For the past few months, we have had lots of problems with our web site. Unknown to us, the company who we contracted to host our web site sold the company. Our web site was moved to a new host. The first problem was that our order page was down. Nobody could place orders. We didn't know this until a customer wrote to us directly. After that, our web site went down for several days. Then all our e-mail disappeared. The customer database of orders was wiped out and in January, the January newsletter disappeared and the July 2003 appeared in its place.
Our webmaster, Shafquat, tried to fix the web page problem but found that our passwords were changed and we were locked out of our own system. We are very sorry for the problems our customers have endured. Our website has been up for nearly six years and this is the first time we have had so many problems.
The nOrh 7.0 Classic
The
nOrh 7.0 Classic - special $995.00 shipped to the US.
Rosewood, Walnut and Black are available for $150.00 USD extra per pair.
The original nOrh loudspeakers were the 5.0, 6.0 and 6.5. These units used Vifa drivers. We had a customer, Steve Frazzini, who asked us to build him a special version of our speaker using Scanspeak drivers. We used the Scanspeak 9300 tweeter and the Scanspeak 18W-8545 tweeter. I will never forget my amazement once we completed the speaker. At that time, the sound was so amazing. Steve used a pair of monoblocks (211 tube-based) to drive the speakers. He had about 18 watts of power. The sound was full and glorious.
We decided to sell the nOrh 7.0 for $1400. We sold hundreds of pairs and received great reviews. When we started making our marble speakers, we came out with a marble version for the 7.0. However, the marble version was quite a bit more expensive.
Many other companies use the same drivers as we do in the nOrh 7.0. Many of these systems can cost well over $10,000 USD. The cost of these drivers have been going up because of the appreciation of the Euro. The drivers we use now cost 30% more than they did last year.
When we first started doing wood loudspeakers, we used wood cabinets that were originally used for making drums. The process was to put these wood drums under a plastic sheet and to let them bake in the sun. This was fine for Thailand but when we shipped them to colder climates, many of the cabinet cracked. We replaced every cracked cabinet at our own expense.
We learned that in order to prepare the wood to go to the US, we needed to bake the wood for two weeks. We paid for a large oven at the drum factory. After baking the wood for two weeks, the wood was properly cured.
nOrh had a large quantity of wood cabinets made up to do the Classic 6.1s. As I reported on the web site several months ago, we forgot about these cabinets. These cabinets were baked for a long time, and we realized that we had about 300 very high quality cabinets. Using those cabinets, we brought out the Classic 6.1s last year. Since then, not a single Classic 6.1 has been reported to crack.
The 6.1 and 9.0 are larger cabinets than the original 7.0. The original 7.0 used the same cabinet as the 6.5. The Classic 7.0 uses the larger cabinet.
The Classic 7.0 is a very limited offer. We have a limited number of drivers and cabinets that we can sell at this price. Once these are sold, we will have to pay the higher price for these drivers and this opportunity will be gone.
The 7.0s received many great reviews. They were compared to loudspeakers costing thousands of dollars more. The 7.0s are excellent at handing power. The Scanspeak woofer is the best woofer we have for power. The sound of the Scanspeak tweeters put almost all other tweeters to shame.
The nOrh 7.0 Classic uses genuine Scanspeak drivers
The nOrh 7.0 Classic crossover was designed by Alan Issakson. Alan is the president of DACT. He has designed crossovers for many high-end loudspeakers and he has personally designed some of the tweeters in Vifa's product line. The nOrh 7.0 classic uses high quality components throughout. The solid carved wood cabinet is rigid and its inverted horn design gives the loudspeaker dynamics that traditional box speakers simply do not have.
The nOrh 7.0 Classics are an ideal loudspeaker for home theater because they are so dynamic. They blend well with a sub woofer as they are flat down to about 45 Hz. The nOrh 7.0 work very well with the SE 18 integrated amplifier. I recently replaced a very expensive dedicated amplifier and preamplifier with the SE 18 and I am using a pair of nOrh 7.0s for that system. I will talk more about that in the next section.
We can do special versions of the Classic 7.0s. The $995.00 price is for natural finish. We can do other finishes but these will have an extra charge because the cabinets will need extra processing. We can even do car colors. Please look back at our October newsletter to see samples of colors we have done on the nOrh 3.0s.
Le Amp 2
Le Amp 2s are now shipping regularly. As mentioned in this newsletter, our new ISP had problems transferring all the data from the previous ISP. We lost some customer data and Namphung is trying to recreate this the best she can.
Our original supplier took off and nobody seems to know where he is. We contracted with his head engineer who started his own business. What I learned today is another unbelievable part of the story which I thought I would pass on.
