me directly is welcome to write me. I don't have any shipping information and I don't take orders. However, I can answer questions about the product and make suggestions on how you can improve the quality of your audio systems. Our staff is working hard to make sure that your products arrive quickly and safely. If we mess up, we will work with you to come up with a satisfactory solution.

The reason I am writing all of this is because of an incident that occurred while we were in Las Vegas. Our group stayed at the Tropicana Resort. The Tropicana is a major Casino in Las Vegas. Like most hotels in Las Vegas, when there is a convention in town, the prices go up. We had to pay up to $269.00+ per room per night, during the convention. In terms of quality of rooms and quality of restaurants, I have no complaints regarding the Tropicana.

On our last day, we decided to take everyone to a buffet. We went to the MGM Grand Buffet. We left about 11:30 and came back at about 1:30. Our plan was to go straight to the airport. When Pan got back to her room, she discovered her door was open. She knew she had closed the door so she went in to check. She found that her purse was missing. Inside her purse was her passport, camera, wallet, a yellow sapphire ring, money, and a watch. The total value of the missing items was about $2,000 USD.

We called security. They took a report and told Pan to file a report with Metro Police. The person taking the report indicated that Pan would need a police report if she were to file any claims.

Pan was unable to go to Canada with the rest of us. She had to go to Los Angeles in order to get a letter to return to Thailand. Pan speaks very little English and had to spend the next few days by herself in a hotel in Los Angeles. Remember that her money and credit cards were all missing.

This incident very much spoiled Pan's first trip to Las Vegas. Instead of being with her family in Canada, she waited out her time in a hotel by herself. She spent most of the time feeling very bad about seeing the things she valued so much taken from her.

I wrote the Tropicana and outlined the loses as well as the inconveniencesPan suffered. I also mentioned that I was prepared to write about my experiences at the Tropicana on my website as well as in the newspaper. I received a long reply. Most of the rest of the letter outlined that the hotel did what they would normally do in circumstances like this but at the end, the person responding added this statement:

"We are sorry Ms. Chaicharoen had to endure this unfortunate event and that you or your company had to incur financial contributions to Ms. Chaicharoen. The Tropicana acted properly and accordingly and you now appear to blame us for this event. At a minimum, that is unfair. As a side note, the our records indicate the incident occurred on January 13, 2003 not January 12.

Thank you again for you inquiry. As a final note, I caution you about the words you print on your website or in the newspaper to describe this incident. False and/or malicious statements will not be tolerated and may subject you to litigation, damages (perhaps punitive), costs, and expenses."

I do not mean for this section to come off as an attack against the Tropicana. I think that it is rather an example of what is wrong with customer service in general. Companies today do not want to accept responsibility. When something goes wrong, they hide behind the small print. It is far too common for customers and suppliers to be on opposite sides when in fact they should be on the same side.

The Tropicana warns me about words that I might print. Don't they know that there is a first amendment that allows me to print anything that is true? I believe that I have described accurately what happened to Ms. Chaicharoen. A police report has been filed on the incident as has a report been made with the Tropicana's security. What happened to Pan could have happened in any hotel. In this particular incident, it happened at the Tropicana.

It is times like this that a company can demonstrate its concern for its patrons. It is when things go wrong that companies have an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to their customers. It is not up to me to say whether the Tropicana has failed to provide good customer support. However, I find it ironic that rather than offer to file a claim with their insurance or offer any form of gratuity to compensate Ms. Pan Chacharoen for her losses, they would consider hiring a lawyer.

I ask everyone reading this to excuse me for putting something as personal as this on the nOrh website. I believe it is my obligation as an American who values his right to free speech to use whatever vehicle I have not to cave in to those who would suppress my freedom to speak out. Had the Tropicana not openly warned me about reporting this incident, I probably would have just let the matter drop. How do you feel about this?

