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Older news - September, 2003

DACT

The ACA, SE 9 and SE 18 can now be ordered with the DACT C2 volume control installed. We have made arrangements with the local distributor of DACT to upgrade to the DACT volume control. Please add $180.00 to your order to cover the cost of the volume control and installation.

Norh 3.0

We can now do wood 3.0s in designer colors. We haven't picked all the colors yet so we are interested in hearing from customers what colors they would like. These speakers are using automobile type colors.

Norh 3.0 wood in designer colors (click to enlarge)

"High-End Audio should cost about the same as a new TV -- not as much as a new car or a new home."

Michael C. Barnes, president nOrh Loudspeaker, inventor of the inverted horn loudspeaker

It is hard to believe that another month has passed and it is time for me to put together our newsletter. About this time of year, I need to start reminding people about Christmas. I know that Christmas is still far off but it is amazing how fast time seems to go these days.

nOrh has been coming out with lots of new products over the past couple of years. Prior to this, we were very well known for very good value. During the dot.com era, we built very luxury products such as our marble loudspeakers. After September 11th, we saw a big drop in higher prices systems but our lower priced systems, such as the 5.1s and 4.0s sold very well. We decided to focus on building products that were more affordable and worked very hard to create as much value as we could. We introduced the SE 9 integrated amplifier, the nOrh 3.0s, the SE 18 and then the ACA 2b. Our goal was to provide very high quality at the lowest possible price.

Each of our new products has received very high praise and I think our decision to focus on making affordable systems has worked for us. Many other companies have failed over the past couple of years. Audiophile companies that survived the previous twenty years were unable to adapt to the economic crunch. Some of these companies vanished completely and others were able to sell off their names and survive in spirit only.

The past couple of years have been difficult for many people. One of the sad things I have read from customers is how they had to sell their prized marble speakers because they had lost their jobs or because of an economic setback. Some of these customers wrote back and said they were downsizing and wanted a pair of 4.0s or a pair of 3.0s. It is sad reading from customers just how tough times have been.

I get a sense that the economy is getting better. I hope so. I am hoping that more of you will feel more secure in your jobs and would be willing to buy yourself something special without having to splurge.

SE 9 Single Ended Integrate Amplifier

Below is a photograph of our now very famous SE 9. The SE 9 is an astonishingly beautiful little amplifier that sells for an amazingly low $395.00 USD (that is shipped to your door). The SE 9 is a very unique product. At 9 watts. the SE 9 has enough power to drive most loudspeaker fairly loud. I believe most people will find that it is more than enough power. This is the ideal amplifier for an office or to send off to college with your children.

What has surprised me in selling the SE 9 is how reliable these units are. We have had a couple of people who replaced one or two tubes but out of 500 units we sold, very few have gone bad. We are actually finding that the SE 9 is more reliable than other solid state products we have sold. The SE 9 is also economical to use. The SE 9 draws only 35 watts of power. That is less than a light bulb. The SE 9 takes up very little space and it looks beautiful.

This is what one customer wrote about the SE9:

I received the amp today and everything was packed perfectly.  The amp sounds amazing - I still can not believe the cost.  I have a couple of very efficient speakers, the Klipsch RF3II and the Klipsch Heresy. At the moment the RF 3 are connected and the volume is at 09:00 and that is more than enough volume for my listening room.  This is my fist venture into tubes and if  the sound improves after break-in I will probably not go back to solid state amps. In the future I will probably be getting the tube pre-amp.  Thanks again for an outstanding product.

nOrh's Highly Praised SE 9 (Single Ended Integrated Amplifier). Small, Beautiful, Great Sounding, Elegant.
Only $395.00 shipped to your door. Click on the images to enlarge.

On DVD

 

Rather than bet my money on either SACD or DVDA, I have elected to sit out the format battle and continue to buy CDs and from time-to-time, I will buy a DVD concert. DVD concerts can be very good values. Most DVD concerts have a 2 channel Dolby Digital soundtrack. I prefer to listen in this mode. Many of my favorite artists have released DVDs, many of whom, have long careers and are reaching new audiences through DVD.

Gordon Lightfoot has never had a performance recorded, a fact I did not know until I researched the Gordon Lightfoot Live in Reno DVD. For fans of Gordon Lightfoot, virtually every popular song he has recorded is performed in this DVD -- 22 songs in all.

