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Older news - June / July, 2004
I had a disk crash two weeks ago. My main system is down and I am not able to work on the website until I get my system back online. Feel free to e-mail me directly. Please come back and check for new products and more discussions on audio, computers and other subjects I hope will interest you.
It is very hard to believe that it has been six years since we started nOrh loudspeaker. Six years ago, Asia was gripped by an economic downturn that was lead to the sort of panic and job losses that happened during the 1930s depression in the United States. I started nOrh because I had Thai friends who could not feed their families.
At the time, I was working for a major US Computer company. All of the sudden, the money I had was now worth twice what it had been worth and I had an opportunity to use my ideas to create income for entire families.
Three years after forming nOrh, I decided to use my experience setting up manufacturing and combine that with my knowledge of computers and create another company. The new company was more ambitious than nOrh in that rather than create a business that was a hobby, I intended to create an industry based around a new generation of computing products.
Today, all the original nOrh founders are now working full time for NorhTec. NorhTec is a different company with its own investors. However, in the spirit in which we started the company, all of the original employees work for no pay during their spare time to continue to make nOrh a company that creates jobs and delivers unique products.
Yuths is is now the head engineer of NorhTec. His first job out of university was with nOrh. Namphung is now in charge of order operations for NorhTec. Lek looks after production and many of the people who you have seen on these web pages are now working for NorhTec. Boom is with NorhTec. We have replaced these familiar faces with new faces and as we do, we are creating new jobs with both companies.
Recently, NorhTec completed a very complex project. We designed and built a ruggedized mobile computer. IRD-Thailand designed the electronics we used in this computer -- including the advanced mobile computer power supply. NorhTec has over 20 people working full time. We often ask for nOrh's staff to help us out with special projects -- such as soldering cables and other detail work.
The past few months have presented nOrh with challenges we never expected. In January, our ISP sold their business. We had no idea that they did this. We were never informed. For weeks, our website was up and down. Many of our e-mails got lost. All of this happened without us having any idea what was going on.
We had the problems we openly discussed with Le Amp 2. Our supplier took the money and ran. He ran because other vendors threatened to kill him and his family. We never take any money up front so the money we lost was money we invested in the project. Despite this, we were able to get Le Amp 2 out. It wasn't easy and we had a great deal of problems getting the design right. The reports we are getting back from the units we are shipping out and from people who have replaced units is that the amplifiers sound great. People are saying this is the best sound they have ever heard from the speakers they are using.
Our biggest challenge was finding out that we had to move out of our factory because the land which the factory was built was not owned by the landlord. One day we show up and the electricity is off. We had the unexpected expense and delay of having to move 8 tractor trailer loads of inventory into a new factory. We could only do this after locating a new factory and making the necessary renovations.
Our packing equipment takes three phase electricity. As of the time of this writing, we are told that the transformer we need is now not available but will be very soon. We have shipped out what we can coming up with alternate packing methods.
Namphung and Yuths and I have donated our time and money to keep nOrh going because we want to continue making great products and creating jobs. We appreciate your patience and we hope that the wait will be well worth it.
There are two other challenges we have faced. The first is the drop in the US dollar. All our drivers are bought in Euros so they cost us more than 30% than they did before. No wonder most other companies have simply thrown in the towel and use Chinese drivers. We continue to offer loudspeakers with Scanspeak and Vifa drivers.
In addition to the higher costs for goods, we also are now facing higher shipping costs because of the increase in oil prices. We now pay 20% more for shipping than we did last year.
We are now forced to raise the price of some of our tube amplifiers. The SE 9 is now $425.00. This cost increase simply passes the extra cost of shipping. We will honor the SE 9 at $395.00 this month but after that, we absolutely must raise the price.
When we first put up our website six years ago, I wrote articles about using computers as the center of a multimedia system. I have repeated this theme many times. Each time, I have had people come back to me and attack the idea of using computers. The idea originally seemed crazy. More and more people are coming around to this idea and I believe in the very near future, computers will be the foundation of most audio systems.
About four years ago, we released the very highly regarded CD1. The CD1 was OEM 'd from the same company that was building CD players for California Audio Labs and Adcom. We choose to OEM the top-of-the-line option and sold it at what was considered an astonishingly low price.
We sold about 300 CD1s but then we found that Matsushita was no longer going to build the transport used in the CD1. The result was that just as the product became popular, the parts to build the product were no longer available.
Compare this to computers. I have had CD ROMs go bad and I spend less than $50.00 and buy a new one.
For me, the ideal situation would be a silent computer driving an outboard DAC or having a very good soundcard. The problem with most computers is that they are large and noisy.
NorhTec has been working on a variety of designs to cut down the noise and to make the systems smaller.
