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Older news - March, 2004
When we started out, we had a retail store located downtown. The mall we were located in shut down for a year to refurbish. We used that opportunity to shift our focus from retail to Internet and we set up a combination showroom/office near the airport.
We have just recently opened a showroom. The showroom is primarily targeted for visitors who would like to audition our products. If you happen be coming to Bangkok, please arrange an appointment and we will set up a demonstration.
The new nOrh Loudspeaker Showroom
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Here are two views of our new showroom
Photo of red nOrh 3.0s
Anyone who writes me personally knows that I will always respond back as quickly as possible. I first announced the ideas I had for NorhTec on these pages. NorhTec is a different company but I am the president of both. NorhTec hired Yuths as the director of engineering and Namphung is in charge of import and export. Yuths, Namphung, and I continue to volunteer our time to nOrh. None of us are paid for our effort. Lek and Pan continue to work for nOrh and we continue to operate as before.
The concept behind NorhTec was to build energy efficient, fan less, and smaller computers. I left Sun Microsystems to start this project. Few people believe it was possible to build the products I described in the business plan. Most investors believed that if what I proposed could be done, somebody would have already done it.
NorhTec has now signed up about $4 million USD worth of contracts and we have a backlog of proposals worth another $4 million USD. We are working on some exciting projects. One of these projects is a ruggedized fan less computer with a subright screen. We are providing computers for wireless hot spots and we have even built computers that are being used outside in the arctic. We are about to sign a contract to deliver 5,000 computers by October. It is all very exciting.
Some of our readers have worried that in the excitement, I have forgotten about nOrh and that they might not see any new products. The truth is the opposite. I have never viewed nOrh as a profit center. I have never taken any money from nOrh. nOrh provides jobs and products. I am happy to support this. The fact that we have invested into a new showroom shows my continued interest and support for nOrh.
Below is a prototype of our fan less/ruggedized computer that we are doing as a custom project for a customer. Curt Wishman designed the "state-of-the-art" power supply for this system as well as the electrical distribution system and the controls for the LCD screen. The power supply operates from 6 to 18 volts. The system is weatherproof and uses a sun bright touch screen LCD for display.
Ruggedized fan less computer
During the recession, we made what I think was the right decision. We shifted our focus on value and looked at ways to offer high-end at more affordable prices. We brought out the SE 9, SE 18, the nOrh phono preamp, the nOrh 3.0s, nOrh 6.1s and our Classic series to drive the cost of owning high-end lower. Le Amp 2 was our most ambitious project. We wanted to produce a high-end/high powered amplifier and sell it for $300.00 per channel. The challenge was not technical. The challenge was financial. Our first vendor ran off with the money. This is not the first time this has happened to us.
We never charge for products until we are ready to ship so we took no money from customers. We wound up paying for each amp three times before we were finished. Fortunately, we now have things finally under control.
Some of the first units we shipped need to be slightly modified to improve the ground. If the units are silent, then no modification is required. If there is a hum or buzz, then we have a modification that will fix this.
We have designed Le Amp 2 so that it can be repaired in place. There are two boards inside the amp. These boards can be replaced without soldering. This makes repairs and potential upgrades easier.
Inside Le Amp 2 -- showing the modular boards
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Pan in front of a stack of Le Amp 2s are our new showroom
Now that we have the Le Amp 2 in full production, we can look at future projects. When I approach a project, I have goals. These goals are often beyond what anyone would think was possible. We have proven that the only way to excel is try for what you nobody believes is possible. Whether it is NorhTec or nOrh, I never look at what someone else is doing to establish my targets. We try to achieve the best possible quality and then drive the price down.
Here are my new set of goals:
I would like to produce a high quality integrated amplifier that offers anywhere from 80 to 100 watts for $150.00 USD shipped. As I said, this would be something that we would have to work very hard to achieve. The sound would be better than what you would get from any sub $500.00 receiver or integrated.
I would like to have the finest computer audio system ever made. I know how to build it and we have done the prototype. The trick is getting this one to production. We demonstrated this project last year and the people who listened to it said it sounded better than their home audio systems. The system would go for $300.00 and this would include the amp, left and right speakers and a sub woofer.