When my wife and I wound up combining musical collections, there were few duplicates. She had Saturday Night Fever, lots of Hawian Music, Best of Bread and the Monkees. The only albums we both had were Gordon Lightfoot albums.

The video and sound were stunning. Gordon Lightfoot sounded different than I remembered. His voice lacked the strength it once had but the character remains. The experience was almost like someone else was singing his songs. This is not a criticism. People's voices do change and I am not getting any younger either. It is hard not to think of James Taylor's ageless voice as James Taylor and Gordon Lightfoot are close to the same age. Despite the lack of power in his voice, the concert was quite enjoyable. Mr. Lightfoot's lyrics are rich and filled with deep emotions and rich stories. The Live in Reno DVD is a must have for fans of Gordon Lightfoot, Canadians and anyone else who enjoys intelligent music.

nOrh 3.0

Many people will go out and spend that same amount of money as we charge for a pair of nOrh 3.0s and an SE 9 and they will get a cheap looking system that simply sounds terrible. One reviewer in TNT commented that the sound of those cheap systems are like "noise with rhythm". There is a big difference between "noise with rhythm" and music. The SE 9 and the 3.0 combination will amaze you at how great the combination sounds. We have a very nice letter from one of our customers who praises the nOrh 3.0s:

Dear folks at Norh,

A couple of days ago I received the 3.0 drums I ordered. After reading about everything I could find on the net on Norh's my expectations were high. But they lived up to it.

I have to thank all of you for such a beautiful even brilliant product. From the guys who engineered it, to the craftsmen that routed and assembled it and the administration that took care of my order. Everything was smooth and flawless. It took TNT only two days to bring them my doorstep. When I opened the box I was stunned to see two classy, shiny speakers. I do some occasional woodwork myself and I recognize quality when I see it. These were quality, no doubt about it. I immediately hooked them up to my stereo and was really amazed. Compared to the speakers I was used too, these were so much clearer and livelier. I know discover music on my CD's I never heard before on my previous setup. Voices really sound like ... well voices. The stereo image has greatly improved and so has the sweet spot. It's a pity that they don't produce much bass. Modern music is not for them so my daughter or son won't monopolize the stereo (lucky me).

Another advantage is that in real life they are more beautiful then on whatever picture I could find on your site. This has definitively helped the Wife Approval Factor. She still doesn't find them beauties, but she can stand them. She already admires the musical capabilities and I think in time she will also learn to like the looks. When that happens I might go for something like the SM 6.9 or so. You definitively have a customer for life. If ever anyone needs convincing, send them my way ;-)

Greetings,

Marc Verwerft.

nOrh 3.0s Drum (left) @ $195.00 / pair, Real Teak 3.0 (right) @ $250.00 / pair, shipped.
Click on the images to enlarge.

ACA 2b (pronounced ACA tube)

The ACA 2b (pronounced ACA tube), is one of the least expensive preamps anywhere. The fact that it is so inexpensive has probably caused many people to pause and think that anything this inexpensive can not be any good. The fact is, audio products are simply over priced. The industry has been gouging its fans for years and the industry is now paying for these abuses. The last two years, we have seen many audio companies go out of business or their brand purchased by larger companies.

For over five years, we have been proving to the world that really great audio equipment should cost as much as a TV and not as much as a car.

Review from our customer Vince

ACA 2b = Ear food!