NorhTec's MultiClient is an ideal small silent computer for audio/video projects
Pictured above is the MultiClient. The MultiClient is quite small and features a fanless AC power supply. The Power supply is auto switching between 120 and 240 volts. The power supply is now undergoing CE certification. The MultiClient can support virtually any MiniITX board. If you use the M6000 board from VIA, the system can be made completely silent. The M6000 from VIA comes standard with six channel sound, SPDIF (digital out) and SVHS video output. We have developed a remote control system that can be added to control both Linux and Microsoft based systems. The remote control is compatible with the LIRC standard. We make this available for only $30.00.
The VIA system includes integrated hardware software acceleration for MPEG 2. Using Windows, you can have smooth DVD playback despite its small size. Sound reproduction is not a factor.
The sound of this device is really very good. It is probably better than the sound from most low cost CD and DVD players. The integrated sound board is 20 bit and is better than the typical sound integrated on computers. You can improve the sound using an external DAC or running the digital output into your video sound processor. If you prefer to bypass having a preamp or sound decoder altogether, you can add an external USB sound system such as the M-Audio Sonica Theater.
Quite frankly, I am quite impressed with how this unit performs by itself. With the remote control, you don't need to add a sound processor or preamp.
We have a variety of board options. Any VIA MiniITX or similar board can be used. We have recently updated the MultiClient so that we can now add a 3.5 inch hard disk. This means we can easily and inexpensively create a 120 GB or 200 GB computer.
One of the most impressive things about using a computer for video is the fact you can achieve the same results as using an expensive line quadrupler as you can using the standard video cards that come with computers. Today, you can buy LCD and DLP projectors for about $1000.00 USD. You can use the computer to drive these to full resolution. The MultiClient doesn't have an internal PCI but you could add a TV capability with an external USB device.
The Silent Server accommodates full size PCI, CD/DVD ROMs and 3.5 inch disks
The Silent Server comes in two versions. One version handles a single 3.5 inch hard disk and the other handles two. The one that handles two is obviously a little larger. The Silent Server can be configured with just about any MiniITX board. It includes the same silent power supply as the MultiClient and includes a quiet slow moving case fan for quiet but cool operation.
The Panda
The Panda is our high-end offering. It uses a DC powered 80 watt power supply. The case is cast aluminum and the whole unit is isolated from vibrations using large silicon feet. The systems probably the most rugged office/home computer available. We have been holding back on releasing the Panda because we wanted the fanless 1Ghz VIA chips. These are coming sometime soon. We have tested some of these systems with a fanless 1 Ghz Transmeta processor and we would love to test this with a board we know of that uses the ATI Rage and a 1Ghz Transmeta. In fact, our ideal unit would have a slim line DVDRW, 200 GB drive and the Transmeta/Rage combination.
One of the most exciting things to happen in computing and home entertainment is the introduction of the VIA MiniITX form factor. The MiniITX is a very small form factor board. The board is 6.7 x 6.7. Many people have used this computer board and put it inside existing CD player cases and built computers using everything from humidors to toaster ovens. The form factor has proved to be so popular that now MiniITX boards are available with other processors, including Intel and Transmeta.
VIA bought out the Cyrix core and created their own versions of these chips. These chips are compatible with x86 chips but they have the advantage that they generate less heat and use less power. It is possible to use a passive heatsink for the 600 Mhz and below processors. We have built fanless versions of the 1 Ghz and 800 Mhz systems.
VIA's standard implementation for the 1Ghz chipset includes a small quiet fan. Unfortunately, almost all standard cases come with power supplies that have loud fans. NorhTec has designed systems that are small and silent.
The obvious choice for most people is to use Microsoft. There is no reason why you should avoid Microsoft Windows XP home edition for this project. The off-the-shelf offering from Microsoft does not include a DVD player. A very good free software package to download is Video Lan which can be downloaded from http://www.videolan.org/. Video Lan not only plays DVDs and audio disks, it allows you to stream video and audio to other computers on the network.
There are many software packages that work quite well for playing music CDs. While many people are by now very familiar with saving music in MP3 format. most are not aware that there are loss less alternatives. I use FLAC as my preferred storage format. FLAC does not achieve quite the compression as MP3 but the files loose no digital information what-so-ever. I use a system called PhatNoise Music Manager. The cost is less than $15.00 USD. I strongly recommend this software. You can download a trial version at their website -- http://www.phatnoise.com.
There are alternatives to using Microsoft for your video system. One of the ones I find the most interesting is GeexBox.
GeexBox is a completely free multimedia software entertainment system. You download the ISO file from the website and then create a bootable CDROM. Most CDRWs come with software to create CDROMs from ISO images. If your software doesn't have this feature, you can download BurnatOnce for free. Check out http://www.burnatonce.com for information.
