[GRacer]

update..

emailed back yuth yesterday asking her which board that she wants me to take out and send back to them. now, im just waiting for a reply back from her.

i have also taken both amps to my trusty reputable hifi repairer for an inspection and he found that the resistor on the output stage on both amps were blown. apparantly the resistors used were bad quality ones. have them replaced and got them back today and it's still NO JOY ! the treble level is back to the normal level but still NO midbass and NO bass. everything else stays the same, interconnects, sources, cds, speakers, speaker cables, etc. NOTHING is changed in the system.

I even did A-B comparison on the output, hooked up left speaker from LE-3 and right speaker direct from the receiver. the difference is night and day. the sound came out from the receiver was FULL, COMPLETE frequencies. the sound from the LE-3 is just treble, nothing else.

Tried everything, I even took the LE-3 to my friend's place and hook them up to his system (Perreaux Pre-amp) and no difference, treble is there and that's it. no midbass and no bass.

Any ideas guys ?

helppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp... ....

[GRacer]

I FOUND THE CULPRIT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

it turns out after endless days of nightmare, i think i found the culprit of the fault. it's the jaycar super silencer. somehow it went faulty at the same time the LE-3 went faulty.

this is the only thing i always keep, never replaced, although i tried differenct interconnects but i still use this to fight the hum. not sure what triggerred me to take this silencer off the system, but as soon as i plug the interconnects direct to the receiver, voila.. everything is back ! treble, mid bass, bass, dynamic, etc..  including the nasty hum.. 

i also checked my house ground/earth pole outside. it wasn't in the best condition when i checked it. i cleaned it, sand it down to the bare metal, spray some wd40, put new gold-plated connector, and it reduced the hum a bit too.

oo well.. at least i got my sound back noww

here's the picture of the culprit.. I HATE IT ! 

[pbrstreetgang]

Im sorry, what is that thing? Is it in the signal path? Those RCAs look not good- and also FYI WD 40 isnt a good cleaner you might want to try Caig deoxit from radioshack.

[pbrstreetgang]

NM I see you used the WD40 on the ground rod. Sorry for the confusion

[jqp]

So after all this - was there ever a problem with your Le Amp 3's that you were sure about?

[ThomDP]

GR,

How do you like the Yaqin? How does it compare to your other amps.

Dennis

[GRacer]

So after all this - was there ever a problem with your Le Amp 3's that you were sure about?

yes, there was definitely something with the LE-3. As mentioned previously, the resistor on the output stage on both amps were blown (bad quality resistor). My trusty repairer (which is also a hi-fi maniac) has replaced them with better quality ones (still same value). The humming buzzing noise were back after I got the amps repaired, and when I used the super silencer, all midbass and bass somehow got taken out the equation, not sure why. There is also something in my system that is causing this hum/buzz noise when the LE-3 is being used with other equipments in my system. I have done everything to isolate this problem and i still can't sort it out. everytime i thought i got it sorted, it just came back the time. i guess i just have to live with it now. the only thing that helps reduced the hum/noise is my trusty RCA-XLR cable.

im looking at selling both amps now and after they're sold, i will journey to the world of "ICE"-powered amp.

[GRacer]

GR,

How do you like the Yaqin? How does it compare to your other amps.

Dennis

hi dennis.. i loveeeeeeee my yaqin

there's something about its sound characteristic that i enjoy so much everytime i listen to music. it's my first valve amp (had a hybrid one before) and im really really happy that i bought this yaqin amp. definitely value for money.

[Muente]

Great, GRacer, your comments about the amp have been like razor. You had a technical problem. The amps have been the usual suspects. After all the negative posts you suddenly come with the reason: a cheap accessory... Norh cooperated. Not as you expected. And to keep your face, you still claim, something must have been wrong with the amps. And what's wrong with the careless owner?

[GRacer]

Great, GRacer, your comments about the amp have been like razor. You had a technical problem. The amps have been the usual suspects. After all the negative posts you suddenly come with the reason: a cheap accessory... Norh cooperated. Not as you expected. And to keep your face, you still claim, something must have been wrong with the amps. And what's wrong with the careless owner?

