Great sound. Good looks

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Awesome speakers. Everything ive read about these speakers is true.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch,JBL

Imaging, soundstage, detail, price, aesthetics, uniqueness.

The look may not appeal to everyone.

Let's just get to the bottom line -- these speakers are flat out awesome! I purchased the natural wood color and they look fantastic in the living room. When people come over to visit, they are very impressed with how they look. Then I give them a demo and they are blown away. These speakers have a very wide sounstage with phenomenal detail and pinpoint imaging. One can hear every stoke of string instruments. Cymbals sound true to life, etc. I could go on, but I think you get the point. They are so good, I'm considering buying other Norh products -- I don't care what it is -- amp, preamp, more speakers, etc., because if they're anything like these speakers, I know I'm getting a tremendous value for the money.

Similar Products Used:

Polk Lsi7.

Pinpoint imaging, expansive soundstage, liquid midrange, detailed and musical,very good bass response. It will not be embarrassed by much better partnering ancilliaries. Very involving when paired with powerful enough tube amplification. Great value for money.

It really demands much better equiptment than it would usually be partnered with at this price point. But great if you never want to upgrade your speakers ever again. Odd styling may not be for everyone. Can't be positioned on a bookshelf hard up against a wall.

Oddly enough, this post appears to be the only one on the Synthetic Marble version of the Norh 5.1. 1.Preliminaries: First off, I had waited until the speakers were well and truly "burnt in" before posting a review. I have heard about Norh's need to play about 200 hours minimum to run-in. They were delivered in July 2003 (superb packing, speakers were moulded into three-inch deep foam), and were then shipped off to Cairo, Egypt where I am now based, and thereafter, I subjected them to daily 3-hour plays of everything from rock to jazz to orchestral music at decent levels (9-10 o'clock on the amp volume knob - not that this is meant to be any objective standard mind you!). 2. Appearance The SM 5.1's, as befits their reputation, look nothing like any speaker I have every owned or ever will. I have the White SM model (which took Norh 3 weeks to make)and it is stunning, a little off-white with light pinkish swirls in the material. The four feet are wide, as reported and speaker stand top-plates have to be as wide as a normal A4 size piece of paper to be safe. But you will NOT want to put them on normal stands. It will not do justice to the visuals of the speakers. I had a local company make a pair of dense, heavy columns out of plaster 60 cms high. The ported rear of the speakers are also longer than they look in photos, so make sure to have ample "breathing room" behind them. Mine stand well into my listening/reception area. 2. Sound The reports about the burn-in period are all true. Before the 100-hour mark, the speakers sounded a little slow. The bass was tubby and bass extension was poor. I did comparison testing with my Epos ES14, not a bass champion by any standard, and the SM 5.1s lost out in speed, pace, musicality and even bass definition. I shipped them off to Cairo to hook them up to the setup I had there, and waited for the sound to "mature". In Cairo, I was running the system on an Optimum Audio Tube amp with 4 KT88s putting out 60 watts in ultralinear and 38 in triode mode. This was fed by a Marantz SACD 8260 SACD player, big, beefily built with a lovely open sound. I have just added a turntable to the set up. First off, after the burn in period and some experimentation, a few characteristics of the SM 5.1s became apparent: i) They LOVE POWER. I initially ran them using the triode mode of the OA amp. The sound was all tube - liquid midrange and a nice, vocal-friendly presentation with the mids thrown slightly forward. The bass started slowly to assert itself after the 50 hour mark. Imaging was first class right off the mark though and was clearly superior to the Epos. However, I felt that the sound of the Norhs was still a little too polite, recessed in the higher frequencies and lacking ultimate punch in the lower. Rock and dance tracks were nice ... but didn't force me to jump out of my seat to boogie like rock and dance should. Then one day, I switched the amp to the ultralinear mode ... 60 watts up from 38 watts. I also popped out the grilles. The difference, in a word was ... WOW! It may sound unbelievable, but the music came "on-line" at that point. The extra power made the speakers more open and greatly expanded the soundstage. Bass became well-extended, tight and tuneful. Details I had never noticed before in my tracks started showing up. It became a speaker which matched the precision of US speakers like the Thiels (which I love for the way they throw out 100% of the information in each song, but which I hate for being so obsessive and clinical about it) and the pace and musicality of Britboxes like the Naims and Neats. It sounded like ... an old Rogers LS3/5A with bass, and a little more speed. Highs are now extended, Bass is full and punchy and the mids and soundstage are brilliant. BUT, they have to be fed. Switching back to triode feels like sticking them in a felt box. I recommend at least 50 watts of tube amplification and 100 watts of solid-state to really do them justice. ii)They really like analogue. I haven't really tried the norhs out with any solid-state amplification of note besides the 35-watt Naims, but with the OA-1 tubes, the speakers really sing. I expect norh feels the same way, seeing as how they are putting out these budget tube amps now to drive their products. But remember point 1. above. No 9-watt triodes for these babies! With my new turntable, through the tube amps - these US$500 speakers beat every system I have ever owned. They are musically enthralling with low-key small scale pieces, but with enough weight and dynamics to play any kind of music you want. Most reports say they are great speakers for home cinema. I got these for a stereo setup and they have beaten speakers more than 4 times their price. At US$1000 they would be well worth the money. At US$500, its no contest. The only component in my chain I wouldnt need to upgrade for a long time.