Home Theater

The DVD player is the most successful home electronics product in history. Millions and millions of DVD players are sold all over the world. About 23 years ago, I paid over $1,000 for a Pioneer laser disk player. While the format never caught on, I was hooked. It was very difficult for me to enjoy the poor video and sound quality of tapes when I could have much better quality from Laser Disks. Compared to DVDs, Laser disks were large and klutzy. One of the things that really set Laser Disks apart from tape was the sound.

One of the big events for laser disk was when Star Wars was released. One of the interesting things about Star Wars was that it was originally recorded using the same technology used in Quadraphonic recordings of the early 1970s. The soundtrack that was released on the laser disk had the rear channel information encoded on it as well. Back then, many videophiles decided to create their own multi channel sound by wiring the rear speakers out of phase with the front speakers. Using just a stereo amplifier and four loudspeakers, they were able to enjoy surround sound.

Eventually, the first generation of surround sound decoders started appearing on the market. The first generation decodes used digital signal processors to more accurately recreate the surround sound effect. Dolby Labs came out with Dolby Pro Logic. Pro Logic added a center channel to the mix. Actually, there was never a center channel actually recorded but the Pro Logic system was able to create a center channel by combining the signals that were common to the left and right outputs and steering that output to a center channel.

AC3 first appeared on Laser Disks just before DVDs were about to be released. AC3 became the de facto standard for DVDs but DTS was added to the standard in order to get Stephen Spielberg's large collection of movies on DVD.

Today, DVD players are available for as little as $69.00. What is amazing is just how good the picture looks on even the lowest priced players. Certainly there are more artifacts and less purity on the cheaper players. One player I tried out had an orange cast to everything so that skin tones were never very natural. None-the-less, the quality of the image was better than anything I had see on tape.

One of the things I do not understand is why audio CDs sound so bad on DVD players. My first DVD player was a "top-of-the-line" Sony. As a CD player, it was very good. However, the new, low-cost DVD players all sound very poor. I simply don't understand why that should be. Most of these players sound very good so long as the source material is DVD but with audio CDs, they sound bad.

If you are using a digital input to your receiver or if you are using an external decoder, you can improve the sound for CDs. Unfortunately, I have found that even some external decoders simply don't sound good on CD material.

I found a product recently that did a much better job than expected playing CDs. The unit is the BenQ DVD Gem. The device is actually designed to connect to a computer. However, it also can be used as a standalone DVD or CD player. It comes with its own remote control. The device sells for about $200.00 USD. The size is a bit larger than a portable CD player. This make the device a very good way to add DVD play to an existing laptop that doesn't have this capability or a neat little player to take on vacation. It is also possible to use the BenQ DVD Gem in an automobile if you get a 12 volt adapter.

It is hard to believe but according to statistics, most people who buy DVD players simply hook the sound up to their TVs. It just doesn't seem possible that anyone can enjoy movies at home without the benefit of sound. I can certainly understand people who don't want to get bogged down with five channel sound and processors but even a modest two channel stereo will greatly enhance the home theater experience over listening to the sound come from the TV's speakers.

The more I research home theater, the more I am convinced that the best solution will be a home theater system that converges around the computer. The computer can do more things and much easier to repair and upgrade than conventional home theater.

The computer can take the place of a preamp, processor, line doubler/quadrupler and DVD/CD player. The sound quality that I have heard from CDs on the Panda PC is superior to the sound I have heard from any recent DVD players I have tested. The picture quality I have seen from the Panda is also superior. Combining a DVD player with the Internet, your movie watching experience can be much more interactive as many DVDs now link to websites for additional information about the material.

nOrh Loudspeaker makes many products that work our very well for audio, home theater or multimedia. Our marble 9.0s have been praised as the world's best two way loudspeaker. Every loudspeaker we build incorporates the knowledge we learned designing and building the nOrh 9.0s.

For us, loudspeaker building is both an art and a science. Science proved long ago that the box was not the best shape for loudspeakers. Boxes have all parallel surfaces that cause the energy inside the speaker to fight against the energy being produced by the woofer. Boxes have many weak points in their structure as they have to be joined together in so many places. Our designs minimize or eliminate parallel surfaces. The resulting sound is more detailed, more articulate and more dramatic than other loudspeakers in our price range.

