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Older news - August 2001

Preview of Le Amp Here is a long-awated picture of Le Amp. The picture does not show the laser etched front which will be present in the final product. We will post more pictures as they become available. Please check back soon for updates. View enlarged picture

This month has been very busy. We have started shipping both the SM 6.9 and the SM 6.1. SM stands for synthetic marble - the material is made from 77% marble powder mixed with resin and gel coat. The results is a pretty close approximation of the look of real marble. The sound is the same high quality sound we get from our real marble loudspeakers.

Our customers are discovering that for sixty years, other companies have been building loudspeakers using the wrong shapes and the wrong materials. One customer wrote:

"Wow! Right out of the box. They're already very impressive. I can't imagine how they'll sound after 200 to 300 hours. I can declare the nOrh 4.0 ceramic, the nOrh SM 6.9 the deals of the Century."

People are so used to loudspeakers being made from MDF boxes that they often question us. They want to know why is it that a piano or a guitar would use the cabinet to resonate. Why wouldn't we want the loudspeaker cabinet to resonate as well?

The answer is that we want to reproduce the recorded music as faithfully as we can—without adding any color to the music. The energy from the drivers should not be transferred to the cabinet. For those of you who ride bicycles, you know that you want your energy to go to the wheels and not to the frame. A frame that is too springy will absorb your energy and transfer less of your energy to the wheels.

There are three things that sound can do when it hits an object. It can energize that object, it can pass through the object or it can be reflected. In the typical box loudspeaker, the energy is reflected back and forth as all the walls are parallel to each other. The energy coming from the driver is reflected right back to the driver.

Our design uses the energy that gets trapped in the box and fights the woofer's effort to extend the bass. We do this by efficiently exhausting the energy through a tuned port. At the resonate frequency of the cabinet, the port is actually producing 50% of the bass output.

We first implemented the nOrh inverted horn design using wood. We continue to use wood for the 3.0, 4.0s and 5.1s. For these smaller speakers, bass is not a challenge because these are smaller speakers that do not produce deep bass. We began using marble for our larger loudspeakers and then ceramics for the 4.0s. Marble is very expensive to work with. It takes 800 pounds of material to make just one loudspeaker. We have 25% of the cabinets that are lost during the process of carving out the cabinet. It takes one day just to carve out one cabinet. Even so, we have managed to manufacture solid marble cabinets and sell them for less money than other companies using the same drivers in MDF boxes.

When nOrh started, our first two loudspeakers were the 6.0 and the 6.5. We discontinued both loudspeakers last year. For a year, there has been a huge price gap between the 5.1s and the 7.0s. The 5.1s have sold for $500.00 per pair and the marble 7.0s sell for $2000.00 per pair. We have worked a year, trying to fill in this gap.

We discontinued the 6.0 because the 5.1 was simply too good. We learned a lot from the time we came out with the 6.0 until we came out with the 5.1. The 6.5 was still quite good but once we heard the XT tweeter, we knew that it wasn't fair to continue to sell a product that we could do better.

Many of you have been reading about our synthetic marble project for many months. Some people have waited for months while we perfected the process. Whenever we have a new product, we are very anxious for our customers to tell us what they think. We saw the following posted on www.harmonicdiscord.com:

"Okay, the SM6.9 has been singing for the past 5 hours. The following are my preliminary findings: I have the white one which has the exacted look and feel of my white marble flooring. The red color swirling may be a little too light for some. I believe that they will look much better if the swirls are more prominent. Nevertheless, it beautifully matches the color of my flooring.

The weight is about 25 half kg per speaker or 56 pounds each. I weighed the right speaker with my old kitchen scale and did not border to weigh the other one. I think they are of the same weight as I did not feel any differences when carrying them around.

I have them sitting at 9 feet apart and my listening position is also about 9 feet away from the speaker. They are exactly 1 feet away from the back wall.

The immediate impression was that the 6.9 can play very loud. After a while, I felt that I can move them further apart and extended the distance between them to 10 feet.

Imaging is fantastic. Is has a very 3 dimensional effect. It doesn’t matter where I sit along the sofa. Soundstage is very wide and high. From the disc“Mapleshade’s Music Festival” track no12, Gallows Pole, with my old speaker I can hear a knocking sound on the top right hand side of my concrete ceiling. With the 6.9, the knocking is very MUCH louder. It is like someone knocking the concrete ceiling with a brick!

The sound also seems to come from out side my balcony. Oh ya, the BASS.

The overall sound is very “thick” and it doesn’t focus on any particular frequency range. Track no5 from “Boy Thai”, Seven Drums, it is like the boys have just taken their lunch, very punchy and the thickness.

It just gets me so immensely involved with the music. This is the first time that I can just sit down and listen to some true music without thinking of what could have been wrong. "

The 6.9 is a concept we have had now for over a year. We have another version of the 6.9, which is a Prism version. The Prism version allows us to build a larger cabinet which extends the bass even deeper. The Prism design is preferred by some people because it can be put closer to the walls and it doesn't need a stand. The Prism version is slightly more expensive—because of its larger size.