Similar Products Used:

Epos ES14 and ES11, Neat Petite I, Rogers LS3/5A, Monitor Audio 10, Thiel CS1.2, Norh 3.0s, B&W 803, Quad 11, Snell E/IV

I posted a review about three years ago shortly after purchasing my nOhr 5.1 system. I still love the whole system, although I hope to upgrade to 9.0s within the next year or so. I have demo'd these speakers for several people in the DC area, and I wanted to put forth the offer again. I AM still in DC (Arlington, VA), I never moved to Chicago, so the demo would have to be in the DC area. I am always pleased by the reaction my speakers get, both to the excellent quality of the sound and the unusual but aesthetically pleasing look. In fact, most people don't even realize they're speakers until I point it out! Also, I have my rear 4.0s suspended from the wall behind the sofa, and it's a pretty simple setup if anyone is interested. For more info, see my prior post from 1/01.

Natural, open sound. Off-axis listening, quality and uniqueness of finish. nOrh customer service.

I'm struggling to find any at this price but size may be a problem for some people. The 5.1s are quite deep so keep that in mind if you're planning on putting them on existing furniture.

I have had my wood 5.1s for a few months now, coupled with the nOrh SE9. I sat and listened to Diana Krall's 'Live in Paris' last night and today I'm prompted to write this review. I played 'Look of Love' over.... and over... and over. I must point out that my system is the epitome of simplicity. It consists of two 'natural' wood 5.1s, the nOrh SE9 and a Pioneer DV-400 DVD player for a transport. I use Monster cable, but I doubt that it makes much of a difference. I live in quite a large apartment but the SE9 does a good job of powering the 5.1s to listening levels that are enough to disturb my neighbors. Bass isn't wall shaking, but I don't believe it is meant to be! 'Natural' is the word that springs to mind. My musical tastes are wide and varied - I listen to everything from Placido Domingo to Linkin Park to Eminem and the 5.1s have faithfully reproduced everything I've thrown at them. What can I say? I'm impressed. No doubt there are better speakers out there but for the money I doubt you will find a better sounding or better quality product anywhere. Period. Kudos to Michael Barnes and his friendly and efficient staff at nOrh for producing these honest products. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

VAF, Energy, Klipsch

They are cosmetically awesome. Architectually perfect, quality components. Price - unbeatable. The sound is so real and appealing, whether it is a dvd, cd or tuner. Customer service is incredible.

You have to have the space to put these mammoths, which I do. If you can facilitate them, then you have removed the weakness. If you are looking for thundering bass, upgrade to the 6.9' or greater.

Audiorevie doesnt have a review for 6.1's, so this in an overall review for a mediocre nOrh system. After a year of speaker research, I settled on a nOrh system consisting of 2x6.1 SM's for mains, 2x5.1's for surrounds and a 4.0 for a center powered by an Outlaw 1050, with an HSU VTF-2 sub, Kimber cables all around. I have heard many systems, and in my opinion this is a great beginning setup. The 6.1's do not reproduce bass like the 6.9's, so the VTF-2 handles the lows extremely well as we all know. The soundstage is very crisp, the music rolls off true. They play loud, yet at low levels with just the 1050, produce highs and mids perfectly. Home theater is outstanding. Toy Story II and Saving Private Ryan are great tests. I was in Normandy for the first few moments of Ryan, bullets flying all around. Voices on the 4.0 were clear and dynamic, the surrounding war anthem on the mains were full and the rears filled the rear of the room. Searching the net, you will have read how great Mike Barnes is. I agree, no matter how many simple questions I asked, he always responded quickly and tried to provide me with the best advice for my musical preferences and budget. Now that I have had this setup for a year, I could not be happier. The voices coming out of the 4.0 are so powerful, I have reduced the level of output going to the center below the mains. In conjunction with the VTF, the mains are so powerful. Musically, Tow Sawyer from Rush puts me on the floor. There is no empty space in this song, nor was there in my room. In stereo mode, the 6.1's recreate clear guitars and crashing cymbals. The bass guitar is gutsy and deep, not muffled. I am amazed how heavy duty these speakers are. There's no MDF or parallel surfaces here, they are musically perfect. From the binding posts to the wiring, the construction is unmatched. Many people are skeptical of going into these speakers without testing them, I urge you to read the reviews and give them an opportunity as I have done. Then again, dont. I enjoy having a great conversational piece before a movie, and seeing my friends faces when they are bombarted with such terrific sound. I am certainly not an audiophile per se, I dont have a system made of money and amps, but for under 2K I am going back to my cd collection and enjoying tones that were never produced from bookshelf systems and cheap bose satellites.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustic, Paradigm, Cambridge Soundworks,