We also select materials that are acoustically better. Many loudspeakers are made of plastic or chip board. We choose materials that are acoustically inert or have very low acoustic absorption coefficients. The result is superior imaging.

Finally, we design our products to look like art. Our loudspeakers are made from materials such as marble or ceramics. The cabinets will last for many years rather than fall apart as they age.

We encourage you to go through our website and look at the many photos we have of our products. We have many models, colors and shapes that will enhance your decor.

The size of the device is nice to complete a small system such as the SE 9 and a pair of nOrh 3.0s.

Pyramid shown with gray grill

"I can walk from one side of the room to the other with virtually no change in sound - it's really quite amazing! And it blends quite nicely with the SM5.1's I'm using for front left/right."

Chris Camilleri

We still have some SM 6.1s in some colors that we are specially priced. Please write for details and availability. The SM 6.1s are ideal loudspeakers for modestly powered amplifiers as they have a sensitivity of 90dB.

"I was not prepared for the 6.1s. I am stunned at how beautiful they are, I just look at them and shake my head. My experience bears out what I've read in many reviews covering various norh speakers - the pictures on your web site do not do them justice. I'm playing them as much as possible to break them in,
they sound better each day. Thank you for helping me get the speakers I wanted in the color I wanted. You have a customer for life."

Norman Thomas

Last month we began to ship our upgraded single-ended tube amplifier, the SE 18. The SE 18 has twice the power of the SE 9 (18 watts). The SE 18 also features an integrated active preamp and an integrated tube phono preamplifier. The SE 18 is an astonishingly good looking and great sounding integrated amplifier. The sound is unlike any amplifiers I have heard in its price range.

One of the reasons I like tube amplifiers is that they look cool. At night, they give off a glow that is very cool. Here is a photo I took of the SE 9 where you can see the illumination of the tubes.

Tubes look cool. Experience them on the SE 18

See the new nOrh factory

Our strategy to focus on offering more value and to work hard to introduce products that were more affordable paid off. This year, we had to move to a much larger factory. I never thought that we would need a factory this large. The new factory is a wonderful place for our people to work. It is located right on the river so that the people working have a great view.

We also introduced our Teak Loudspeakers this year. Teakwood is one of the finest woods in the world. It is very dense, doesn't rot, can withstand all types of weather and if properly cured, it doesn't crack. Teak is also amazingly beautiful. Teak is now strictly controlled. Each tree that is cut down is numbered and even the boards have serial numbers. It costs us $75.00 for one small board of teakwood. We use $150.00 worth of teakwood to make just one pair of real teakwood 5.2s.

Look at the pictures below. Can you name a loudspeaker at $500 per pair that is more beautiful? Most loudspeakers in this price range are made from chipboard and covered with PVC. Not only are nOrh real Teak loudspeakers beautiful, we also use very high quality components. The nOrh 5.2 uses Vifa drivers and high quality crossovers to achieve sound that simply isn't expected at this price. The 5.2 are small but they play very loud and sound like much larger loudspeakers. The Prism design means there are no parallel surfaces. This results in music that is more dynamic and lifelike than the typical box loudspeaker. The real Teak 5.2s port to the bottom of the speaker. This provides a predictable impedance to the airflow from the port and helps improve the bass response. It also enables the 5.2s to be placed almost anywhere in the room.

We have introduced a real teak center speaker, the 4.1. The 4.1 uses the same drivers but is in a smaller cabinet that can be angled up or down so that it can be placed above or below a TV. The real teak 4.1 is also shielded. The 4.1 looks like a a piece of sculptured wood. The real teak 4.1 sounds fantastic and looks very expensive. We sell the real teak 4.1 for only $275.00 each. The 4.1 can also be hung upside down from the ceiling.

