News - May 2004

Once again we would like to thank all our customers for their continuous support. Sometimes we have to thank them for their patience as well. A couple of years ago, we moved into a new factory. That factory was a wonderful facility. It was a beautiful location. The rent was also very reasonable. Unknown to us, our landlord actually built the facility on property they didn't own. Squatting is quite common in parts of Asia but it never occurred to me that someone would built a large structure on land they didn't own. In any case, the government has claimed back the land that our factory was on so we have had to hurriedly find a location to move our factory.

This is disappointing news but such is life. None-the-less, we are taking this stride and will be up and running in a new location soon.

We have made a modification to Le Amp 2s. We have added a line filter into the amplifier. We have sent out many units with the new modification and we are going to have customer feedback soon.

I had planned to write a report on using computers for audio video. I will work on this report and have it done soon. I have reported here for many years that I believe that the computer will become the center for home entertainment. The evidence is that this is becoming more a reality all the time. I will try to update my report and publish this as soon as possible.

New Products

Our most successful product lately has been the SE 9. The SE 9 established a standard in both price and performance for low cost integrated amplifiers. We have sold hundreds of SE 9s and it continues to be one of our best sellers. The target market is for anyone looking for very good sound at a very low price. The SE 9 combines great looks, great sound and great price. Another reason it is so successful is that it is very easy to use.

The SE 9 is our best selling product

I get many e-mails every month from people who want us to upgrade the SE 9. Some people have asked for Triode versions. Other people want to know if we can do a point-to-point version and there are others who want us to use a better volume control or better parts. We could do those things but if we did, the price of the amplifier would go up and we would be missing the target market we designed the amplifier for.

The SE 9 introduces the high quality of single ended tube sound at a price people would expect to pay for a modest shrill sounding solid state amplifier. Even at this price, we are using high quality Electro Harmonix tubes rather than cheap Chinese tubes found in many low cost tube amplifiers. We have a very good look and the unit is very nicely built.

What we have decided to do instead up upgrade the SE 9 is to introduce a brand new integrated amplifier. The new integrated amplifier is an attempt to create a more refined classic. The first difference is that the new integrated amplifier has a new look. The base is made from beach wood. While the outside shows that we are using essentially the same Electro Harmonix tubes, we have made some very significant refinements. The new integrated amplifier is wired point-to-point. We have decided to use 98% solid silver wire for the point-to-point wiring. This is the same wire we used in our nOrh 9.0 marble loudspeakers.

The new amplifier works in triode or pentode mode. There is a switch that allows users to have either 10 watts of Single Ended performance or 8 watts of Single Ended Triode performance. Even though the new amp is a single ended triode, the amplifier provides 8 watts of power. The volume control is a Nolen volume control from England. We are using an Alps switch. We have upgraded all the internal components. All of these changes not only take the amplifier to a new level of sonic performance, it also greatly enhances the look. These improvements make for a new amplifier for a completely new market segment. The new SE 10 will be available mid May. We will announce the price shortly.

In addition to the SE 10 we will also introduce the SE +3. The SE +3 is one of the first three channel tube amplifiers on the market. The SE +3 can be used as a three channel amplifier in a 5.1 channel home theater system. You can use the SE 9, SE 18 or the SE 10 for the front channels and then add the SE +3 for the center and rear. The SE +3 is built to the same standards as the SE 10. It uses solid silver wire for point to point wiring. The SE +3 is also a pure single ended design with the option to operate in either triode or pentode mode. The SE 10 uses a tube rectifier for the third channel.

The SE +3 -- a three channel single ended triode amplifier

These new amplifiers call out for a new approach for loudspeakers. Although 8 watts is enough to drive almost any loudspeaker to loud levels, some people will want to have all the dynamic range and power they are used to -- even though they are using a lower powered tube amplifier.

The other day, I was in my office. I have a SE 10 running with a pair of 3.0s. I was listening to music while my wife came in to talk to me. She was talking but I couldn't hear her because the music was turned up. After me not hearing her twice, she yelled "why do you have to play your music so loud?!". It occurred to me that my wife would never play music this loud and I only had 8 watts. For my office, the nOrh 3.0s are all the speakers I need. In my living room, I would want a bit more power.

I now use the SE 18 with a pair of 7.0s in my second audio system. This is a great match. The sound is loud and clean. Even so, I was unprepared for the impact I heard when I used the SE 10 with our newest loudspeakers -- the 100dB.

Transmission line loudspeakers are not very common. They are expensive and complicated to build. Our new loudspeaker uses a 8 inch full range Fostex driver and matches it with a custom designed horn tweeter. The overall sound is amazingly smooth and dynamic. The 100 dB is the ideal loudspeaker for anyone who has low powered amplifiers -- particularly single ended tube amplifiers. The 100 dB is probably one of the most reasonably priced loudspeakers to achieve this level of performance and sensitivity on the market. The price of the 100 dB is $1295.00 per pair shipped.

Update

New Products