I ordered my ACA 2b from nOrh and it arrived two days later. Now that's quick! For pictures, you should check out the nOrh website. I really like how the chrome chassis accents the transformer and tubes - very nice. The tubes, Sovtek 6922's, had already been installed and all I had to do was plug it in and play after unpacking. There's no manual, but that doesn't bother me. It's so simple to use, it becomes apparent that one isn't necessary. Besides, if you have questions, no matter how technical, just send an e-mail to nOrh. Now, about the sound. After the 90 seconds warm up/wait I threw in a Pat Metheny cd and began to listen. Whoa! This thing is LOUD! Loud and clear. That's not to say things were great from the start. Bass was bloated, midrange rough and edgy and the treble was thin. However, there was a rightness to what I was listening to which I hadn't heard before - I think I'd call it balance contrary to the above. After a couple of weeks things got much better. However, it wasn't until I changed the tubes when I really 'heard' this preamp. I bought a set (and spares) of Amperex Bugleboy 6DJ8's and the change was amazing! Keep in mind I'm talking about the preamp here, not the tubes. The human voice is REAL! What I mean is that when I hear a singer's voice I also get emotion, weight, and texture in the room with me. Has a vocalist ever given you chills from listening? The ACA 2b will and does just that. Every breath and pause are captured in a very stimulating fashion. Bass is very defined and powerful. Deep bass too is very rewarding, and overall this is the best I've heard from my speakers. The midrange is very open and energetic with no glare or coloration; in a word superb! When I hear a trombone or French horn, I'm completely convinced that it IS that instrument. A French horn, trombone, and baritone have three distinct sounds from my ACA 2b but can tend to sound alike with lesser components . If you like the piano, you're in for a real treat. Every note on the piano is defined and carries weight - try Diana Krall and you'll see what I mean. (I really do know how a trombone should sound, I have played one for over 15 years.) Treble is not airy, at least in my system. What the ACA 2b does for treble is what icing does for cake. Once again, it's not harsh or glaring, but very defined and accurate. I like the way cymbals shiver when they are struck. Clearly I can hear whether it's a stick or a brush on the cymbal, small or large. Here again, the ACA 2b differentiates the sounds of various cymbals with distinct sizzles and textures. This preamp defines and delivers. The sound stage is huge and accurate in it's presentation; depth and width are excellent with air between instruments. Imaging is spectacular! It adds nothing to the music as far as it having a particular sound. It recreates all types of music very well, no matter what style so don't worry. It will, however, not be so nice to poor recordings. The best part is that I have yet to hear it at it's best. My review of the ACA 2b is after about 80 hours of play. I'm almost certain it will only get better with time. I am extremely satisfied with this preamplifier and will have it for a very long time. My previous preamp was an Audio Research LS3 which served me well. The ACA 2b takes everything to a new level. It is simply excellent ear food! nOrh has won me over not because they are inexpensive, but because of the philosophy that everyone should be able to enjoy good music the way it was meant to be heard. Mr. Barnes is really quite humble when he says his products sound 'great'. He's building a very reputable company who's products I shall continue to enjoy for a long time. Thank you Mr. Barnes!

Vince

Travis and his Significant Other love the looks and sound of their Classic 6.1 and their new ACA 2b

I have the ACA2B, cables, and, Classic 6.1's you sent me.  I am very pleased with them so far.  I intend to use them with the pair of Le Amp II's I currently have on order.  In the meantime, I have been breaking the speakers in using my old Aiwa, 60 watts per channel, stereo system. I read your August news.  I understand the delay in shipping the Le Amp II. I had guessed there was a delay of some kind.  I was not really worried having received my other items in such a timely manner, and, again, I am very pleased with the speakers and equipment.  My lady companion is also pleased with the looks of the wood classic 6.1.  They look, feel, sound and, smell great.

Yours truly,

Travis M. Gibb.

Le Amp 2

SPECIFICATIONS

Continuous Average Power 200 watts x 1 (8 ohms 0.1% THD), 400W x 1 (4 ohms 0.1% THD)
Dynamic Power per Channel 400W x 1
Power Bandwidth 5 Hz - 50 Khz
Damping Factor Greater than 100
Input Sensitivity / Impedance 2.0 V / 44 k ohms (rated power)
Frequency Response 20 - 20,000 Hz +0, -0.5 dB
Signal to Noise Ration Better than 120 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion Less than 0.1%
Output Complement 8 transistors
Power Supply 800 V/A Switching adjusted to 500 V/A supporting 800 V/A peaks

I have been receiving many e-mails from people who have asked us to show the insides of Le Amp 2. I asked the factory to send me some photos to show the inside. I apologize for the quality of these photos -- they were taken at our factory.

Inside the Norh Le Amp 2 (click to enlarge)

Le Amp 2 is nOrh Loudspeaker's most ambitious project yet. Our goal has been to improve quality while lower our price. Le Amp 2 is built like the most expensive amplifiers but it is probably one of the most inexpensive 200 watt per channel mono blocks available. Le Amp 2 uses a CLASS A JFET gain stage and a CLASS A/B Bipolar output stage. The output devices are from Toshiba. Le Amp 2 has over 7.5 pounds of custom molded and hand finished heat sinks. The power supply is one of the most powerful power supplies in its class. Le Amp 2 includes a balanced input and features very high quality, heavy duty connectors.

