I have never heard them, but know of at least 1 person that favors the Model 9. I would suspect that they are very good. One nOrh 9.0 Fan's System |
You will find many users and information at www.harmonicdiscord.com or www.audiocircle.com
The first will have some reviews of the different speakers and both will have a manufacturers forum for questons. I have heard about six models in their line and own the SM 6.9's. Everything is pretty much what people say about them. The drums do provide a very huge sound stage and the wood speakers are very beautiful.
If you live anywhere close to Lima, HO, they will be at the Midwest AudioFest in April. I think they even may be going to CES. |
I have two pairs of the NORH drum style speakers. A pair of older 5.0 and a newer pair of the synthetic 6.9. I was so impressed with the 5.0 that I bought the 6.9s (white)which have been in my main system for over a year; relegating my B&W floorstanders to my HT system.
What more can you ask for in a speaker? Rich(no glare)treble, true, controlled bass, efficient, non-fatiguing. I am driving mine with a set of mono-block ASL 1006DTs (100wpc/6550)(obviously no strain).
The workmanship is excellant and the delivery process is actually easier than trying to get something from Canada.
System: Empire 698 (Grado); SFL-1se; ASL-1006DT; NORH 6.9sm; Audioquest cables; Brickwall conditioner.
I don't know about the hype (actually you can go to harmonicdiscord.com for all the hype you want) but I simply could not be more pleased.
Not involved in any way with NORH (or anybody else). Just a very pleased owner. |
I also own 6.9 marble synthethic they are good speakers
they would even sound excellent if you rewire them with
silver, provided if your system is not too bright.There is
no hype on this norh product,it make me wander, how they
make money, good reasonable price state of the art enclosure
wonderful sound,iam also one happy owner cant stop talking
about them.I also heard the 9 first class speakers, smooth,
neutral with excellent base. |
I share you instincts/sentiment sunnyjim. I did for awhile think of buying some, but was wise and didn't. They called there little pyramid speaker with 4 3" Tangband drivers something like "one the best av loudspeakers of all." (go check the webpage--its there) If 4 3" tangbands are that good in their lineup they must have done a horrible job designing with their Vifa and Scanspeak drivers. Which is what I suspect about the company: there is/was plenty of room for improvement in the designing phase. They may have the good drivers and cabinets but that's all they talk about. I think they look ugly too. I vote hype/crap. They even talk like BOSE about "musical instrument omnidirectional; therefore, speaker should be omnidirectional" I don't think he understands the recording chain, microphone types and placement, room acoustics as it relates to speaker/room/listener-interface, etc. If they are good, as people claim (but people like all sorts of junk and I'm always suspicious of subjective claims) the website isn't too technical as you noticed. |
I auditioned a pair of nOrh Prism 6.9s, but ultimately opted for Meadowlark Kestrels. The Prisms weren't bad; fit and finish of the cabinets was poor, but they sounded nice enough - smooth mids and highs, bass a little over-extended, considering the size of the drivers.
nOrh products use Vifa and Scanspeak drivers, and to my ears, they don't sound radically different from all the thousand other speakers that use these same drivers. The odd cabinets detract from rather than enhance the performance, in my opinion.
Pretty generic, inoffensive stuff. There are so many speakers in this price range... unless you get a stunning deal on used ones, keep shopping. And don't expect performance that's out of the ordinary in any way. |
I want to thank everyone who so far has contributed to this post. Though, my instincts of 35 years of reading audio mags, classified ads and working in the business, make me lean more toward the observations of members "Kasperhauser" and "Esmeralda". There is a great deal to be learned from a website, not saying this tells everything about a product or its real world performance. Nevertheless, as Esmeralda indicates, using great drivers does not automatically produce a great speaker.especially, if the design parameters for those drivers are wrong and the product is less well engineered than even some mid-fi products. In addition, KP has identified for me that this product just sounds like others, and is not extraordinary in any area of performance. So, why should I buy it?? I have not read the testamonials about the Norh speakers on the websites recommended by those members who responded; and, I am sure there are aspects of the performance of the "drum" model that are very satisfying; but, that does not in my opinion qualify as high-end. This comment is not intended to be smug or elitist, but a conclusion based on what I have read and heard. If this company had an outlet to audition their product, I would surely take advantage of it before reaching any final conclusion. But, I think asking a customer to purchase a product from a relatively unknow company on the recommendations of a few owners is not a strong or positive business practice. This type of "marketing" seems to be more evident everyday, especially accomodated by the internet. It would be wonderful to "find" a speaker that far exceeds the performance of similar products from well-know manufacturers, that is, an extraordinary bargain in sound and appearance. Unfortunately, such products seem fewer than were available 20 years ago. |
Dismissing a product that could only be marketed at its price point via the internet on the basis of two opinions of people that you have never vetted or even met certainly will keep your life less troublesome (and, perhaps, less interesting).
