Older news - October, 2003

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

Listening to music is something I have done my entire life. When I was a child, the only music I heard was on a very old (even at that time) AM radio and Juke Boxes. In those days, the Juke box was the high end system. Even then, I could clearly hear the difference that listening to "Your Cheating Heart" by Hank Williams on the Juke Box and listening to it on my radio.

The Juke Box for me was high end. It made music so much more enjoyable and it was worth the five cents to listen to my favorite songs. For a quarter, I could listen to Big Bopper, Hank Williams, Patsey Cline, Buddy Holly and Chubby Checkers. Back in those days, 25 cents was a lot of money for me. I might only come across 25 cents once a week. Imagine dumping a week salary into hearing six songs. That makes even the high prices of CDs seem reasonable.

I can tell you that for a child who is only five or six years old, the closest I could get to heaven was to have a root beer, a hamburger and 25 cents to play my favorite songs.

As I grew older, a new type of juke box appeared. These were small little units that played songs through little speakers. They played quietly at your table so you didn't bother anyone. When this new form of juke box replaced the big loud bassy sounding juke box, I saved my quarters.

One of the biggest thrills I had as a kid was when the man who changed the records in the juke box showed up. He would sell the old singles for only five cents each. My early music collection was based on buying used singles out of juke boxes. I had an old record player that had a huge spindle in the center. I could stack up all my singles and play them in the background. I simply can not think of a time in my life where music wasn't important.

nOrh Loudspeaker's mission is to get more people back into listening to music. We make equipment that is affordable and beautiful. Our SE 9 is the most affordable integrated capable of delivering real high end sound. The SE 9 and a pair of 6.1s is capable of really amazing sound for the money.

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 4.0 Comments

Walnut Color Wood 4.0s

Thanks, everyone at Norh, for your quick shipment of my speakers. I received my 4.0 dark blue Ceramics yesterday. They are beautiful and surprisingly light.

Having ordered the speakers based only on what I could read about them on the Internet, my expectations were modest. The 4.0 seemed worth taking a chance on and Norh made its case for being the kind of company I wanted to support. When I got home from a trip last night I unpacked the speakers first thing and put them on my speaker stands at home. I wanted to hear them on my main music system before taking them to my office where they will be used.

I wired them to my Acoustic Masterpiece M101 tube amp first. This amp is a single-ended KT88 design by Air Tight, using Tamura transformers. The sound that emerged from your speakers, even though they are only 87db efficient, elicited the same kind of reaction I had the first time I heard a Rogers LS3/5a 28 years ago. Now, as then, I am reacting to something distinctly impressive that makes me think differently about a product design. Then, the little LS3/5a changed my opinion of what can be accomplished in a small monitor. Now, you have changed my perception about the quality of sound attainable with a ported design. I am presented with a small speaker that offers a neutral midrange far more natural than its cost implies, and the speakers spatially disappear. I don't hear the port as a separate element from the speaker. Soundstaging is expansive and precise in all dimensions. Bass is more extended than one expects for a small design, and not hungry in character. The little woofer is fast and defined. Even on 8 watts/ch of SE tube power, there is enough volume and nothing sounds strained. I can see why you are able to recommend this as a speaker for your SE-9 amp.

Cobalt Blue Ceramic 4.0

I am sure the 4.0s can use some breaking in. I will be using them with an Audion 300B SIlver Night integrated amp in my office and expect they will do justice to the amp. Meanwhile, they look artful and interesting. Even apart from its appearance, the 4.0 Ceramic is a very high value sonic bargain, and to have something artful in the equation is appreciated. I am sure I will find reason to incorporate more Norh products in my music listening.

Thank-you again for your attention to my order and for being patient with my questions beforehand.

Best regards,

Phil

Have you ever seen a more beautiful loudspeaker for $400.00 per pair?

nOrh SE 9, SE 18 and phono preamp

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, none 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 (click to enlarge)

For those customers interested in an inexpensive tube phono preamp, we have our very low priced nOrh Phono Preamp. The nOrh phono preamp is only $250.00 USD shipped to your door. The nOrh phono preamp is a great add on for people who want to listen to or record from vinyl.

nOrh Phono preamp

The SE 18 has twice the power of the SE 9, built in phono preamp and active preamplifier. The SE 18 is a great value at $795.00 shipped.

nOrh SE 18

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.

nOrh ACA 2b

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.

nOrh Classic 6.1s

Dear Michael and Namphung:

I have received many compliments from guests on the looks of the 6.1. Many ask what kind of wood it is. I tell them I don't know, all I know is they are a natural finish and the wood hand carved from solid logs. I am writing to ask you what type of tree these logs come from so I can answer this question. In the end, it will make no real difference. They are still a beautiful and quite functional speaker.
....