Norh has never cooperated. Yuth sounds like he was cooperating on the phone when i called him, but he never sent me the new boards, he never even reply to my email or emailing me how i was doing with the amps.
the cheap accessory was used to compensate the hum/buzz problem with the amps. even after both amps were fixed and i paid with my OWN money, as norh doesn't want anything to do with me, the amps are still humming/buzzing. i can't even sell these amps now as no one wants them.

i always be careful with all my equipments as i know they are expensive items and i can't live without them. so how do you end up with a conclusion that i'm a careless owner ? which one of my previous posts that reflects that i was/am careless ?

[Mathew_M]

Great, GRacer, your comments about the amp have been like razor. You had a technical problem. The amps have been the usual suspects. After all the negative posts you suddenly come with the reason: a cheap accessory... Norh cooperated. Not as you expected. And to keep your face, you still claim, something must have been wrong with the amps. And what's wrong with the careless owner?

Norh products have a shoddy history.  I say that having been an owner of both the 4.0 speakers and original Le Amps.  Granted I like their speakers and I think the 4.0 is a cool product but that's the end of it.  One of my Le Amps has blown up twice and I have given up on them.  I know of two other people locally who have purchased Norh products and both of them have had problems as well.

[JeffBrown]

Hey guys,
I have been very happy with my nOrh ACA2b, happy enough to write an article in Affordable Audio about it as a matter of fact.  I have also read some negative feedback about the Le Amp II, and while I do know someone who owns 5 of these for HT purposes that is not a large enough group to form a full opinion.  My friend has not had a single problem with the 5 he has, and he knows others who are happy with the Le Amp II amps they own.  I would easily give my recommendation to purchase any nOrh loudspeaker or tube products. 

So I would amend Marbles post to something more like this:

nOrh speaker = great value

nOrh SS Electronics = Could be a risk, but I’ve never had a problem.

nOrh Tube Electronic = Excellent value, possibly better then the loudspeakers.

For more info on the ACA2b feel free to check out the A$$A review!

Jeff Brown

[Muente]

I do not have the Le Amp3. GRacer's posts sounded unfair to me, but maybe he is right. Other's posts are divided about the Norh amplifiers. Mathew_M's original Le Amps are blown up, and he gave them up. They were Curt Wishman's only one support to Norh. Marbles is so happy with his Le Amps. Other Norh electronics he describes as "iffy at best proposition" now, while I found so many of his posts on different circles, in which he glorifies exactly these electronics from Norh. Marbles seems to have good experience with all Norh products. Curt Wishman's IRD disappeared from this forum, after most of his announces he did not turn into available products. I cannot judge this, But so many posts here seem biased to me, all for their own reasons. Another consideration: Michael Barnes posted so often, had his answer on each post long ago. Yes, it became an owner circle, and Michael remains divided about his support for his earlier baby Norh. Some of his customers may feel like Norh victims, as GRacer. Marbles & Mathew_M feel divided. Happy with the speakers, unhappy with some of Norh's electronics. After reading all these posts, I think, we all are better off if we spend the money for some real things from companies which really understand this field. GRacer, if you still feel the amps are a bad bargain, you may feel much better after you left them with the trash, and start with a new and promising amp.

[sas]

I bought a pair of Le Amp II's a while back, and there was the very slight hum problem that seemed to come and go. The sound was a terrific upgrade on what I had before -- a Marantz PM17 integrated. Since then I've got into DIY and decided to start troubleshooting the amp and looking for ways to improve it. The hum issue turned out to be the switch mode power supply -- way beyond my abilities to fix. An SMPS
is a complicated beast and still cutting edge in high-end audio. Norh clearly made a mistake opting for such a design. So I decided to change the SMPS for a linear supply.... and then, what the heck, change the amp boards for a Nelson Pass-based pure class A design (Mini-Aleph, 10wpc). My Le Amp 2's were stripped out and refitted. Looking on the bright side, buying the heatsinks alone in Europe would have cost very very near to what I paid for the LA2's direct from norh in Bangkok!!!