Another customer sent us this e-mail about his new SM 6.9s:

"I have heard things that I didn't previously know where there on my CD's. The sound is so good that I really do not know what to say. This is especially surprising since my room is absolutely Not a good room to listen to music in. Watched and listened to the Eagles DVD "Hell Freezes Over" recorded in DTS.

Not in any way my favorite kind of music, but still it was heavenly. Happily, my neighbors were away today, otherwise they would probably have been blown away when I listened to "Carmina Burana" at 0 dB. Aiiyah!

Michael, I have already started to think of upgrading my system and ultimately have the nOrh 9.0's."

The SM 6.9 is more articulate and images well. I also has deep bass but not as deep as the Prism version. The SM 6.9 is currently available in white, green and black synthetic marble. We might consider other colors for special orders. We could do gray or pink if someone preferred these colors.

A customer recently pointed out that he saw this same tweeter on a Krell loudspeaker selling more than ten times the price of the SM 6.9. The SM 6.9 has a frequency response of 40 Hz to 22,000 Hz +/- dB. The tweeter is the XT tweeter by Vifa and the woofer is the M18W0-09-08. The 6.9 has a sensitivity of 87 and can handle 200 watts of power.

The SM 6.9 doesn't require a subwoofer for music. It can handle lots of power and is very dynamic. We are offering upgrade paths for people who purchased the 6.5s. The XT tweeter is available only to dealers, so we are not able to offer this as a kit as we did with the 6.5.

We have also introduced SM 6.1. The SM 6.1 also uses Vifa drivers. The drivers we selected for this are designed for extreme efficiency. The SM 6.1 is rated with a sensitivity of 90 dB. The size and look of the cabinet are identical to the SM 6.9. The SM 6.1 would be ideal for someone with a low powered integrated amplifier or receiver. The speaker is very easy to drive. The tweeter is a 1 inch silk dome tweeter mounted in a horn faceplate. The driver is a 6 ½ Vifa woofer designed for high efficiency and very good midrange performance. The overall sound is smoother and more dynamic than the 5.1. There is no cosmetic difference between the SM 6.9 and the SM 6.1 when the cover is on. The SM 6.1's -3dB is 50 Hz. The sensitivity is 90 dB. I do not believe there is another loudspeaker that can match the SM 6.1 for imaging and detail given its price of $600.00.

While we are quite excited about our synthetic marble loudspeakers, we continue to be excited about our line of marble loudspeakers. One customer wrote to us that he didn't believe anyone will ever make a loudspeaker like this again. I think that they are right. The nOrh marble loudspeakers are a special product that is unlikely to ever be replicated.

We are exploring new products in marble. We have just completed a stereo rack made from steel and marble. It matches our steel and marble stand pictured above with the SM 6.1.

The above speaker is as prototype we are working on. The plan is to create a marble multimedia speaker. The grill will be similar to the grill on the nOrh 9.0. We would like to make this a powered loudspeaker that could be placed on a desk to provide a very high quality sound from a computer or portable device.

We are now working on a version of our subwoofer that will be marble. We believe that this will be one of the most articulate sounding subwoofers ever. We don't know what the costs will be. The plan is to create a larger cabinet than our current cabinet. We will use an transmission line that terminates to a bottom port. Anyone who reads reviews of our products will constantly read how spectacular our bass response is. We believe that the bass from our marble subwoofer will be the ultimate for music.

We have had a lot of people request that we come up with special pricing for our marble 4.0s for video systems. We are pleased to announce that we are now selling a set of five marble 4.0s for $1,600.00. We are also working on a synthetic marble 4.0. Many people tell us that when the 4.0s are mated to a good subwoofer, the sound competes with systems costing thousands of dollars. We believe that the SM 4.0 will offer excellent performance and value. Below is a picture of a white marble 4.0.

Speaking of marble, I just got my pair of nOrh 9.0s. I ordered a pair of 9.0s quite long back. It has taken me well over a year to get my pair. Up until now, I have been using a pair of wood 7.0s for my main system. I have been using these with a pair of nOrh subwoofers. Last month, I replaced the wood 7.0s upstairs with a pair of marble 7.0s. The difference in sound was unbelievable. The sound was far more precise, quicker and the bass more solid. You may want to take a look at pictures of my personal pair of white-gray 7.0s in this page.

Once I got my 9.0s, I felt I was in audio heaven. I have turned off my subwoofers. I rewired my processor to drive the subwoofers separately. For music, I listen only to the nOrh 9.0s. When I listen to movies, I have the 9.0s set for small speakers and I drive the subwoofers through the processor. This works very well and allows me to play the 9.0s much louder as setting them as small speakers takes the bass load off the speakers. Below is a photo of my personal pair of 9.0s.

