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|   Close encounter..Marbles, this is as per you request below. | puay chew
Apr 23, 2001 7:02 AM | | Marbles,
I have problem replying you at the thread below so I will do it here.
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Hi guys,
After sleeping for about 10 hours, Im feeling very refreshing now!
Norhs showroom is actually in a service apartment outside the central of Bangkok and is also the place where Namphung is staying.
It was there on Saturday afternoon. The weather was very hot at 39 degree C.
The system was setup in the enclosed living room of about (my estimation) 25 feet long by 22 feet wide. It is not a square or rectangular shape. The doors to one of the rooms and kitchen were opened.
I was shocked when I first saw the 9.0 and the ACA and the new synthetic 6.9. They look SO MUCH BETTER than what I have seen in the website. They are beautiful! I immediately told Michael to change all the pictures in his website as they are doing injustices to the actual thing. The sub woofer was big and beautiful unlike the one I have seen in the website which looks very old and ugly. He said that he is in the process of taking new pictures for them. I think this is important as the they serve as a first impression of nOrhs products.
The new Synthetic Marble 6.9 looks exactly the same in shape and size as the 9.0. Michael got it one day before I arrived so it has not been fully broken in yet.
Sonically, the 6.9 sounded similar to the 9.0. However the 9.0 is smoother, sweeter and more spacious. Bass from both the 6.9 & 9.0 was AWESOME. There was a pounding bass from one of the track which Namphung played and I thought that it was coming from outside of the building. Im not exaggerating, the pounding was like what I used to hear from the construction site and the amp was not even the Multiamp but some cheap staff which they have brought from Thailand.
Michael played the 9.0 to PA level, very, very loud and it was not fatigue at all and the sounds seem to come from every where to the listening position. I did not understand why a reviewer wrote in AR that the 9.0 cant play loud. I did not bring my own CDs so I did not know where or when to listen for details. The 6.9, I believe after breaking in, would be stunning. It was a bit harsh and not as spacious as the 9.0 but it can really go as low and loud as the 9.0. Michael was correct to mention in his email to me that the walls were shaking with the 6.9. After listening to them, I told myself that I need to throw away my speaker. If money is not a problem, I would have order the 6.9 straight away! I think the 6.9 offer super value at under 1K. The 9.0 was better but when you take $$ into account, I think the 6.9 is of much higher value. I asked Michael if he would make the 9.0 with synthetic marble and he said that it would only bring down the price by only about $200.
My itinerary was tide and I left after 3 hours of listening. Michael gave my wife and me a ride back to our hotel. On our way back, he told us that he set up nOrh without thinking of making money for the company but to date he has sold more than 2000 pairs of speakers in 3 years! I think, if the products are good, they will sell themselves without marketing and advertising.
Back home, the ACA is beyond description. I was so sick of the Audiolab that I have put it aside and connect my CDP to the Stratos direct 3 weeks ago. I thought I have the cleanness and shortest connection but when the ACA is connected, everything changed.
I thought that I had speed and details with the Stratos. Now it is even faster and the details were very audible even at very low volume. I can even hear that the sound is moving/flowing from the left to the right speaker!! The sound is also crystal/sparking clear which I have never heard of. Each instruments has it own position and were well separated. Sound stage is soooooo much more wider. The minor details were so much clearer and audible. Bell sounded sparking clear. Imaging also im |
| Got cut again....this is part II | puay chew
Apr 23, 2001 7:05 AM | | Imaging also improved and I now had a more 3D sound.
I have not play enough cds yet and Im sure that more surprises are coming my way.
Thailand is a very poor country and the living standard and conditions of the Thais are very low. That was why when I first read nOrhs philosophy I felt that there was some kind of shake in my body. If every company is doing the same, Thailand will recover faster and become much stronger and there will be hope for mankind. Thailand collapse in 1997, 3 weeks after the financial crisis. If it is true that America hedge funds have sold down the THB, they have committed an evil act on mankind. If you have been there before and after 1997 June, you will know what I am talking about
Looking at the apartment that Namphung is staying, Michael has succeeded in doing what he wanted to do. All of us can buy great gears at low price and nOrh employees have also benefited from what Michael is doing. Most Thais will never afford those kind of housing and standard of living not even some of us in Singapore. I left Bangkok at 2.40pm yesterday. When the plane was taking off, I have as usual, pray for Thailand and her people. I flew back happily with the ACA and leave behind my hopes and blessings with them.
Chua |
| Not many people who post here have been to Thailand.. | Marbles
Apr 23, 2001 7:43 AM | | and I thought it was important to get someone with a first hand knowlage to share their experience. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You now have some very good electronics IMHO.
Things are begining to tighten up in the Midwestern parts of the USA, as I see them. I hope it is only a short term thing, but I suspect it will last the average downturn of 2 years or so. With Japan's economy in the toilet for the last few years and ours slowing down, it is not a good time for the world economy I am afraid. |
| I hesitated to post here... | puay chew
Apr 23, 2001 8:17 AM | | as someone has mistaken Tyson as Michael's son and I do not want some sick people coming to me and call me papa.
I hope the US economy will come around soon and our party will go on. |
| Thanks for the great story! (NT) | DeanSheen
Apr 23, 2001 8:21 AM | | |
| Thanks for sharing your experience with us. (nt) | DueN
Apr 23, 2001 10:33 AM | | . |
| re: Close encounter..Marbles, this is as per you request below. | Tyson
Apr 23, 2001 11:59 AM | | Hey, thanks for the great info. I would love to visit Bangkok sometime & meet Michael & Namphung, but alas I don't think it will happen for a while to come.
Gotta agree with the comment about the speakers being beautiful. All the ones I have ever seen look superb, much better than on the web site. I tried to take some pictures myself, but they NEVER turn out! Pictures just don't convey the elegance these speakers have in real life.
"Back home, the ACA is beyond description" - I agree with you completely. I think the ACA is the best thing nOrh makes, period. But I rarely talk about it in public because I just don't think people would believe how good it is (CJ and Levinson range here).
I wish someone in Denver would order some 6.9's so I could hear them!!! |
| re: Close encounter..Marbles, this is as per you request below. | KeithR
Apr 23, 2001 12:53 PM | | Is the 6.9 a new drum series? or are you guys talking about the Prisms?
Also, what do you mean by synthetic? Are they like the ceramics, and come in different, cool, colors?
Thanks Tyson |
| re: Close encounter..Marbles, this is as per you request below. | DueN
Apr 23, 2001 1:31 PM | | The 6.9 comes in two flavors: Prism and drum. The drum is made with synthetic marble. That means a mix of marble powder (70%) and resin. I guess they figured they could use the left-over marble fragments from making the marble speakers. I think they come in black and jade green. Not sure of any other colors. I think jade green is pretty cool.
The drum doesn't go as deep as the Prism version. But the price is $200 less also. |
| Any pics yet? (nt) | KeithR
Apr 23, 2001 3:18 PM | | nt |
| Any pics yet? (nt) | DueN
Apr 23, 2001 7:25 PM | | You can expect to see something by next week. nOrh normally updates the website at beginning of every month. |
| Yes, the ACA is my most prized possesion... | DueN
Apr 23, 2001 1:35 PM | | ... along with the 9.0. We're talking audio gears, of course! :-) |
| re: Close encounter..Marbles, this is as per you request below. | puay chew
Apr 23, 2001 5:58 PM | | The 6.9 should be for people like me who can't afford the 9.0 and need to save up a year or two for the 7.0
I asked Michael if he can use the tweeter of the 9.0 for the 6.9 and he told me that it is possible but he would need to redesign the xover and cost higher too. |
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