Our previous supplier apparently had run a factory for ten years. He got himself into financial problems when the economy turned down in Thailand. He borrowed from one project to pay for the next and he wound up getting deeper and deeper in debt.
It turns out that all of his workers were amputees or crippled. I don't have the background to know how this company wound up with only physically challenged employees but that is the case. When things got bad for our supplier, he had no money to pay his workers but his workers stayed on simply to have food and shelter. Not one of these workers received any salary for a full year.
Today, I met with the head engineer. He has taken over the company and he is holding this group together and trying to build a company out of what is remaining. The money that we provided to build Le Amp 2 is now enough to allow his team to have some cash for the first time in a year.
I talked to him about some of the ideas that I had. His group would like to work with us to make this happen. One of the first projects will be to create a higher end Le Amp. The circuit would be the same but we would use silver wiring and more expensive connectors. We would also include a higher quality power cord.
In any case, for the first time since I started working on Le Amp 2, I finally am starting to feel better about the project. I was quite frustrated about the personal money I put into the project and all of the mail I got from people who were upset about how long it took.
I now know feel better that this project is not only giving work to seven challenged Thais, it is also giving them a chance to build their own business. This was not something I set out to do nor did I know was happening. I am only proud to be part of it.
Rightsizing for Audiophiles
I recently moved into a new house in Bangkok. The new house is a good size house but the layout of the rooms is such that I had to rethink how I set up all my systems.
I found that I simply did not have room for my huge amplifiers. I decided that my monster 200 watt Class A system has to go - right now its in storage. I moved my 100 watt Class A system downstairs to my main system. I replaced the amp in my upstairs system with the SE 18. In my opinion, the SE 18 is probably just the right size for most audiophiles. The SE 18 delivers 18 watts of single ended power. This might not seem like a lot of power but it is about as loud as I really need. I am using the SE 18 to drive the Marble 7.0s.
The SE 18 also uses less power than either my 100 watt or 200 watt Class A solid state amplifiers. My 100 watt amp draws 1000 watts in Class A. The 200 watt amp drew 2000 watts. The SE 18 draws draws 85 watts.
The SE 18 combines an active preamp, a phono preamp and a Single Ended Amplifier into a single attractive high-end package. As I have a collection of 1200 LP's, the phono preamp feature is a "must-have" for me.
The SE 18 is strikingly beautiful. It has a high-tech retro look. The SE 18 is much less expensive than competing high end integrated amplifiers. The SE 18 is only $799.95 shipped directly to your home.
The SE 18 Integrated tube amplifier -- $799.95 delivered
In my listening rooms, I had to replace my rear speakers with Prism 5.2s. These work perfectly for me because they can be placed back against the wall and they do not need stands. I am using the 4.1 for my center speakers. I could have easily used the 4.1s for my rears speakers as well -- particularly if I wanted to hang them. The 4.1s are sonically very similar to the 4.0s but they are designed for very easy placement.
Real Teak 4.1 $275.00 Shipped
The Prism 5.2 is a very practical loudspeaker. The Prism 5.2 uses the same drivers that we use in our very popular 5.1 and 4.0s. The larger cabinet and the bottom firing port give the 5.2 more bass impact. Like all our loudspeakers, the Prism 5.2 eliminates parallel surfaces. Parallel surfaces are problems because they bounce sound waves directly back to their source. The Prism is designed so that sound moving in all directions is collapsed on itself. All angles are less than 45 degrees. Because the port is on the bottom, the 5.2s can be placed directly against a wall. No stands are required.
The Prism 5.2s are shorter than most floor standing speakers. This is because the tweeter is angled towards the listener's ears. The Prism 5.2 is available in Real Teak or in MDF covered with 3mm teak and finished in rosewood or walnut finishes. The 5.2 is ideal for home theater applications -- both front and rear. They are ideal any systems where space is a premium. I am quite pleased with the Prism 5.2s in my main audio system.
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Prism 5.2 / Prism 6.6 Natural Teak finish
I now have three systems in my house that are Prisms. My bedroom has a pair of 6.6 Prisms. This is our most efficient loudspeaker. The Prism 6.6s are an ideal alternative to very expensive horn loudspeakers for people who enjoy listening to low powered SE tube amplifiers. The Prims 6.6 is also the ideal loudspeaker for home theater as it will make even the most modest home theater receiver sound powerful and dynamic.
nOrh Loudspeakers look nicer, sound better and are less expensive than any loudspeakers in our price range. Why buy loudspeakers that use cheap parts and cheap cabinets when you can own high quality, high-end loudspeakers from nOrh?