love it or hate it looks; i personally think that they look great with marble pedestals

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I just switched from Paradigm for home theater and couldnt be happier. It's too bad that a lot of the praise goes to the norh 4.0 or the 6.9s b/c the 5.1's sound great. granted, i am not a critical listener but the norhs are several steps up from the paradigms that i had. i run a denon 2800, hsu research tn 1225, velodyne fsr 1200 and sm 5.1 x 5 and i have one killer home theater. btw, i purchased my speaker stands at www.homedecorator.com and got some great marble pedestals for about 200 bucks which fits great into my art deco at home.

Similar Products Used:

paradigm, mission, b&w

Smooth musical presentation; Beautiful, exotic, hand-crafted looks; Focused imaging; Depth of soundstage; Realism and texture of bass instruments

Vertical placement sensitive; Speaker grills could better; Tendency to be analytic or bright in maybe 3% of the music I tested (which might just be me asking too much for a $500 speaker because this weakness rightfully belongs to speakers at least twice the price!)

I. INTRODUCTION:
I recommended the nOrhs for my brother based purely on speculation and internet reviews. I would have the nOrhs for a week before handing it over to him. Because of this, I had to do comparisons and critical listening without the benefit of break-in for the nOrhs. However, I beleive that break-in can never change the inherent characteristics of a speaker. It is worth noting also that my listening was done pretty close, with my ears 6 feet away, and the speakers 5 feet apart. There was a wood wall right behind my listening chair. I tested by 30 second segments of different songs, comparing the same 30 second segements between speakers.

II. LOOK/FEEL:

Out of the box, I was immediately impressed with the quality of my walnut version. The finish is top-rate and is much better than the pictures you see. It has a glossy and expensive feel to it. The rubber feet are just perfect for this design. I cannot imagine it having spikes. Moreoever, the rubber feet make it so sturdy and solid feeling when you put them down. The speakers accept banana plugs, spades, or even bare wire. Also, do not be disturbed by the tweeter out of the main cabinet. These tweeters and the wood tweeter enclosure is very solid and should not give you apprehensions of breaking them or separating them from the main cabinet. My only complaints concern the speaker grills. Only one speaker grill had the nOrh logo (Mr. Barnes you don't really have to cut costs in this area, I want to flaunt the nOrh logo for both grills!). Also, one of the speaker grills did not have a perfectly snug fit. The cloth is also a bit too thick and rough for my tastes.


III. PERFORMANCE:

A. Bass

I put bass as the first criteria I judged because when I played the 5.1s, the bass was the thing that grabbed me first. Compared to my Dynaudio Audience 40s, the bass of the nOrhs was more refined and more composed. The Danes seem to have a hump somewhere in the upper-mid bass while the nOrhs kept their finesse and composure no matter what music you fed them. The nOrhs also went lower without losing control. The most impressive aspect of the bass of the nOrhs is how natural and real the bass instruments sound - bass drums punch you with just the right ambience while acoustic string bass in jazz ensembles immerse you in the realism and it keeps its composure in every note (whereas the Dyns get lost in some of the lower notes).

B. Treble

The treble was tested mainly by listening to cymbals and percussion instruments. The nOrhs had an ever-so-slightly sharper treble presentation than the Dans but otherwise they are very similar in cymbals. However, the Danes had the edge in the decay, echo, air, and ambience of the cymbals after they were struck. The Danes were warmer in the cymbals and just more natural. The Danes were more smooth while the nOrhs were just a bit more detailed. Whereas the nOrhs were clear winners in the bass department, the Danes only have a slight advantage in the trebles due to their air and naturalness. I would say that some who prefer more crispness, detail, and sparkle in their trebles may actually prefer the nOrhs. But this is not to say the nOrhs are bright speakers. They are only in relation to the Danes, and only slightly.


