Older news - September, 2002

SE 9 Single Ended Tube Integrated Amplifier is a hit

I guess nobody should be surprised how well the SE 9 is now selling. We have sold out of our first two runs. The reviews are all coming in saying this is the best buy in audio ever. One customer wrote that we should do as well as Dynaco did and he reminded us that they had sold 800,000 of their integrated amplifiers. I don’t expect we can match that achievement as our production run is only about three to four amplifiers per day.

The SE 9, like all nOrh products, is a work of art. It is one of the most beautiful small amplifiers you will find at any price. Customers are telling us that they get rave comments on the looks of the SE 9. We believe that the SE 9 is one amplifier that can fit in just about any environment.

This month marks the fourth year we have been selling nOrh 4.0s. There have been very few changes since our introduction. Our first version was made from wood. These are still available. The ceramic version of the 4.0s is by far our most popular. This is our best selling loudspeaker. The marble 4.0s are available to those few who simply demand the best. Our marble loudspeakers are all hand crafted.

	The SE 9 looks absolutely beautiful. It is even more impressive at night when the tubes give off their romantic orange glow. Anyone seeing the SE 9 for the first time will certainly guess that the SE 9 is an ultra expensive high-end amplifier. They would be right about high-end though.
		The SE 9 has many high-end features. First of all, it uses high quality tubes from Electro Harmonic and not cheap—no name tubes. The transformers are custom wound and are among the quietest transformers you will find in any tube amplifier. The switches are platinum coated. The volume control is made by Alps. There are two inputs. The large gold plated inputs are placed upright to make it easy to hook up loudspeakers. Instead of a cheap diode, we use a much more expensive tube rectifier. Count the number of tubes on other Single Ended amplifiers and you will see that we have five instead of four. A diode costs 10 cents but a rectifier tube costs $13.00. The SE 9 features ceramic sockets and not cheap plastic ones found in many other amplifiers. The SE 9 is single ended. This is the purest form of amplification available. The SE 9 is not a 1 or 2 watt amplifier like many other budget priced tube amplifiers. The SE 9 has 9 watts of Single Ended performance. Despite being Single Ended, the SE 9 only draws 35 watts. This is more efficient than most integrated solid state amplifiers.
	The SE 9 and a pair of nOrh 3.0s or nOrh 4.0s will make a great gift. Women love the SE 9. The SE 9 is small, simple, and beautiful. Most women who have heard the SE 9 can tell the superior quality of the sound. Women typically have better hearing then men. The SE 9 is much easier to operate than most audio equipment. It has one switch for two inputs, a volume control and an on/off switch. The SE 9 and a pair of nOrh 3.0s or 4.0s will not cost any more than a compact system you would typically buy in a mass market electronics store. Even so, the SE 9 will look and sound much better. Even more importantly, the SE 9 is backed by nOrh Loudspeaker’s legendary heroic service and support.
		The SE 9 and a pair of 4.0s is a beautiful combination that will fit just about any decor. The nOrh 4.0s are hand crafted fine ceramics that are hand glazed and hand fired. The nOrh 4.0s use Vifa drivers. The feet of the 4.0s are made from solid stainless steel. While the nOrh 4.0s are only $400.00 per pair, they have been praised as some of the best sounding loudspeakers available under $1000.00 per pair. The 4.0s are available in white, black, celedon green, cobalt blue and red. We also have a special version that is based on the style of an American flag. The nOrh 4.0s have been our best selling loudspeaker since the day we introduced them. The 4.0s are also available in wood or marble.

Happy Birthday nOrh 4.0 (4 years old)

Namphung complained that she thought our web pages were too dark looking. I have decided to try a brighter look this month. We will play around with some different color combinations and see if we can find one that is easy to read and communicates the message we want to give our customers.

Most of the questions I received last month were about the SE 9. The number one question was what loudspeaker would work with the SE 9. We try to remind our customers that the SE 9 is not a 1 or 2 watt tube amplifier. The SE 9 is a 9 watt per channel amplifier. The SE 9 has sufficient power to drive most reasonable loudspeakers and to play quite loud. The 3.0s, 4.0s and 5.1/5.2 will all work quite well with the SE 9.

The nOrh 3.0s and the nOrh 4.0s will sound almost the same on the SE 9. The reason is that they have the same efficiency and cover the same frequency range. The 4.0s major advantage is that they will handle much more power than the 3.0s. The 3.0s are perfectly matched to the SE 9s as the SE 9 will drive the nOrh 3.0s to their fullest and the nOrh 3.0s low price will makes the combination quite affordable.

While the 3.0s and 4.0s will sound almost identical on the SE 9, the 4.0s will handle more power when paired with more powerful amplifiers. Many customers will appreciate the beautiful glazed colors we offer on the nOrh 4.0s. However, for those customers on a budget, the nOrh 3.0s will not disappoint. The nOrh 3.0s are available in wood drums, teak prisms and real marble.

Not everyone has a place to place the drum version of our loudspeaker. Some customers do hang them (see last month’s newsletter). That is the reason we have been building floor-standing loudspeakers as well. The Prism loudspeakers are based on the same principle we employ in all our designs. We eliminate parallel surfaces that create standing waves. Of course, any nOrh product has to represent only the finest in craftsmanship and it has to be priced reasonably.

The Prism 5.2 is our one of the least expensive floor standing loudspeakers available. Despite its low price, the Prism 5.2 is a beautiful addition to any room. It is relatively small, handles lots of power, provides good bass and is inexpensive. Pictures here is our grand piano black finish.

The nOrh Prism 6.6 is our most efficient loudspeaker. At 93 dB, it will play quite loud and handle lots of power. I personally use a pair of 6.6 Prisms in my bedroom. Now if I could only get a SE 9 amp for myself.

One of the best values in the nOrh Loudspeaker lineup is the Teak Prism 5.2. The Teak Prism 5.2 is made from real teak. Since we introduced this loudspeaker, our cost for teak has more than doubled. Just the wood for each loudspeaker is $75.00. That means we have $150.00 invested in just the wood. We can’t continue to offer the Prism 5.2 Teak at these low prices much longer.

Most loudspeakers are made from chipboard or MDF and many of these are covered with PVC. Only the more expensive loudspeakers are finished with wood veneers. The Prism 5.2 is made from only Teak. Teak is one of the world’s finest woods. This is probably a limited opportunity to acquire a pair of these unique and wonderful loudspeakers. Nothing in this price will sound match the performance and beauty of the nOrh Real Teak Prism 5.2

For those of you who want the sound of a tube amplifier and the power of a solid state, we offer two options. One is you can match the SE 9 to a pair of efficient loudspeakers such as the Prism 6.1 or Synthetic marble 6.0s. Each of these are rated at 90 dB sensitivity. For even more sensitivity, we offer the Prism 6.6. The Prism 6.6 is 93 dB sensitive and can handle up to 200 watts.

The other alternative is to buy Le Amps. Le Amps are powerful solid-state amplifiers that are voiced to sound like a fine single ended amplifier. Le Amps are ideal to pair against our premium line of loudspeakers that include the SM 6.9, mini 9.0, Marble 7.0 and SM 9.0 or the marble 9.0.

Shown here is the Prism 6.6 (Teak finish) with the SE 9.

If this is the first time you have come to this website, we would like to invite you to read our past newsletters. This will give you a chance to get to know us better. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to write.

If you think that there might be anyone you know considering purchasing an audio system, print out our pages or get them to come to our website. Imagine how upset your friend will be when they discover they could have purchased really high end equipment for the price of the “all-in-one” system they bought at the local appliance store.

Sincerely,

Michael C. Barnes

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