Good luck. |
TO Zorpman, While I was writing my response,I calculated that I might draw some criticism from the membership. Regretably, I wish I had the resourses of being more adventuresome, and you are probably right that basing my conclusion on the opinions of two members may be unfair to the Norh pedigree. Nevertheless,I have been burned once or twice on mail-order follies, and the price of the Prism 6.9 is too much money to gamble and possibly be disappointed. The aftermath of such an investment would also leave me with the task of having to resell the speakers that I received. |
Sunnyjim
I totally respect your decision for not buying in the
internet there is always a risk.But dealing with Norh
people is cool.I know someone who needed to have his
amp service to them, it came back quick and they answer
his email quicker than, if you will deal with our local
snub dealer, Honestl, Iam very greatful with internet
Audiochain, like the Oddyssey, Norh, Audionut,I benefited
from them.And i got a good result too.My 6.9,with the le
amp monoblock $450 and ah cd sold by upscale audio, will
beat a system between 10k to 15k. How do I know, Ive been
to my friends home and dealers with that amt of money
that was spend.Maybe I got lucky synergizing my system,
or maybe Iam bias because i own it. One thing i always
try to avoid is to be bias, for i dont have the guts to
cheat myself. Lastly I am glad i took the risk, if I did
not,I would probably miss this treasure.ALSO NOT TRYING
TO PROMOTE ANY PRODUCTS, IF THE PRODUCTS IS BAD THE STORY
STOPS FROM THERE ITS HISTORY. |
I think there is a very positive review of Norh on cheaphometheater.com. The only thing they didn't like was the shape of the speaker. Gave it top notch sound. I don't remember which model they reviewed.
I'd love to see an internet direct show down. Aperion, Ascend, Axiom, Norh, Rockets, etc. I don't think any of the HT or Stereo rags will do it though. When I see the same few companies comprise the lions share of advertisng. I don't think any of the mags are going to risk saying anything blows Paradigm or Def Tech out. |
I own some Aperion 502's and bought my Teenage daughter some PSB alpha Minis. Both are excellent speakers especially for the money. I also would love to see the above mentioned speakers in a show down and throw in some of those 'best value' speakers like Paradigm that are sold through high end audio stores.
I have done a direct A/B comparison between the Aperions and Paradigm Mini Monitors v.3. No comparison paradigm are great speakers. But not in the same league as Aperions.
Doubt if we will every get a true showdown. As you mentioned advertizing butters the reviewers bread.
Speaking of Norh. Has anyone heard the 3.0? Very curious about these. |
I would like to add also about,how i feel when my friend
told me,that one of his friend his buying a speaker in
Thailand, Norh Co., He showed me the picture of marble 9
they look like flashlight to me.We bought agree our friend
is better off buying the B&W N05,i audition this speaker
that time iam getting tired of my martin logam quest z,
with my wife pressure,i went out and audition them,they
were very good but they did not have enough base in my
room, my friend thought this are better and more musical
than my logan,after reconnecting my logan its very clear,
the logan are my preference.Then one day when the marble
9 arrived with norh multiamp in active mode,complete burn
in my friend call me.This guy own the NO5,He said, You
better hear those norh they are natural, no brightness,
no distortion,and i have suffer since i heard them.Honestly
I thought big deal I FELT THE SAME LIKE SUNNYJIM AND ESM 11,
INTERNET IN THAILAND, UNKNOWN FORGET IT.i CANT EVEN DEAL
WITH THE AUDIO DEALER ACROSS MY STREET,WHY BOTHER GO TO
INTERNET OR OVERSEAS.Until i heard this norh 9,I was blown
away they are beautiful for my taste, i like unique.Then
the owner told me they do have 6.9 for $950. and le amp
for $450 and this are monoblock.So I took the risk,Norh
products to me are hard to beat easpecially for their price.
But again it scary to deal with people we have not met,If
you dont have the guts to do it then dont do it,Its
your money in the first place,other wise mylanta will
be the choice for stomach upset. |
I would never buy a speaker I couldnt audition first...call me old school...but unless u live in a one horse town...there are plenty of decent speakers to be found at local dealers... |
Phasecorrect this was also my first thought,I will never
buy anything that i dont see, hear, even touch, or maybe
smell, my friend said why buy norh, there are B&W out
there he said, good speaker, good reputation, He said
he will go out and see the NO5, i agree. Until i heard
the marble 9 from norh.I forgot about the risk. I purchase
the 6.9. Iam not saying they are better than the one i
auditon, but IMHO I like this 6.9 better than the expensive
speakers I audition, But I do admire for making decision
with caution, now a days even in front of our two eyes
people will still try to cheat you, Its part of life,
Again being cautious is also a very very good decision. |
I own two pairs of nOrh's the older 6.5 wood drum & the synth. marble 6.9. For what its worth I really have loved these & their price/performance ratio. The cabinets desighn is love/hate, but I think they are beautiful. It's hard to get much better driver quality then the VIFA/Scanspeak lines & the cross-overs have been desighned by same prominent outside engineers. Two words of advice though: the larger drum styles can be hard to place on many stands( they require wide bases) & they can be hazzardous around children or pets if knocked of (the 6.9's weight 50 lbs). The resale value has also been so-so, with about 50% depreciation on their marble series on the market it looks like. On the other hand, they are great value on the used market especially if you live locally and can avoid the shipping |