C. Midrange

Contrary to my original impressions, the nOrhs and the Dynaudios give very different midrange presentations. Therefore, they might not be a good match for home theater. The nOrhs had the vocals very focused on the soundstage and they sounded smooth, composed, with lots of finesse. The smoothness seemed to enhance female vocals - making them avoid tendencies to be unnaturally deep. The nOrhs were a little bit more lean and dry in the vocal department but this has proven to be an advantage at times because on some music passages, the Danes did not separate the midbass and the vocals with much accuracy, while with the nOrhs you could still clearly tell the lower vocals from the upper midbass. The Danes sounded warmer, more involving, and more fluid. While the nOrhs were very composed under pressure, the forward presentation of the Danes made them emotional under pressure. To some this is good because the voices really touch your insides and immerse you with the Danes. With the nOrhs, you are a member of the audience watching the singer sing. The warmer tendencies of the Danes make them breathe more air around them in the vocals, but on exceptional occasions - too much air. Once more, the midrange would just be a matter of preference, if you want a slightly laid back and focused sound, the nOrhs cut it; and if you are after a more bold and warmer presentation, the Danes cut it. Personally, I would go for the nOrhs if I wanted to just listen to the music and enjoy, but I would go for the Dyns if I want to cry with the emotions of the music, sleep with the mood of the music, or laugh with the irony of the lyrics.


D. Detail / Transparency

With the nOrhs, you can hear every key played in the piano, and every string plucked with the guitars. The Danes prefer to give you warm fluid music that flows. Guitar-plucking is more articulate with the nOrhs but strumming is more natural with the Danes. For fill-in improvisational jazz piano (like Bill Evans in "Kind Of Blue"), I would recommend the Dyns as they give a more dark moody presentation than the nOrhs. A few months ago, I compared the Danes with the B&W 601 (series 1), and found the latter to have more detail and transparency. Yet, the music did not touch me and it was just too analytical to be called music with the 601s. On the other hand, the nOrhs find the extra detail, transparency and focus that the Dyns lack while still retaining a very involving and musical presentation and not being too analytical nor having the "digital harshness" the 601s had.


E. Imaging / Soundstaging

With all things equal, when the nOrhs are placed on flat stands they are angled slightly upwards. This may be the reason why they have such good height in them. As I've mentioned in the detail/transparency and the midrange portions of this review, the nOrhs are more focused, hence, the instruments in the soundstage are well-placed and can easily be located. Due to the size of my listening area and the close proximity I was to the speakers, I felt I could not make a valid review of soundstage since everything will probably sound flat. Yet, by accident, when I was doing casual listening and not critical listening - I noticed a deep soundstage in a musical passage that had an orchestra, an acoustic guitar, drums, and electric guitar, bass, and vocals. There was just height and depth in the presentation. This really surprised me to no end. In more ideal situations, I am sure the nOrhs will have a very deep soundstage.


F. Loudness / Sensitivity

My method for testing loudness was simple. Leave the volume at a constant level in the amp and switch speakers. The Danes and the nOrhs had identical loudness levels although the Danes seemed a bit louder at times due to its more forward presentation and upper-midbass hump. So these speakers are a good match sensitivity wise. If there are other variables I did not consider or if the method I used is faulty, disregard this portion of the review.


G. Musicality

For me, this is the most important category of all. Also, this portion of the review is much much more subjective than the other portions so take this with a grain of salt or skip this portion. To me, the warmth and openess of the Danes just communicated the music better to my ears on most of the music I played. Of course there were a few exceptions where the musicality was better with the nOrhs (maybe 25% of the time). The nOrhs just went a little analytic on me - I would want to switch cds often and hear detail after detail, while with the Dyns, once I put a cd, I am stuck with it because the music captures my attention. Maybe it is just because I have grown more accustomed to the Dyns. Maybe it is because the speakers have not yet been properly broken in. Maybe I just need to listen to the nOrhs longer. Maybe I just prefer a more forward presentation. But don't get me wrong, the nOrhs do make music. With the B&W 601s, I hear instruments and details from my cd; with the nOrhs, I hear musicians well-positioned in the stage making music feeding it to my ears; but with the Danes, I simply hear music being fed to my heart (ok that sounded corny but that is how I feel it!). But preferences really differ from person to person and I think many would still prefer the nOrhs. My preference for the Dyns could be similar to the preference of tubes by some audiophiles - tubes allegedly have weak bass and roled-off highs yet some prefer them - but this sentence is deviating from the topic at hand.