Tube Gear
ACA 2b -- only $395.95 shipped
I put the ACA into my system -- replacing a very expensive solid state pre amp and found the sound amazing. The sound is smooth, dynamic, and detailed. We have received only rave reviews from customers who rave about this little unit. The ACA 2b is one of the lowest priced preamplifiers available yet it sounds and looks like a very expensive pre amp. The ACA 2b is an ideal match for our Le Amp 2. The ACA 2b is also a very good choice for people using older solid state amplifiers such as Ad com or Carver.
nOrh Tube Phono Pre amp -- only $295.95 shipped
Most audio equipment today do not include RIAA equalization required to play LPs. Many people out there have a collection of LP's that they have not updated with CDs or perhaps the CDs are not available. My 1,200 LP collection probably cost me $8,000 to collect. The nOrh phono pre amp is the ideal device to continue enjoying your CD collection. The nOrh phono pre amp can be used with our ACA 2b, our original ACA, SE 9 or just about any other integrated amp, pre amp or receiver that does not have a high quality phono input section.
If you are going to record your LP's onto your computer or CD recorder, the nOrh Tube Phono Pre amp is the the ideal tool to provide accurate and detailed RIAA equalization. You can plug your phonograph into the inputs and then run the outputs into your computer.
Our Best Selling SE 9 Single Ended Integrated Amplifier -- only $395.95 shipped
We started selling the SE 9 nearly two years ago. The SE 9 is one of our best selling products. I believe that if more people could actually try or hear the SE 9, we would sell many more. Many readers simply do not believe it is possible to deliver high-end sound at this amazing low price. We have been shipping the SE 9 for two years and we have had only satisfied customers. The SE 9 is a wonderful sounding little amplifier.
The SE 9 produces 9 watts. This might not sound like a lot of power but most people are amazed at how well our little amplifier drives even modestly efficient loudspeakers. The SE 9 and a pair of nOrh 3.0s costs as little as some of the mini components systems you can buy in department stores but the combination sounds more like what you would fine in an expensive high-end audio store.
The SE 9 consumes only 35 watts of power and two years have proved it to be a highly rugged and reliable product as well. I believe that the SE 9 is probably the single best value in audio today. I use one with a pair of Prism 3.0s in my office. In fact, I use this as my computer sound system. I have my World Space satellite radio plugged into the SE 9 so when I am working, I can listen to news or music. I can flip the input switch and play streaming audio over the Internet or play MP3 files off my hard drive. I listen to my SE 9 more than I do any other system because it is in my office where I am almost always working.
Small speakers for the SE 9
Although the nOrh 3.0s are only $199.95 shipped, they look and sound every bit like a nOrh loudspeaker
I believe that the 3.0s are the ideal companion speakers for the SE 9 if you are going to use the SE 9 in your office, bedroom, kitchen or any other area where space is a premium. The 3.0s are also the least expensive way to enjoy the high quality of nOrh's sound. Although inexpensive, the nOrh 3.0s are real wood and are hand finished -- just like all nOrh products.
Our Classic nOrh 4.0 -- $400 shipped
The nOrh 4.0s have been called the best home theater loudspeaker because they are small and they play so loud. Many of our customers mate the nOrh 4.0s up with sub woofers and tell us that the combined sound is as good as systems costing thousands of dollars. The nOrh 4.0s are amazing loudspeakers and they are amazingly inexpensive. The nOrh 4.0s are our best selling loudspeakers. We have sold over 1,000 pairs in six years.
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The Ceramic 4.0 -- $450.00 shipped (Enlarge) |
Synthetic Marble 5.1 -- $500.00 USD shipped (Enlarge) |
The SM 5.1s use the same drivers as the 4.0, 4.1, and 5.2. This combination of drivers has been praised by customers and in several reviews. The SM 5.1 are larger so they produce very respectable bass. The synthetic marble's case is very rigid and gives this inexpensive loudspeaker the sort of punch not found in any other loudspeaker in it price range. The SM 5.1 is available in a variety of colors, including red, blue, white, black, and green. The look is almost exactly like real marble but it is made from a resin and powdered marble.
Mini 9.0 kit only $500.00 shipped
For a much higher-end sound in the same small packaging as the SM 5.1, we have the mini 9.0 kits. The mini 9.0 kit uses the Scanspeak Revelator woofer ad the Scanspeak 9700 tweeter. This combination really sounds fantastic. We ship the cabinet, all parts except for the drivers for $500.00 USD. All you need to put this kit together is a screwdriver and it takes only five minutes. The mini 9.0 produces astonishing bass from such a small system.