[jovan]

My SE9 is only 1 month old. The other day my right channel just cut out,all I get is a light hum now in that channel. I switched the EL34's and the 12AX7's around and still no sound from the right channel. I also tried switching my speaker cables just in case there was a break or bad banana connector with no luck.
I got in touch with Namphung and she is sending out replacement tubes to try as a first measure I guess. I just hope that its not a transformer that failed. I admit that I don't have much experience with tube amps. Does anyone know if this fairly common with tube amps in general?
The amp did work flawlessly for the first 30 days and I'm really impressed with the sound quality, so much so that I don't want to go back to solid state anymore.
                                   TIA

                                        Joe

[jovan]

I pulled the amp out of my audio rack today and plugged it into another outlet that had nothing else on that circuit and also to eliminate the possibility of rf noise. Still no luck. I noticed that the L1 input has some play in, it actually wiggles.Whether this is part of the problem, I don't know? I've never seen a loose input connector in my 35 years of owning hi-fi gear.I'm starting to really regret buying this amp.

                                                    TIA

                                                          Joe

[jqp]

Good to know that Namphung is still there sending out replacement tubes, etc. Just cool off and remember you bought a product from Thailand - things take a little longer, as all of us nOrh owners know. Norh has a history of satisfying customers.

[jovan]

Well 2 more weeks have passed here and I'm still waiting patiently for the tubes to arrive. It's getting to the point where amp will have been   broken down more than when it actually worked. My wife says the amp is a "Lemon" which isn't making the situation any easier for me. I E-Mailed Yuths today who is supposed to be handling the matter now. If he tells me to send the amp back to Thailand, I'll probably lose another month of waiting.
For what its worth, I've read all the posts over at Harmonic Discord and here at AudioCirlce to do with the SE9 and found that only a couple of them ever had to be sent back. This was encouraging news and partially influenced my decision to purchase the SE9 along with reviews at 6moons and TNT.
I really do hope you're right about nOrh having a history of satisfying their customers because so-far all it seems like I've seen is foot-dragging from their end.

Joe

[Mathew_M]

I think it has to do with Michael Barnes not being active with Audio Circle.  If this were back in the Harmonic Discord days he would of rectified your situation by now.  I've just read too many bad stories about Norh products (especially the electronics) over the past couple of years for me to recommend them anymore.  That's too bad because Norh does offer unique speakers at good prices.

[nathanm]

My SE9 did a similar thing, although I was lucky enough to be right there when it blew to see the light show.  Purple sparks, magic smoke and everything.  Not that I want to bag on Norh, but the fact of the matter is that I bought a relatively inexpensive product which is extremely heavy from a far away foreign country.  Not exactly the smartest move on my part.  After my SE9 half-died I took to heart Frank Van Alstine's advice that if one wants to own a tube amp they must be prepared to wrench on it. Probably true.  I don't think I pack the gear to serve in the beloved corps of the tube amplifier.

I too got in touch with Yuths about my amp but never followed up on it.    I'd be interested to know what happens with yours, Jovan.  Perhaps it will inspire me to move ahead with mine.

[jqp]

I think it has to do with Michael Barnes not being active with Audio Circle.  If this were back in the Harmonic Discord days he would of rectified your situation by now.  I've just read too many bad stories about Norh products (especially the electronics) over the past couple of years for me to recommend them anymore.  That's too bad because Norh does offer unique speakers at good prices.

Michael Barnes is not active with nOrh Loudspeaker or with Audio Circle. That is why this is an Owner Circle, not a manufacturer's circle. If you read the news that he occaisionaly writes, you will know that he has sold the company to the employees.

You will have to have great patience if you are going to be a nOrh customer. They will almost surely take care of you, but it may seem that time stands still.

[jovan]

Thank-You all for your replies, I really do appreciate this. If I don't hear from Yuths or Namphung within the next week I'll probably pack it up and send it back to them.

Joe

[Mathew_M]

Michael Barnes is not active with nOrh Loudspeaker or with Audio Circle. That is why this is an Owner Circle, not a manufacturer's circle. If you read the news that he occaisionaly writes, you will know that he has sold the company to the employees.

For Norh to stay in business they have to provide excellent customer service for their IMO shoddy electronic devices.  From personal experience I had an original Le Amp blow up on me killing the woofer in my speaker.  I've enjoyed their speakers in the past and would even consider purchasing them again HOWEVER from reading and experiencing the problems they have had over the past couple of years would keep me from buying again.

[jovan]

nOrh 's customer service has still been  non-existent in my case, I keep asking myself what did I do to deserve this kind of treatment! My amp is now packed up and ready to be shipped back to Thailand. I just hope their address on the packing slip is legit. I will never recommend for anyone to buy from this company, it has been one of the biggest mistakes of my life. 

Thanks jqp for mentioning the fact "it may seem that time stands still", you've really hit the nail on the head when it comes to dealing with nOrh.

[andrewbee]

Since L1 has play in it how about taking a look at it on the inside to see it a wire has broken off ? Perhaps with attaching / removing the RCA you rotated the jack and strained a wire which broke. At the same time you could tighten the jack.

Moaning about the lack of service from Norh is not going to fix it. Forget about them and move on. If they cannot service their customers then the business will die.

Maybe there is someone in your area who could check it out for you. How familiar are you with electronics and in particular tube equipment?
Are you  comfortable enough to do some voltage checks to compare the two channels?

[markC]

Why not solicit local,(at least semi-local), tube shops/ wrenchers and see if they can help you. It probably won't be too expensive to fix and you won't have as much down time. What good is a warranty if it originates in Thailand? The time and money spent shipping to and fro just isn't worth it IMO. Then you also run the risk of shipping damage as well.

[jovan]

Thanks for the sound advice guys, I will consider it.