IV. CONCLUSION:

The nOrhs do not do anything wrong. The highs are not harsh but I just happened to prefer the Danes. The mids are not veiled, inaccurate, chesty or grainy but I just preferred the Danes. Even the Danes did more wrong, as they were found wanting in the imaging and bass area. To me, accuracy in imaging and depth of bass are less subjective than textures of highs or presentations of mids. And the Norhs win in the less subjective areas - and it was in the extremely subjective areas where I chose the Danes. I expect most of you to just take my most subjective opinions with a grain of salt.

At $500 shipped directly to your doorstep, the nOrhs are an incredible value. The Danes retail for $700 and I bought them because they handily beat a dozen speakers I auditioned (although they were cheaper brands like Tannoy, B&W, Paradigm, NHT, Acoustic Energy,Wharfedale, and PSB). However, the nOrhs gave the Danes a fight too close to call. In performance, the nOrhs do more things right. In price, the nOrhs are slightly cheaper than the Danes' street price. In aesthetics, it is no contest - the nOrhs look more beautiful and classy for me. In the end I preferred the sound of the Danes for presentation of mids and musicality, but bear in mind I am not exactly impartial since I am a Dynaudio owner. And the nOrhs are still extremely musical. As a matter of fact, I have never heard such accuracy, transparency, and detail paired with musicality before I heard the nOrhs.

The nOrhs aren't pretentious. They tell is as it is. The Danes add color but it is a color that is pleasing to my ears. But is the difference worth the $200? I do not think so. I am lucky I got a good price on the Danes ($450 brand new). But in hindsight, I would never buy it if it really sold for $700. And now that the nOrhs are around, the more I would not consider the Danes for $700. So should I just steal this thing from my brother? No, because the nOrhs would not suit my environment. The nOrhs are happier with bigger dimensions than my listening area which is only 8.5 feet from front walls to back walls and with my listening position directly against the wall.

It should also be very worth noting that these conclusions I gathered are from speakers not yet well broken in! Take my word for it, go for the nOrh 5.1s if your budget is in the $500 range and you can no longer squeeze and extra $200 to go for the 6.5s - you will not regret it!



V. APPENDICES:


A. Recommendations:

1. Avoid analytic and bright components for music playback (no need to avoid them if you are after a home theater)

The nOrhs have a slight tendency (which is the exception to the rule and makes it only a "tendency" and not a "characteristic") to be analytical. The will reveal the brightness or digital coldness of your source. The nOrhs quickly revealed differences between my Rotel RCD-971 and the Pioneer DV-525 in playing cds. With the Pioneer it became too harsh, too digital, and too grainy. This would be a less of a problem with the Danes since they are not as revealing as the nOrhs. The analytic tendency of the nOrhs would be perfect for home theaters though - wouldn't you like to hear each and every detail in the shattering glass scence? Wouldn't you like to hear each and every sound in a busy street scene? The nOrhs will take care of that!


2. Speakers stands must look good and have a large enough base.

The feet of the nOrh are quite far apart so they need 10in. x 7in. base to stand on. Speaker stands simply must look good because of the exotic looks of the nOrh. Improvisation with marble such as TNT-Audio's Akropolis Speaker stand http://www.tnt-audio.com might look good, or a simple marble block could suffice. Steel speaker stands clash with the nOrhs.


3. Tweeters should be positioned below ear level

Speakers stands from 18in. to 30in., depending on your height and listening chair is preferred. The tweeters are angled a bit upwards so place the speakers in such a way that with the angle, the tweeter will point directly at ear level. The sound of these speakers are very dependent on mounting them on the right height.


4. Take into account the front to back length of the speaker in your calculations

The speaker is 17 inches from front to back - which is much much more than convetional speakers. So take that into account when doing computations for placements and distances. But because of the inverted horn design, the speakers are not dependent on distance from the rear wall. These speakers do not get boomy even if positioned as close as 6 inches from the rear wall. Conventional box speakers usually get boomy anywhere inside 12 inches. Thus, the effective physical depth of nOrhs and conventional boxes, if calculated as absolute distances from the wall, are about the same.