I am often asked what loudspeakers I use. I still have loudspeakers that I bought years ago from Shahinian Acoustics. I have a pair of Obelisks. I use them upstairs in my office with a Thai built tube amplifier. Other than that, all my systems use nOrh loudspeakers. In my bedroom, I have an inexpensive Pioneer A/V receiver. I use a pair of Prism 6.6s because they sound very powerful, look good with the other Teak furniture and they don't need a stand. I put two Prism 3.0s on my bedstand and I use a 4.1 for my center.

My main system is now a pair of nOrh 9.0s (marble) with a 5.1 center. I use a pair of wood 7.0s for the rear (my previous front speakers).

My daughter uses a Zen tube amp with a pair of 4.0s. She has asked me to get her some pink 3.0s and she wants an A/V receiver.

I use a pair of 7.0 marbles in my other audio room. I use a 4.1 center and a pair of 6.5s for the rear.

In the dining room, I use a JVC minicompro that I bought for only $100 used. I mate it with a pair of ceramic 4.0s.

I find myself sitting in front of my computer more than anywhere else. I would like to listen to music at my computer more. This has inspired be to build a marble multimedia system for my desk (the secret project). I currently use a pair of Prism 3.0s.

Most of my ideas are inspired by the way I listen to music. Different places in my house require different types of speakers. I originally built an audio system the old fashioned way. I spent 10s of thousands of dollars building what I considered the ultimate audio system. I then realized that I had all this audio equipment but no time to listen to it. I had built a monument to audio but it was never being used.

I realized that my work, my need to stay educated, my Internet time and my family requirements had all changed from when I originally became an audiophile. Like most people, I started out as the type of audiophile who dreamed about equipment I couldn't afford. I was the type of audiophile who knew all the faults in my friends systems but I couldn't really afford to build the type of system I wanted. I spent money upgrading constantly. I would loose about 30% on every transaction.

Eventually, my income caught up with my dreams and I bought the type of system I had always dreamed of owning. Then I discovered that what I really needed was a way to have the type of audio I loved spread to other locations in the house. To get my wife's permission to do this, I would need to have loudspeakers that complemented each room.

What I have tried to do is to capture the sound of the best systems and package them in sizes that make sense for most homes. When you are working at your computer, or your wife is cooking or sowing, how loud does the music have to play? Is it more important to have something that sound sonically accurate or something that plays very loud? We designed the 3.0s so that audiophiles could enjoy high quality sound for modest applications. The 3.0s will fit in almost any room and will provide the type of sound that is associated with high-end speakers and not the sort of sound you get from the speakers that come with mincomponents.

nOrh 3.0 and Prism 3.0 (Enlarge)

The 4.0s are easy to place because of their size. The ceramic versions look like art. Most people will not even recognize them as speakers. The 4.0s provide a very high-end sound but because of their smaller size, they don't provide deep bass. Many customers overcome this by adding a subwoofer. For smaller rooms, the bass from the 4.0s is quite adequate.

The new synthetic marble products (SM), provide the sound and look we get from the more expensive marble loudspeakers. The SM 6.9 will challenge speakers costing many times more yet it costs much less and looks very classy.

The Prisms provide more flexibility for placement as they are floor standing and can be placed closer to walls and corners than the drums. The larger cabinets allow the Prisms to produce very good bass. The sound of the Prism is has proven to be better than the traditional box loudspeaker. The finishing of our speakers is better than even the most expensive loudspeakers. This is because our loudspeakers are finished using real Teak and crafted by expert Thai woodworkers.

The ultimate loudspeakers are the marble loudspeakers. The marble 9.0s continue to amaze our customers. Most of our customers believe they have the world's best two-way loudspeaker. TNT reviewed the nOrh 9.0 and they felt is was the world's best two-way loudspeaker.

Our long-term customers know that in the past year, we have revamped our entire product line. I very much believe that our only competition today is ourselves. We have to push ourselves to do a better job and not worry about anyone else.

We highly recommend that if you are not a regular visitor to our site that you go back and read our old monthly newsletters. We have been aggressively introducing products and sometimes we are a bit slow about creating dedicated pages to new products.

Le Amps are going to ship August 18. The delay is due to nylon threats that we plan to use to hold the case together. One of my pet peeves regarding amplifiers is it seems that one or two of the screws always get stuck when you try to open the amplifier. We have designed in nylon threats that will prevent this from happening and will allow you to open and close the case 10,000 times with no problems.

Sonically, we are very excited about Le Amp. We have listened to it extensively. There are not a lot of amplifiers under $1,000 that provide a high-end sound. Le Amp is much less than $1,000 but sounds better than amplifiers costing much more money. Please look at last month's newsletter for photos of the inside of our prototype Le Amp. We will post pictures of the final units soon.

Note: If you are planning to visit Thailand or any other locations in Asia, please take a look at Cathay Pacific's Asia Pass promotion. Here's the link to the promotional offer.

Sincerely,

Michael C. Barnes
President
nOrh Loudspeaker Company, Ltd

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