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Older news - November 2001

Review of Ceramic 4.0 at TNT has been posted.

Stereophile asked an interesting question in a recent issue. They wanted to know if you are an equipment lover or a music lover. It would seem that audio should be a means to an end and that end would be the reproduction of sound. Unfortunately, we often forget about the music and get too caught up in the hardware. I often get e-mail from customers who think that the goal of their audiophile grade systems is to reveal every single fault that exists in the recording. Many of them say that they can no longer enjoy their CD collection because the recordings sound very harsh. They claim that they are buying only audiophile grade CDs. I think this is a sad situation.

Just because you become an audiophile doesn't mean that you have to give up the music you love most. Whether you listen to RAP, R&B, classical, jazz, rock, pop, country, or hip hop, your audio systems should enhance your listening experience and not destroy it.

There is a popular myth in the audiophile world that most recording engineers don't know what they are doing and their over-processing renders most CDs unlistenable. I really don't believe this. Many recording engineers go to great lengths to make their recordings sound good. I think that what is happening is that many audiophile companies tend to go to extremes to make recordings sound bad.

nOrh's goal is accuracy. We want to maintain the signal integrity throughout the signal path. I believe the best way to evaluate an audio system is with music you know and love. The goal of audio equipment should be to create a realistic and enjoyable experience—one that mimics the actual performance as best as possible. It is an error to try to smooth over faults or to create a sound that is artificially lush. It is also wrong to emphasize or enhance the flaws in a performance. One reviewer recently said that nOrh equipment had the best toe-tapping quality of any of the systems under comparisons. This is exactly what we are striving for. We want people to enjoy their music.

I love DVDs. I used to love LDs too. Unfortunately, I was one of the few who did and the format died out. DVDs are great because it seems that everyone loves them. I particularly like music DVDs. My absolute favorite is the live James Taylor DVD. I try to buy DVDs for my daughter but her taste in music is at best fleeting. It was not all that long ago when she wanted me to take her to get an autograph of the Spice Girls as they were in Bangkok promoting themselves (they had not yet released their CD in the US). Now she tells me she is into Punk. I argue with her that she hasn't got a clue what Punk is because I am old enough to know what Punk was. She never heard of the Sex Pistols, the Ramones or the Clash. Her idea of Punk is what I call "derivative rock". It could just as well be called "three chord rock" also as none of her music appears to have more than three chords. Unfortunately, there isn't much that nOrh can do to improve the sound of her music. It is compressed, processed and bland.

Not remembering what groups she liked this week, I saw a DVD from Destiny's Child, The Platinum's On The Wall. I took the DVD home to my daughter but she said she really wasn't into them. I put on the DVD. As far as content, the DVD is very sparse. However, what is on the disk is astonishingly good. I can not say that this is the sort of music I would listen to as music. However, combined with the videos, this is really an infectious DVD. It has everything I normally dislike about pop music. There is rap, overuse of electronics and nonsensical lyrics. None-the-less, the talent behind this group is very obvious.

When I played this DVD on the 9.0s, I realized that this disk really shows of the capabilities fully. The bass on this DVD is deep and fast. These ladies voices are really very nice and they are recorded perfectly. Two songs stand out to me. One is Bills Bills Bills. In this song, the voices are always clean and clear and never overpowered by the music. The other song that stands out is Say My Name. I like this song because the video is quite artistic. These ladies are talented, clever and quite attractive. Another thing I like is that they always come off as classy and not trashy in the videos.

I went to Bangkok's CD Warehouse and listened to new CDs on their headphones . One that I listened to was Radio Head Amnesiac. The disk seemed to have very good bass so I bought it. Listening to this CD was almost trancelike. This CD isn't for everyone. However, it does demonstrate once again just how well the nOrh 9.0s handle bass and how fast they can deliver that bass.

Everyone who has written to us about the Thai Boy CDs we promote have told us that these are a great change of music. We still have them available and you can add them to your orders for $8.00 each.

nOrh recently acquired the license to one of the highest praised audiophile Jazz CD issues. The CD is Blue Skies by The Harry Allen Quartet. We will have details on the release soon. "The Harry Allen Quartet’s debut outing is an assured and swinging disc of ballads that showcase this ensemble to good effect. …[T]his is great stuff in a late-night, mellow mood, but these guys can rock out, too, as an up-tempo reading of Bert Williams’ minstrel song "Shine" reveals." Stereophile

Lek with SM 6.9 and wood nOrh 4.0 [Enlarge]

The PEAK MAGAZINE did a story on nOrh.  The PEAK MAGAZINE is carried in the First Class and Business Class cabins of Air France, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa as well as sent to select individuals in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.  The article is not online but we recreated it for the web.

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