5. Experiment with interchanging right and left speakers to suit your tastes

Unlike other models, the woofer of the nOrhs are not in the middle. They favor one side. One speaker favors the left and another favors the right. But both tweeters are mounted in the middle. So just experiment with what sounds best for you. Since I could only get my speakers 5 feet apart, I had the right-oriented woofer as my right speaker and vice versa so I could get a wider soundstage.


B. Music Tested (Artist/Album/Song)

-The Eagles, Hell Freezes Over, "Love Will Keep Us Alive" "Hotel California"

-U2, Achtung Baby, "One" "So Cruel"

-The Corrs, Unplugged, "What Can I Do" "Runaway"

-Miles Davis, Kind Of Blue, "Freddie Freeloader"

-U2, Best Of 1980-1990,"With Or Without You" "All I Want Is You"

-Sheffield Lab Setup and Test Disc, Drum Sample in track 1

-The Church, Compilation Album, "The Unguarded Moment"

-Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, RPO Plays The Music Of U2, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" (HDCD)

-DePaul University Jazz Ensemble, HDCD Sampler Volume 2, "Molten Swing"

-Dire Straits, Sultans Of Swing: Best Of, "So Far Away" "Walk Of Life" (HDCD)

-U2, The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack, "The Ground Beneath Her Feet"

-The Police, Greatest Hits, "Every Breath You Take"

-Rush, Chronicles, "The Spirit Of Radio"

-Spandau Ballet, Greatest Hits, "Through The Barricades"

-Theme from the Superman movie

-Eric Clapton, Chronicles, "Blue Eyes Blue" (HDCD)

-U2, War (Mobile Fidelity Gold Untradisc Version), "Sunday Bloody Sunday" "The Refugee"


C. Contact Me

If there is anything in this review that is not clear or needs clarification, or for any questions related to this review - contact me at pop4ever@yahoo.com


D. Disclaimer

I am in no way associated with nOrh, Michael Barnes or any of their employees.

E. Associated Equipment for this Review:
1. Amplifier: NAD C340 Integrated Amplifier

2. Sources (CDP/Turntable): Rotel RCD-971 (HDCD Encoding Capability)

3. Speakers: Dynaudio Audience 40

4. Cables/Interconnects: Ixos Gamma 6003 Speaker Cable, Ixos Custom 104 Interconnects

5. Room Size (LxWxH): 8.5 ft x 35 ft x 9 ft

6. Room Comments/Treatments: 35 ft because it includes the kitchen, dining table, and computer area - I live in an apartment; The sytem setup is in the leftmost portion of the 35 feet, approximately 3 feet from the side walls
Time Period/Length of Audition: Took place in the span of 5 consecutive days

7. Type of Audition/Review: Home Audition

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio Audience 40, B&W 601

Good looks, quality drivers

not much for the prices

Excellent sound for the money. They easily hold their own against speakers costing twice the price. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Bozak, Polk

Looks, price, direct contact with CEO.

Looks (love them or hate them) I can't find any others.

I have to say I originally had a pair of Bose 901. I was not satisfied with the sound.(Really not good for 1500.00)
I decided I would look for a new speaker and after much searching came up with magnepans. However when I called, they told me that you needed a receiver with 4 ohms. Mine had 8 ohms. (I thought it was a good receiver Harmon Kardon AvR 55)So I started to look for another pair of speakers.
To make a long story short I saw the reviews for this speaker so I went to the website. www.norh.com
At first I thought the speaker was really goofy looking but I kept going bak to the site and reading more. Finally the speaker started looking attractive to me. I thought, well it looks good, people say it sounds good. All of the reveiws are 5.00 I'll try it.
When I first opened the box the speaker looked goofy. But the more I looked at it the more I liked it. When I hooked it up the sound was AWESOME. I had been using an old pair of KLH's while waiting for the Norh's. These things were so far past my KlH's and my Bose that although I paid half of what they cost I knew I had made a good decision. The sound was clear.
I could hear the Cymbals. I put on Steely Dan's Aja. Wayne shorter's sax was awesome, Steve Gadd's drums absolutely awesome. I knew I had made a good decision. I turned it up.
Still awesome! I thought Yeah!!!!
I have to clarify. I am no audiofile. I can't afford to be.
However I like stereo equipment at an affordable price and I have found if you do your home work you can get good sounding equipment at an affordable price.
One last thing: Me and my wife were watching a movie, specifically; Shaft. And she says I think the best part of this move is the sound track. But I know it is the speakers she is hearing that make the sound track sound so good.
If you are on the fence take the chance. You won't regret it.

Similar Products Used:

Bose 901