GeexBox is a very small download. You can boot your computer with GeexBox and it becomes a standalone multimedia system or you can create a bootable system using a pen drive. You do not need a hard disk for this system to work. That means that for under $300.00, you could put together a complete multimedia system-- including software. GeexBox works with any LIRC remote control and NorhTec offers one for $20.00.
GeexBox even supports some wireless networks so you can set up wireless systems that connect to a main audio/video server.
There are several free Linux distributions that you can install on a hard disk that offer very good MultiMedia support. The two best are Ark Linux and Mepis Linux.
When using Linux, it might be necessary to add libdvdcss2. Many Linux distributions do not include this because the questionable legality of using this file to unlock DVD encryption. You can use your favorite search engine to look up how to obtain and install this file.
It is often very difficult and expensive to find a fanless computer. This article will go into more details about some of the options. However, if you would like to create your own fanless product, we have access to over 3,000 fanless power supplies. The power supplies are an odd size. They are smaller than a standard ATX power supply so these are best for custom projects where you mount the power supply in a custom case. The price for these power supplies is $30.00 plus shipping.
There are very few artists that I can claim that I like everything they do. Diana Krall is one of these artists. I believe that Diana Krall is one of the most influential jazz artists today. Not only has she brought her lyrical style to dedicated jazz fans but she has succeeded to reach audiences who would not normally listen to jazz. There have been many great jazz artists who have crossed over to new audiences but they have had to dumb down or make their music more pop. I can not tell you how many people I talk to about jazz and then tell me how much they like Kenny G.
Diana Krall doesn't apologize or compromise on her jazz roots. As great an artist as Diana Krall is, I believe until now, her third album, Love Scenes (1997) was her best. I have enjoyed every album Diana Krall has released and would call them all great. However, Love Scenes was such as standout album that I doubted that Diana Krall would ever top it.
I hesitate to say that The Girl in the Other Room is better than Love Scenes. While I hesitate to say the album itself is better, Diana Krall has never sounded better. The Girl in the Other Room is more lyrical and playful than Diana Krall's previous albums. From a standpoint of musicality, this has to be Diana Krall's best work.
The Girl in the Other Room is available in SACD format. I do not have a SACD player so I listened to the CD Audio version. The recording is absolutely superb so I am sure that for anyone who has paid the premium of owning a SACD player, this is a must have.
Diana Krall marries Elvis Costello
It would be pointless of me to write my opinion of movies such as Lord of the Rings or other blockbusters. Chances are that if you were remotely interested, you have seen it already. There are movies from time-to-time that I catch that take me completely by surprise. I will watch just about anything and every now and then, there is a movie I never heard of that really surprises me. Last year, I wrote about Donnie Darko. I thought that this was an amazingly original film and I wanted to let my readers get a chance to see it while the DVDs were still on the shelf.
Last week, I was going through my new batch of DVDs and I put on a movie I had never heard of called Shaun of the Dead. When I bought the DVD, I thought it would be one of those lighthearted spoofs that have a few forced chuckles as the plot plodded from improbable to improbable situation.
Shaun of the Dead is a very funny movie. What makes Shaun of the Dead so original is that it works at every level. Shaun of the dead has believable acting, real shocks and very funny scenes that don't simply wait for you to laugh.
Shaun of the Dead is sort of a combination of School of Rock and Night of the Living Dead. There are enough subtle jokes in this film to go back and watch a few times. This is a great movie to show at parties because it is unlikely anyone has seen or heard of the film.
I have always enjoyed British humor. British humor is silly but not dumb. British humor tells inside jokes inside of inside jokes. Shaun of the Dead has a lot of humor going on under the surface.
In one scene, the two main characters discover their yard has been invaded by zombies. As one character is dealing with one of the zombies, the other character goes in and comes out with a camera. The camera is one of those disposable cameras that have to be hand wound. The scene is done so well and is really very funny.
Introducing the upcoming PP40
We are going to be introducing the PP40 soon. This is a 40 wpc push pull tube amplifier using a set of 6L6W tubes. The PP40 is powerful enough to drive just about any loudspeaker. The PP40 rests on a beautiful Teak wood base. The look, sound and power are unmatched at $995.00 USD shipped.
Another view of the PP40
The SE 19
We are also introducing the SE 19. The SE 19 is a 19 watt per channel SE integrated. The SE 19 sells for the same price as the new PP 40. The SE 18 will stay in our product line.
More details about these new products will be announced shortly.
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.
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. 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, but also greatly enhances the look. These improvements make for a new amplifier for a completely new market segment. We will announce the price shortly.
The SE 10 will be shipping June 2004. We are doing some restyling and will have new photos up as soon as they are available.
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. It 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.
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.
100 dB sensitive transmission line with Super Horn
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.
Michael C. Barnes
nOrh Loudspeaker Company, Ltd.