This was an interesting exercise because I got to inspect the workmanship/soldering/layout/parts selection in the guts of the LA2. All of these were shoddy to say the least -- the amp would certainly not pass any safety certification. The soldering looks awful and unsafe in some parts. The mains input on one of the amps was downright dangerous (bare 220v millimetres from a signal cable)... and the parts (not surprising for the price, it has to be said), seemed to be the cheapest and hence lowest quality available. The balanced input is just a real cheapo no-name opamp circuit behind the XLR socket. The PCBs look as if they were etched in the kitchen sink. I also changed the RCAs, as these had lost their plating. Some resistors in the circuit were operating above their ratings. Basically, the only decent quality part of this amp is the chassis. The guts show a total absence of any quality control. For insurance reasons alone, these amps are a bad idea.

That said, the LA3's look like a better design, starting with the use of a linear supply. Hopefully the QC issue has been dealt with. Maybe not. I haven't heard them or seen inside though so won't comment.
I have, however, briefly listened to the SE9 and SE18 tube amps, and was impressed. These are made by TSAudio, a local Thai firm, and rebadged by norh. I haven't seen the guts though. A decent deal perhaps, but I'm sure there are similar good deals out there.

I also had a pair of 6.1 wood drum speakers, which are decent sounding and great looking. But after reading Dennis Murphy's findings on the 9.0 crossover and the Soundstage! measurements of the 6.9 (response graphs that look like a mountain range), I also took measurements -- and surprise, surprise, a huge dip above 2K plus a midrange null. I found these speakers harsh at first, then believed they had settled in. I suspect it was my ears getting used to awful midrange. So, I ripped out the crossover, replaced the Vifa drivers with ScanSpeaks (currently 8545 + 9700 -- same as the Norh 7.0's), retuned the drum, refinished the woodwork (prone to hairline cracks) and am now active biamping with my refitted LA2 chassis's.

A massive upgrade, and very rewarding learning experience, for which I have norh to thank.

I've also heard the small norh 3.0 speaker -- fantastic. They have a single full range driver, so no crossover.

To conclude, based on my experience -

- Drum speakers: if you're biamping, go for it, in which case buy just the raw enclosures minus the drivers and xovers and source a driver combo yourself. I have not personally heard enough of the xovers to dismiss them all, but based on measurements and user feedback, clearly the 6.1, 6.9, 9.0 and Mini 9.0 xovers can be improved upon significantly.
- Tube gear: decent stuff, shop around first.
- LA2: avoid, although the chassis is nice for diyers if you get them cheap.
- LA3: is it proven? If you think no, look elsewhere.

One disappointing thing with norh is that Michael Barnes also seems to have lost his real interest in developing the audio side of his business interests. The website looks abandoned, except the sporadic and often repetitive news section. Obviously computers make more money and takes a lot of his time nowadays, whereas audio involves dealing with geeks like us who want the ultimate for next to no money... it's a shame, as norh has put out some great products and unique designs at good prices, and could be busy refining and improving its range. Nowadays it looks like a company that has lost interest and with no direction.

In the meantime, the market niche that norh helped pioneer has filled up to become a very bustling scene with plenty of new companies, even individual diyers, putting out great products and offering first rate support. It's hardly surprising that customers are also moving on.

[Muente]

That's what I say: let all these Werners & Curts and other unqualified designs go to the trash. What Norh tried, was nice, but failed. Marbles confirms, they employed people which failed for their own reasons. All on the expenses of Norh customers. But reading all the customer's adventures with such products, on Norh site I would miss leadership. There are manufacturers in this field with much better efforts. Their products are maybe much more expensive, but no hum, no damages of the kind as you reported. I would say, Norh should not hide behind their former business partners, which totally failed. And Marbles, it is nice how you blame Norh suppliers instead of Norh, how you try to come closer to the truth, but all these complaining customers did not buy from suppliers, they bought Norh products. This is also to consider after some complaints, which seemed to me unfair to the manufacturer. But Marbles, this is not about products designed by unqualified earlier Norh partners, this is about Le Amp 3, and what has changed? In my opinion you do not make Norh a favour, if you add on the complaints about Le Amp 3 more complaints about Norh products, who ever may have been involved. In the end you complain about a Norh product... I would not do this...