We have found some of our original Prism 5.2 cabinets and we will offer them at $400.00 USD per pair shipped. the Prism 5.2 is rated at 87dB sensitivity. The -3dB point is 48 Hz. This is a great loudspeaker for small areas. These are floor standing loudspeakers so they do not need a stand. For $400.00 per pair, most companies offer cheap drivers, poor sound and ugly boxes. This is a very limited opportunity to buy a beautiful pair of loudspeakers.

You can put together a very nice video system using all teak loudspeakers. The cost is less than $1000.00 for a complete set. Most loudspeakers in this price range are made from chip board covered with PVC or plastic. They use cheap drivers, cheap crossovers, cheap wire and cheap connectors. The nOrh real teak loudspeakers use Vifa drivers and high quality parts throughout. The real teak video set will last for many years and will always look beautiful.

We will ship the Prism 6.1 for only $500.00. This is a very limited time offer. There is no reason to buy a cheap looking, poor sounding box speaker when you can own a very elegant work of art from nOrh.

We have extended our sale of wood 5.1 loudspeakers. The 5.1s have received a perfect score on Audioreview for three years straight. Some people say that the 5.1s are the perfect A/V loudspeaker. The 5.1s have a -3dB point of 48 Hz and a sensitivity of 87dB. I personally use the 5.1s for my center loudspeaker in my main system and rear speakers in my second A/V system. These are beautiful loudspeakers and we have them specially priced at $400.00 per pair shipped. This is a limited offer. When they are gone, they are gone. This is new stock.

Walnut 5.1 on sale for $400.00 USD per pair

Michael, my 5.1 speakers arrived yesterday and caused quite a stir in the office. They are simply beautiful and everyone that saw them asked many, many, questions. I am not an audiophile and I purchased these for my main front speakers for my home theater system. I was only able to listen to them for a few minutes yesterday and they do sound wonderful. At times while listening to some light jazz the sound seemed to surround me and the perception of knowing the speakers were in front of me disappeared. I can't wait to get home this evening to listen to them and experiment with placement etc.

UPS delayed delivery by a day because of a "mechanical failure". Judging by the condition of one of the boxes I assume it was a plane crash. Initially I was very concerned because there was a large, ragged hole in the side of the box that you could easily place both fist in at the same time. You could clearly see the bubble wrapped speaker inside. Fortunately the excellent packaging job you do protected the speaker and no external damage was noticed when I unpacked the speaker. Congratulations on a fine product.

- Eric Hancock

Our Best

If our lower priced products are so good, imagine how good our best loudspeakers are. Our very best loudspeaker has been called the best two-way bookshelf in the world on TNT-Audio. Our best loudspeaker is the Marble nOrh 9.0. Only a limited number of people will ever own this speaker. The reason is that it is carved out stone. The nOrh 9.0 is designed to last. The grill is made from powder coated galvanized steel. The baffle is covered with real leather. The cabinet is carved from solid marble.

Still our best loudspeaker, the marble 9.0 (Left) and White Marble 7.0 (right)

Special Offer (limited time)

We had an overwhelming demand for Mini 9.0s while we were clearing overstock created by a canceled dealer order. In fact, we sold through eight pairs of mini 9.0 in one day. We have decided to make another special offer. This time, we will sell the mini 9.0 in kit form. For $500.00 USD, we will ship the cabinets, crossovers, legs, wires and connectors for the mini 9.0 directly to your house. You simply add the drivers. Our DIY page has a list of dealers selling the appropriate drivers.

nOrh Loudspeaker has a smaller version of the nOrh 9.0 we call the mini 9.0. The mini 9.0 is made from synthetic marble instead of real marble. It is smaller. The mini 9.0s uses the same woofer but uses the Scanspeak 9700 tweeter instead of the more expensive Revelator. The sound is very similar to the larger 9.0s but for half the price. The mini 9.0s sell for $1,500 per pair while the nOrh 9.0s sell for $3,000 per pair.

White Mini 9.0 with / without grill (click on the images to enlarge)

Summary of our Specials

Don't forget - add $7.00 to your order for Songs of Bangkok. You will not be disappointed.

Sincerely,

Michael C. Barnes
nOrh Loudspeaker Company, Ltd.

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