Norh Classics 6.1

Stunningly beautiful, efficient, great sounding and affordable, the Classic 6.1

nOrh has more of the 6.1 Classics on sale for $500.00 per pair, shipped to your door. The look and sound of the 6.1s is simply unmatched any other loudspeaker in its price range. The Classic 6.1 is hand made from solid logs and then baked in a wood oven for two weeks. Each loudspeaker is hand carved and hand finished. The detail and craftsmanship is unmatched by anything in its price range. The Classic 6.1 can handle up to 160 watts per channel and are 90 dB sensitive. The 6.1s are ideal for home entertainment systems and for systems using low powered amplifiers. The Classic 6.1 are a perfect match for the SE 9 or the SE 18 integrated tube amplifiers.

nOrh Classic 6.1 (click on the images to enlarge)

Recommended Loudspeakers for Le Amp 2

nOrh Loudspeakers has made it possible to own a high-end preamp and a high end pair of mono blocks for less than $1,000.00. In order to complete your system, we are offering some specials on loudspeakers as well. nOrh Loudspeaker still offers the "ultra luxury" hand carved marble loudspeakers. While the marble loudspeakers represent the ultimate, they are not exactly budget priced.

We have had so much success with our Classic 6.1s, we have decided to reintroduce another one of our original loudspeakers, the nOrh 7.0. The Classic 7.0s are the same loudspeaker that received rave reviews over the years. We created a marble version of the 7.0 but at $2,000.00, the marble version is priced just a bit too steep for the budget conscious buyer.

The Classic nOrh 7.0 available for the lowest price ever (click to enlarge)

The original 7.0s were $1,200 USD per pair. They featured the Scan Speak 18W-8545 woofer and the Scan Speak 9300 tweeter. These drivers are often used in high-end loudspeakers costing up to $30,000 USD. We are going to offer a special promotion of the Classic 7.0 for $995.00 shipped. If you purchased just the raw drivers for the 7.0s, they will cost you about $450.00 USD. In Europe, some people tell us they can get Scan Speak drivers for less money. Therefore, we will also offer the nOrh 7.0 Classic without drivers as a kit at only $500.00 shipped to your door. Some people might prefer to order this version so they can specify the more expensive Scanspeak 9500 tweeter. We also offer the Classic 7.0s with an upgraded crossover for the Scan Speak 9700 tweeter. You can specify either version.

Another very good choice for Le Amp 2 is the Mini 9.0. The Mini 9.0 uses the Scan Speak 9700 tweeter and the Scan Speak 15W-8530K00 woofer. This is the same woofer used in our highly reviewed nOrh 9.0. We are offering the Mini 9.0 in a synthetic marble kit. The Synthetic Marble has the same acoustic properties as real marble and most people will believe that it is made from real marble. The Mini 9.0 provides amazing bass for a loudspeaker its size. The Mini 9.0 is only 10 liters but can produce bass at -3 dB down to 45 Hz. The performance is shown in this graph.

The Mini 9.0 is a beautiful loudspeaker and the synthetic marble inverted drum cabinet is superior to the standard MDF boxes many high end companies use. The Mini 9.0 kit sells for only $500.00. It takes about ten minutes and a screw driver to put the Mini 9.0 together. If you prefer, we will send you the finished Mini 9.0 for $1,500.00.

Using your Computer for Home Entertainment

(An article by Michael C. Barnes, originally published in The Bangkok Post )

People are finding new uses for their computers as prices drop. More and more individuals are using their computers for entertainment than work. This should not be surprising. Computers have long been associated with games. A valid question many employers are asking is whether or not the Internet is a productivity booster or a productivity waster.

There are many challenges to using a computer for home entertainment. Most computers are too big and too noisy to be part of an audio or video system in the home. Some people have overcome this by putting the computer in a an area where it isn't seen. The would then run long cables for the monitor, mouse and keyboard. Some have used infrared extenders so that they can control the computer from another room without wires. It is also possible to use a card that has a TV (composite video) output and then broadcast the video signal to a standard TV. There are many products that provide very good video signal over 2.4 Ghz.

Only recently has it become practical to build an audio video system on a computer that can be placed with other audio equipment. A new generation of small, energy efficient and silent computers are making it possible to integrate a computer as part of a home entertainment system.