Finally, I would like to produce a computer preamp. This would allow people to use computers to properly drive an standard home audio from a computer. We demonstrated the prototype at the Ohio audio show and most people said this was one of the best sounds at the show.
I see a convergence with what I am doing at NorhTec and what I am doing at nOrh. I believe that audio and video will migrate to computers and that people will eventually listen to music and watch movies from hard drives. For this to happen, we need smaller fan less systems with the ability to mate with existing audio equipment. So long as we can continue to attract business, we will continue to innovate and invest.
Early prototype of future Integrated amplifier
My musical tastes are not all that esoteric. I have tried very hard to get into Classical music. This includes having played NPR as my basic station. I love to go to concerts and I think classic music sounds great. One of the most enjoyable concerts I ever went to was a concert at the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. The problem is I can't remember what I listened to. I have embarrassed myself on too many occasions trying to guess what classical piece is playing. I guess that no matter what I do, it is hard for me to get away from my Kentucky bluegrass background.
I do like Jazz. This is somewhat of a contrarian style for audiophiles who tend to gravitate towards classical music. I believe I can appreciate classical music as much as the next person but I simply can't remember what the guy on NPR said about this piece or that piece and I also have a hard time remember which century the composers lived in.
For me, Jazz is much easier to understand. I like the freedom and spontaneity of Jazz. I think just as important, I like the people I meet at Jazz concerts. I don't know how to say this without it sounding wrong but Jazz people know how to enjoy music. I prefer to enjoy rather than analyze.
A few years ago, I introduced our readers to a Thai Jazz group called Boy Thai. We sold quite a few of their CDs and I have received many letters telling me how much people enjoyed the CD. Last year, I discovered a Thai high end CD called Songs of Bangkok . It was one of the best recorded CDs I had ever heard and I found the music extremely enjoyable.
Please understand that I am not a person who can get into "World Music". To me, it is too strange. I have heard some music I like that is labled "World Music" but on the whole, I find it too difficult to relate to.
Last month, I was handed a stack of CDs about a foot high. I was asked to review this music and mention it on my website. All of the CDs were Thai music. Some Thais had read how much I enjoyed Songs of Bangkok and they wanted me to listen to these CDs. Let me explain that while I have lived in Thailand for almost 10 years, I rarely listen to Thai music. I hate Thai pop. I think Thai pop is too bland. I do like their Luk Thung which is a form of Thai country. I also like a lot of Thai classical music. I have enjoyed concerts by Fong Nam which is a group that mixes classical Thai music and instruments into a Jazz hybrid -- somewhat like Boy Thai.
I spent about eight hours listening to these CDs. Some of the CDs were boring. I didn't like Siamese Fantasia 1 or 2. These sounded to me like Thai Classic meets Karaoke. There was too much MIDI in the sound for me. I like natural instruments and I am not fooled by MIDI.
The best of the CDs I listened to is called TamNongThai. This CD is absolutely extraordinary. The music is very involving, very spiritual and obviously the work of a Thai musical genius. I read the CD notes which state:
Khru Montri Tramod, the five-reign musical artist of Rattanakosin era, was born on 17 June 1900, and started his involvement in Thai Classical music at the age of 13. When he was 17, he was admitted to join the court band of King Rama VI. His first song was composed when he was 20 years old, and his last song was composed when he was 93 years old. He had composed more than 200 songs, and was named for the "King of Dance Music",. He is the first to write a book on Thai classical music and had been awarded for being a distinguished researcher in Thailand. He also received the highest Royal Decorations from H.M. King Bhumibol and was also fellow of the Royal Institute; the National Artist and the ASEAN artist. He was also the Thai Classical Music expert attached to the Fine Arts Development until he passed away on 6 August 1995, at the age of 95.He had been a state official as an artist and Thai Classical Music teacher for 78 years.
One of the finest CDs I have heard of Thai Classic Music
I have found two other treasures in my stack of Thai music. I will write about these in future newsletter. If you are interested in getting a copy of TamNongThai, you can contact Namphung at namphung (at) norh.com. Because of shipping costs, it is better to order this with as a part of another purchase.
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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.
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?
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.
Sincerely,
Michael C. Barnes
nOrh Loudspeaker Company, Ltd.