In my opinion, the ACA2B lives up to all claims made by the manufacturer and, so far, all my expectations. I expect it will shine even more brilliantly when I have the Le Amp II's I have ordered to replace the Aiwa system. I will then have a Norh system from preamp to speakers.

Best wishes,
Travis M. Gibb

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)

Le Amp 2

This month I am writing this early as I will be traveling for the next three weeks. There are a lot of things happening these days and so little time to explain them all. What everyone want to now about is Le Amp 2. They are shipping. They are shipping slowly but they are going out. We have one customer who promised me that he will put his comments audio circle for everyone to read. There should be about 30 to 50 units out in the field by the time this is published.

We showed Le Amp 2 for the first time at the April audio show. The version we showed was nearly complete so we believed we would be able to deliver in about one month. We paid for the units in advance. We expected the first units to show up in May. Our supplier told us that he was negotiating with the case company. He said that the price he charged had assumed the case would cost about $25.00 but it wound up costing $70.00. This revelation came after we waited a month and expected delivery.

We called the case supplier. He said that the heat sinks were very expensive. These were 7.5 pounds per case. The heat sinks were custom molded, hand finished and anodized. We agreed to pay the difference and move forward to produce 200 cases. One month later, the cases were done. The vendor told us it wouldn't be long now. Each week, we were told, they are coming. I talked to the supplier and found that he was out of money. He had used our money to complete another job and he hadn't been paid for that job yet. He told me he needed to pay for the Toshiba parts that were coming in from Japan to complete the project. We paid for and accepted shipment of the Toshiba parts.

We got in about 14 amps. Then things slowed down again. This time, we found out that our supplier didn't have the money for connectors. You can guess the rest of the story. We had to buy the connectors a second time. In the meantime, we have contacted another supplier to help us clear up all the orders we have. The units that we are getting are bagful and sound great. Below is a photo taken just yesterday.

Photo of 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 (look below).

On DVD

Johnny Mathis Live By Request

1. Wonderful! Wonderful!
2. Chances Are
3. I'm Coming Home
4. Misty
5. A Certain Smile
6. Moment to Moment
7. It's Not For Me To Say
8. Stranger in Paradise
9. The Twelfth of Never
10. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late (duet with Deniece Williams)
11. You Make Me Feel Brand New
12. Why Did I Choose You
13. To The Ends of the Earth
14. Wild is the Wind
15. 99 Miles From L.A.
16. How Do You Keep The Music Playing
17. Brazil (Aquarela do Brazil)

Two of the voices I remember most from when I was a child were Nat King Cole and Johnny Mathis. I remember watching black and white TV as a child and seeing either one of them from time-to-time. Nat King Cole was and is my favorite vocalist of all time. I remember my mother had two albums by Johnny Mathis. The first was Chances Are and the other was Johnny Mathis' Greatest Hits.

Even before I entered the first grade, I remember that we had the Chances Are single by Johnny Mathis. Before I was a teenager and picked up enough sophistication to enjoy Jimmi Hendrix, Cream and Steppenwolf, the music I grew up with Johnny Mathis, Frank Sanatra, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams and Jack Williams.

Last month, I wrote about Gordon Lightfoot. Gordon Lightfoot released his first video performance at the age of 61. While the compilation of songs was perfect, I was saddened to see how age had taken away so much from Mr. Lightfoot. his voice was strained and his appearance gaunt. I am not sure that I was sad for Mr. Lightfoot or sad because I Mr. Lightfoot was only 12 years my senior when he recorded that performance.

I guess for no other reason, the Johnny Mathis Live By Request performance left me feeling much better about getting older. This performance was recorded in 1998 when Johhny Mathis would have been 63 years old. He sounded fantastic. He also looked very good. His performance was amazing. The years have been very kind to Mr. Mathis. His voice sounded as good as it did when I first heard it more than 40 years ago.

I am tempted to give this DVD my highest rating. If it were simply a musical collection, there is nothing to fault. The format of the program detracts from the overall DVD. Johnny Mathis accepts phone in requests and talks to callers who simply adore him. The long breaks between songs does not hold up well for repeated viewings.

Even so, I strongly recommend this DVD. It is musically very impressive and it gives us all hope that maybe we can age gracefully as well.

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:

nOrh Loudspeakers has updated our most popular nOrh 3.0s just in time for Christmas. While the color of natural wood is quite beautiful, for some people, the "all wood look" is just a bit too drab. We have set up a new paint line and we are now offering the nOrh 3.0s in designer colors. These loudspeakers have the same beautiful finish as a new automobile.

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)

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.