One of the companies that has been most proactive is VIA. VIA is a Taiwanese company, best known for making support chips for motherboards, released a new form factor for motherboards dubbed the mini-ITX. The Mni ITX boards are only 6.7 x 6.7 inches. A motherboard of this size makes it possible to build computers that were not possible before. VIA has set up a website that lists several projects based around the VIA Mini ITX motherboards.

The VIA Mini ITX boards do not have either Intel or AMD processors. Instead, they feature VIA's own Eden or C3 processors. These processors are based on the Cyrix core and are fully compatible with existing x86 based operating systems and applications. The VIA processors are designed to operate efficiently and generate little heat. Modern AMD and Intel processors offer better compute performance but neither offer the efficiency of VIA.

Because VIA processors are energy efficient, they generate less heat. Because they generate less heat, computers based on VIA processors are less dependent on fans than computers based on Intel and AMD processors. Several companies are now building computers based on VIA boards that do not require fans what-so-ever. Hush from Germany and NorhTec, with manufacturing in Thailand, are two companies that are delivering fan less computers based on the VIA chipsets.
VIA makes two series of motherboards. The M Series is geared towards multimedia while the other series is focused more on office productivity or normal computer tasks. A new series will be introduced that will be geared more towards embedded networking.

The M6000 board features a VIA 667 Mhz processor. While 677 Mhz might not seem like a lot of compute power, it is more than enough to play DVDs and audio. What the M6000 lacks in processing power, it more than makes up for it in multimedia capabilities.

The CastleRock graphics card integrates many advanced features. It includes MPEG 2 acceleration and support for HDTV resolutions. Additionally, the M series features very high quality sound reproduction with the option of setting up the integrated sound to support six channel sound. The M series also has composite video out and support for SVHS video output. The composite video output can be internally switched to be a SPDIF digital output. This allows the M series board to plug into an audio receiver for AC3 or DTS decoding.

In addition to the M6000, VIA also offers the M10000 which is a 1Ghz version. The M10000 uses a small fan over the CPU. Some companies have managed to replace this small fan with an over sized heat sink to create a totally fatnesses solution.

A visit to the VIA Arena website will introduce you to several entertaining projects. Several people have built computers out of old audio gear, game machines and a variety of other home made cases. One enthusiast built a computer inside a toaster and another built one inside a humidifier.

It is possible to build your home entertainment system using either Microsoft Windows or Linux. Most DVD drives come with software to play DVDs. Microsoft includes Media Player that will handle almost any other file type. WinAmp from Nullsoft offers one of the most popular audio media players for free. Real Player has another media player that is quite popular.

There are still some people who have a collection of LPs that might be interested in moving their collection into a digital format. An Open Source application called GramoFile will allow you to record LPs onto CDs. The program removes pops and clicks, allows you to normalize the audio output and splits the songs into individual tracks. The program runs on both Windows and Linux and the website is here.

While Microsoft Windows is the obvious choice, there are also options for Linux. If you want to run a full standard distribution of Linux such as RedHat or Mandrake, you can visit MythTV. This website has free software that turns your computer into a PVR. A PVR is a device that records video onto a hard disk instead of a VHS tape.

If you want to put together a budget system, you can actually leave the hard drive off. There are a few Linux distributions that will boot directly from a CDROM. There is a free distribution that you can download that supports the VIA M series called freepia. For those who have other motherboards, you can try out Movix.

I am sure that many might now start wondering if it is possible to put this capability in an automobile. The answer is absolutely, However, that is a subject for another article.

If you are also interested in computers, you might want to read some of my published computers articles located here here or look at the NorhTec website.

Prism 5.2 (MDF) Specials

We are extending the special on Prism 5.2 MDF till the stock lasts.

The beautiful loudspeaker above is the Prism 5.2. We now have the Real Teak Prism 5.2. This is the original. The difference is that instead of being made from solid teak boards, the original Prism 5.2 is made from MDF and covered with 3mm of teak veneer. The look is superb and it is available in teak, rosewood or black. We will offer the original Prism 5.2 for a limited time for only $400.00 USD shipped. The SE 9 and a pair of these beautiful loudspeakers is an unbelievable value.

Sincerely,

Michael C. Barnes
nOrh Loudspeaker Company, Ltd.

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