[jptang]

i also am skeptical about those new speakers. i've heard FOSTEX drivers before and was unimpressed. and i think it may be hard to design a crossover for that horn, i dunno.... but i will keep an open mind. the horn kinda digresses from the whole point of using single full range FOSTEX drivers, and that is to avoid the coloration that crossovers impart, but if it makes the FOSTEX sound better, go for it. Overall the speakers appear to be too big and boxy for me anyway considering the all important WAF.

I am completely satisfied with the se9 hooked up to a pretty efficient pair of B&W bookshelf speakers. I've moved the less efficient 4.0 speakers to a larger room and hooked 'em up to a CONSONANCE m99 tube amp that has 25 wpc.

i don't begrudge nOrh's attempt to gain more market share with the expansion of the product line. The market will decide the wisdom of nOrh's attempts to go more upscale.

just hope Mr. Barnes does not abandon the 4.0 speakers and the SE9 amp as a result of the new line. Those are the 2 nOrh products I own and they are excellent. The new amp and speakers look great, but there are those of us who appreciate the affordability of the se9.  

I have never been one to spend a fortune on hifi gear, and for me the challenge is putting together a great sounding system without going broke. FYI I had guests over this weekend, one guy invested a huge sum on a "consultant" who convinced him to put together a BIG impressive home theater system featuring Martin Logan speakers and other obscenely priced goodies. I've heard the system and it sounds.... terrible. I am not sure what the problem is, but it just doesn't sound right. This is the first time he has heard my cheapo tube stuff and the nOrh and B&W speakers, and he had to admit that my 2 budget systems both sound better than his expensive set up.

Maybe what mr. barnes should consider is improving the efficiency of the 4.0... so it can match up even better with the se9 or se10, in addition to investing in a completely new line of speakers?

are you listening mr. barnes? BTW you have 2 new customers, Mr. Luu from southern california  and Mr. Mainwaring from texas, and likely 2 more in the near future, a Mr. Stewart and a Mr. Mitchell from northern california, based on the strength of my recommendation.  You ought to toss a pair of 3.0s my way in lieu of a commission !!  

-patrick tang

[Tate]

Funny Nathan, you weren't so harsh on the Fostex when you were trying to sell them!  I'll have you know they beam no more!  They may lack a bit of bass, but my sub fills that in nicely.  I am listening in a small room and I used to toe these speakers in heavily and wasn't all that impressed, but I cut the dust caps out, put in a couple of sockets for phase plugs similar to what Decware does with their modded 206's, and BAM!  Now I don't toe the speakers in at all and get a very detailed and wide soundstage.  I think they sound great with my little flea amp, amazing what a simple little mod can do.

[Rob Babcock]

I think Nathan mentioned that they sucked- I recall him touting their Imposing Blackness, not their S/Q...

[nathanm]

Of course! One must always lie when trying to sell something they don't like!  The truth does not make for good ad copy.  Usually you can make up a story about how your wife is forcing you to sell them or you have unexpected financial problems!

I'll have you know they beam no more! They may lack a bit of bass, but my sub fills that in nicely. I am listening in a small room and I used to toe these speakers in heavily and wasn't all that impressed, but I cut the dust caps out, put in a couple of sockets for phase plugs similar to what Decware does with their modded 206's, and BAM!

Cool, I'm glad to hear it!  Ahh - but what does this say about the stock Fostex driver, though?  You had to undo their original design to make them sound decent.  If a product only sounds good with modification can it be said that the product sounds good?  Hmmm...  I bet the phase plugs probably do help, as stock there's all sorts of phase mutilation going on there with that whizzer.

Rob - Tate's referring to a pair of FE206 Fostex-loaded horns I sold him awhile back, not the Norh speaker.  

Ed Schilling has got it right -  anything over 4" and you run into problems.  Larger diameter doesn't necessarily correlate to more bass with these full range drivers, a point driven home to me with painful consequences with my ex-horns.  (IMO they did not produce ANY bass)  But luckily, other people have the complete opposite opinion of sound!

[Tate]

No, you are right about the bass, lacking in these horns, but apparently not lacking in Decware's HDT speakers.  I honestly think these horns may not be optimal for the speakers.  Also, I didn't really buy these for the Fostex, I wanted to fit my Coral 8" coaxials in them, but they are slightly bigger with a slightly different bolt hole pattern, so I guess I'll have to make some adapter rings, but since modding the Fostex I have been pretty happy with them.  Maybe Fostex should take noteand sell them this way.  It was a very quick and inexpensive mod.

[JLM]

Horns must be very big (like the size of a garage) to produce deep bass, but wow what great bass that could be.


Why just pick of Fostex (that can be improved with mods)?  We have whole forums here just for modders, just not many who do speakers.


Yes, calling something like 70 - 14,000 Hz drivers "full range" is a pieve of mine for two reasons.  

First, who defined what "full range" is?  For musical reproduction below 30 Hz isn't necessary.  And there's barely any music above 5,000 Hz.  I blame marketing for the 20 - 20,000 Hz myth.  It's obvious in so many ways why this is harder to accomplish and so, even with improved technology, we've come to 3, 4, and more way speakers; extra amps; room treatments; etc.  Decades ago folks concentrated on 80 - 8,000 Hz (barely more than 6 octaves).   So the term "full range" could be legitimately applied to many of these drivers.  Even so, I'd prefer they use the term "extended range" to avoid this sort of endless debating.

Second, audio has turned from a music lovers camp into more of an equipment lovers camp.  The essence of music is in the middle 6 octaves.  Simplier does provide a more direct connection to the music, even if compromises in spls or extreme frequency performance are considered.