[sas]

Hi all,

Last month I was in Bangkok, and paid a visit to nOrh to do a bit of shopping. They have a listening room not far from the airport, a small and fairly basic setup with a selection of products. Namphung was there to show me around. Below are my thoughts/impressions in case anyone is interested.

First thing I picked up were a pair of classic 6.1's (the wooden ones). I had a pair of 6.0's I bought from them some seven years ago, which I love and wanted to replace (after moving around the globe alot and being abused by changing climates, the 6.0's were looking a bit tired and need sprucing up -- which I can take my time over now that I have a replacement).
The 6.1's are now installed: as for the sound -- very harsh and muddled at first, especially on classical piano music. Ouch. But after two weeks they have settled in superbly. The harshness is gone and the bottom end has filled out. The detail is incredible, even though I don't have a dedicated listening room and my speaker placement is far from ideal. Also they seem to be STILL settling in after what I guess must be a total of 72 hours of playing over 2 weeks, improving every day in terms of control and detail.
As for soundstage -- very clearly defined. I put through one of those Chesky jazz/audiophile test discs. Great fun to see what speakers can actually do.

At $500 shipped the Classic 6.1's are a bargain. Apart from sounding fantastic, they look beautiful. A real work of art.

When I arrived at the norh store, a pair of the 3.0's were playing. I was absolutely stunned by the sound, and mistakenly thought the subwoofers were switched on! The detail from the small Norh 3.0's are incredible. The bass is amazing for their size (perhaps about the same as an American football/rugby ball). And they can play surprisingly loud without even a hint of a struggle. Listening to the Norh 3.0's made me immediately think of a couple of friends who spent close to $1,000 on one of those Bose lifestyle speaker systems (the little black cubes and the woofer). These Bose speaker systems are HUMILIATED by the small Norh 3.0's. I wish my friends could have heard them. Conclusion -- PERFECT for small room / office.

I also had a brief listen to the SE9 and SE18 tube amps, although not really long enough to draw a conclusion. So I only feel qualified to comment on the build quality and looks. Elegant simplicity, beautiful finish and very solid (and heavy). The SE9 matched with the small 3.0's sounded great.

The bad news seems to be about the Le Amp II's. Michael wrote last month that they were being discontinued because of "increasing costs and higher shipping costs" and because "Le Amp 2 was simply priced too low". There also seems to be technical problems with the switching power supply, in that some of them may hum and some of them may not. Namphung said that on test in Bangkok there was no hum. However after being shipped out, some customers were reporting hum -- both for 110V and 220V. A further problem, Namphung explained, is that some of the units returned because of hum did not hum once back in Bangkok. The mind boggles.

They had a pair of Le Amp IIs on display. There was no hum. And the sound was mind-blowing. The build quality of the units is also amazing. So I bought a pair anyway, despite Namphung's warnings. Norh seem to have had so many worries with le Amp II and a list of impatient customers to sort out that they dont want to sell off the remaining units to customers in Bangkok. I insisted and Namphung offered a good deal, but no guarantee -- obviously trying to put me off.

A bit of a risk, but I was curious. I now have them home, installed and running. Is there hum? Yes, but only detectable when I put my ear right next to the speakers. However unlike my previous amp (a marantz PM-17 integrated), there is no hiss anymore...... the hum is about the same as the hiss I had. So in my case, hum for hiss. Maybe it will go when I experiment with shielding the power cords, maybe not.

The sound is impressive. I'm not too good at audiophile BS, but I think of them as being very precise and very detailed. I'm also getting amazing bass -- which has alot of authority but is also very very nicely controlled.

Because of a whole series of problems in getting Le Amp II out, nOrh seems to have been forced to give up. A real shame, and at norh I had the impression everyone felt very disappointed with the problems -- but also very committed to sorting out the problems and keeping the customers happy.
As a replacement, they are working on a dual monoblock configuration. Hopefully that makes it out soon.

In general terms, alot of people have been speculating that Michael Barnes has given up on norh and is focussing on computers. Norhtec seems to take up alot of his time, it seems, but norh is still there and still offering a great range of speakers and tube products. Sadly Michael was not around when I stopped by.
Aside from working on a replacement for le Amp II, they are also working on an IPod solution. No details yet.

All in all, Norh is well worth a visit if you're ever in Bangkok (a great city). They are a really friendly, charming and interesting bunch and a pleasure to meet.

That's all. Comments, questions, suggestions, flames, corrections whatever are welcome.

sas

[Johng316]

SAS, thanks for the update.  I'm very jealous!  Visiting nOrh in Thailand has always been a dream; one that I hope to realize one day soon.  

Did Namphung mention anything about the future of marble cabinets?  I'm afraid they might die.  I'd love to have a pair of column mini-9.0's like Marbles has.  That is an awesome design.

