nOrh 5.1 Floorstanding Speakers
nOrh 5.1 Floorstanding Speakers
USER REVIEWS
[Feb 23, 2006]
bolio1960
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Great sound. Good looks
Weakness:
None Awesome speakers. Everything ive read about these speakers is true. Similar Products Used: Klipsch,JBL |
[Dec 19, 2004]
tehuti
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Imaging, soundstage, detail, price, aesthetics, uniqueness.
Weakness:
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. |
[Apr 20, 2004]
DahabJim
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
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.
Weakness:
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 |
[Dec 29, 2003]
Nicole P
Audio Enthusiast
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. |
[Apr 22, 2003]
Morgz
Casual Listener
Strength:
Natural, open sound. Off-axis listening, quality and uniqueness of finish. nOrh customer service.
Weakness:
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 |
[Feb 01, 2003]
David
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
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.
Weakness:
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, |
[May 28, 2002]
david khan
Casual Listener
Strength:
love it or hate it looks; i personally think that they look great with marble pedestals
Weakness:
none 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 |
[Aug 03, 2000]
Jick
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Smooth musical presentation; Beautiful, exotic, hand-crafted looks; Focused imaging; Depth of soundstage; Realism and texture of bass instruments
Weakness:
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: Similar Products Used: Dynaudio Audience 40, B&W 601 |
[May 11, 2001]
Tom
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Good looks, quality drivers
Weakness:
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 |
[Sep 21, 2001]
Donald Anderson
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Looks, price, direct contact with CEO.
Weakness:
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) Similar Products Used: Bose 901 |