Cheers!

John

[Marbles]

SAS, thanks for the update.  I'm very jealous!  Visiting nOrh in Thailand has always been a dream; one that I hope to realize one day soon.  

Did Namphung mention anything about the future of marble cabinets?  I'm afraid they might die.  I'd love to have a pair of column mini-9.0's like Marbles has.  That is an awesome design.

Cheers!

John

John, I don't think I will ever be foolish enough to ever put mine up for sale again, however......

I had some email correspondance with Michael and he mentioned that the guy in charge of the marble works may want to start doing speakers again.

They are currently looking into making column shaped subwoofers to match my speakers.....  I have not heard back to see if this project is a go or not.  If it is a go, I don't see why they wouldn't want to make column shaped speakers for you as well.

[sas]

Johng316: Namphung didn't mention anything about the marble speakers at all, but I didn't ask either because I prefer looks of the "classic" wooden ones (which are also more in my price range). My advice would be contact Michael and Namphungby email -- they always promptly respond and should be able to clear that up.
   They had some of the synthetic marble speakers on display, that was all. I was suprised how good the SM models look, but still prefer wood.
   As for visiting norh in Bangkok -- well worth it as part of a trip to Thailand, which is a PERFECT vacation destination.
   The norh shop is pretty basic though, nothing fancy and just a selection of products on display. But give them advance warning and set a date, and they'll prepare anything you want to listen to.
   For my part I'm really excited to see how the replacement for the Le Amp II turns out.
   sas

[Johng316]

Thanks, SAS.  I'll get in touch with Namphung once I am serious about buying something.  Right now, I'm absolutely broke following an international adoption.  My finances need to breathe!

Besides the nOrh showroom, do you think they would allow a tour of the manufacturing facilities?  Also, what else would you recommend while in Thailand?  What are the "must-do's" and "must-see's"?

Thanks,

John

[sas]

Hi John,

For a tour of the manufacturing facilities, guess you'd have to ask Michael about that. But I'm sure they could work something out. Not sure exactly what facilities they have -- the tube products are OEM'd to a local firm. I guess the wooden speaker cabinets, the ceramics and the marble are made in different parts of the country.

   As for general tourism, I can promise you that Thailand is a great place for a vacation, with pretty much something for everyone.
   Bangkok is a great city -- great food, beautiful palaces and temples, very simple to get around, great shopping. There are fantastic night markets, and stalls at the side of the road where you can eat fantastic food for next to nothing. It's a gourmet paradise -- top quality and excellent value restaurants specialising in Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Western food are all there. The country is very geared up for foreign tourists -- there were 12 million spending there money in the country in 2004  -- meaning everything is designed to be as easy and safe as possible. A decent guide book will help you keep away from the usual tourist scams you find in most cities across the world.
   Aside from Bangkok, there are fantastic beaches in the south. The area hit by the tsunami is on the west coast, but is recovering very quickly. Otherwise there is the east coast (untouched by the disaster) and the islands of Koh Samui/Koh Phangan/Koh Tao, which have great beaches. You may like snorkelling or diving -- these areas are among the best on the planet.
   In the north there is the city of Chiang Mai and the "golden triangle" area (probably where there norh wooden speakers are made). Great for trekking, good food, great markets -- or otherwise just relaxing. For the kids there are elephants, monkeys, snake and crocodile farms.
   Travelling around the country by internal flight or train is easy, safe and not too expensive (a first class overnight sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai costs about $30).
   Maybe you like golf? Thailand is some of the best and cheapest courses in the world. In general, hotels are excellent quality and value, and have a very high standard of service. There are hotels for every budget. There are also loads of spas offering traditional massage and so on if you fancy a health trip.
   I sound like a sales rep (which I'm not), so I'll stop there. But if you're interested, get hold of a decent guide book from Amazon (like the Rough Guide / Lonely Planet) and have a good bedtime read.

all best, sas

[jqp]

sas-

Thanks for this refreshing look at nOrh . Thankfully the bashing of nOrh is outweighed by eyewitness reports confirming that nOrh really is what nOrh has always been "hyped" to be. In spite of damaged "bassless " speakers apparently being passed around and economic and production problems, nOrh continues to offer excellent customer service and excellent products at a great price point. As a huge nOrh (and IRD) fan, I appreciate your posts and thank you for bringing some new life to this forum!

[mcgsxr]

the islands of Koh Samui/Koh Phangan/Koh Tao, which have great beaches. You may like snorkelling or diving -- these areas are among the best on the planet.

Absolutely the best 2 months I ever spent..... oh what a set of islands!  I found Koh Samui the most commercial, Koh Phangan had a real "scene" (ie Had Rin full moon parties etc) but Koh Tao was glorious.