very transparent, unheard of price for performance, incredible bass for a 5.5 inch driver many more

bass wimps out at high volume levels if you like it loud get a sub

*warning* This like many other reviews for this product is a long review so get comfy!
I first and foremost love music, but I admit I'm a bit of an audio nut like so many of you. Needless to say, I have heard many many speakers in many configurations. I have heard everything from inexpensive speakers who's performance is beyond that of any speaker within hundreds of dollars of their price, and I have heard $10,000 speakers that sound horrible poorly integrated and unconvicing unless played at ear bleeding levels i.e. b&ws nautalus 801. OK now that I've let all this out let me get to reviewing the item/company at hand here.
My system consists of: def. tech pf15tl sub
harman kardon signature 2.1 amp
nOrh aca
yamaha cd player (soon to be upgraded)
sony md player for recording
bettercable interconncts
naim speaker cables
prev. speakers were acoustic energy aegis 3s
First let me say that this is not the first product that I have purchased from nOrh. Earlier in may I purchased the nOrh ACA. I desperately needed a pre-amp and I decided to give nOrh a shot based on what people on this site such as Tyson and things I've heard from others. I was not disappointed, it performs beautifully, does its job doesn't add anything doesn't take anything away (except gain of course =). I was so pleased from the prompt delivery of the ACA (partially due to dhl hurray dhl!!!) and the quality of the product that I decided that my next upgrade would be the nOrh 9.0s.
The 9.0s took less than 2 weeks to arrive at my house from the point when I ordered them up to delivery, so unlike what some of these other reviews state, these speakers seem to be shipping faster now. The speakers arrived beautifully packaged by nOrh in their molded foam and boxed. On top of this they had dhl crate them. Thats right these speakers arrived in what most speakers are made out of, wood crates!!! Just shipping alone looks like it cost a fortune, but it's all included in the price. Oddly enough one of the boxes arrived 3 days before the other (delivery fell on the weekend) of course when the first one arrived I opened it right away like a child does on christmas morn. When I looked inside I felt like an archeologist receiving artifacts from a dig site, these speakers are so beautiful and classy, like M. Barnes says they look like they could be artifacts from our society 2000 years from now. The fit and finish are very high quality, they are polished very professionally.
Any way after the initial ohhhing and ahhing I set these heavy things up (70 lbs). Oh before I forget let me tell you finding stands that will work for these speakers is not an easy task first of all the feet sit 9 inches wide by 8 inches deep. I finally just bought some very heavy duty stands that have a mount plate that is 6.5" by 7", and two marble tiles that are 12" by 12" and affixed them atop the stands which I filled with lead shot. I saved about $200 over the stands nOrh offers but what a pain in the butt. Plus the marble tiles I purchased don't match the speakers marble very closely.
Setting up the nOrh 9.0s is not an easy task so let me make it easier for you. The 9.0s are too in your face to be toed in all the way so the drivers are facing you, instead I toed them in at about 15 degrees. this seems to be a little better than no toe in at all. As far as spacing I have them about 7 feet apart, unfortunately theres a big ugly entertainment center between them which I think effects their imaging (what can I do it's my roommates)
The 9.0s (as you probably know) use scan speaks reference revalator tweeter and woofer which are the best drivers scan speak makes (and definately the best amongst its peers). I checked them out online and they are very expensive, just under $1000 for 2 tweets and the mid/woofers. Being the complete techy I am I of course took the drivers out to check out the cross-over. To my suprise it's really big and uses very good parts. Multicap components, silver cables, and a thick mounting board for the crossover. The interior is designed so that the crossover can be taken out of the network and an external active crossover can be used, wiring is provided for this setup. Although the 9.0s appear to be bi-wireable they are not. The termination closest to the front are not hooked up to anything except loose wires that are meant to be used if active crossover is part of your setup. Unfortunately to my knowledge after the discontinuing of the multi-amp there is no way to get an active crossover from nOrh. The front baffle is leather as you may know but what you may not know is that under the leather and stuffing to fill in the leather (the only place nOrh uses stuffing for their speakers) there is a very heavy duty metal plate that the drivers mount to, unlike mdf which is what most companies use for their entire setup. I was somewhat concerned that the metal might "ring" a bit but knocking on it from the inside of the plate yield very similar results to knocking on the marble enclosures, a very dead nonresonating "tunk" mostly made by my own hand, very similar to the sound made by knocking on a pure concrete block.
OK OK I know I'm rambling on but I feel it is important to establish that for $3,000 you are getting more than your moneys worth.
Finally THE SOUND. I listen to a variety of music everything from Nine Inch Nails to Kodo (japanese drums) to good ol' Beethoveen. It is my firm belief that a speaker that is not capable of sounding good on all music isn't a good speaker at all. Nothing makes me cringe more than when a manufacturer says "the XXXXX is excellent on classical music and jazz" Are you kidding me!!!! You wouldn't buy a tv that only looks good for sci-fi or cartoons only would you????? No.
being able to play any type of music and sound great is one of the 9.0s greatest achievement. I have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Pedersens review below about these not being for "rockers" I feel I fall into this category and they do everything they are supposed to do with rock. Yeah they bottom out if played to loudly but thats nothing that wouldn't happen with well recorded pipe organ music!!! Plus they play a lot louder and clearer at high volume if a sub or two is added.
The highs from the tweeter are super smooth and accurate. Although they are some sort of silk or fabric material the tweeters remind me of some of the good attributes of titanium dome tweeters namely sharp accurate treble, without the metallic almost overbearing treble so often associated with metal tweeters. As a matter of fact it's sharp when it needs to be, smooth when it needs to be articulate when it needs to be, and on and on. I find it hard to assign a label to how it sounds because it does all these things,and well. I guess I'd have to say it's revealing (hence the revelator name perhaps)
the mids are probably the best part of this speaker very exact never over developed I don't detect any sort of affinity to any given frequency or set of frequencies in the midrange, which to me seems to be something that is a major downfall to B&Ws nautalius 800 series (namely the 801s and the 802s) The 9.0s are very smooth and unbiased in this area. Female vocals are very true, one thing I've noticed in many speakers is that they always make female voices sound overly airy, as if the singer is using to much air flow to make their vocal chords sound, this same tendency to me seems to make male voices sound chesty and congested as if they have a slight cold and too much flem is in their throat. The 9.0s portray a sense of air without overdoing it.
Holy cow!! The bass on these babies goes low!!!! When I first got them I had my sub set on the same crossover and volume as they were for my previous speakers and it was over bearing, I found myself turning my sub lower and lower until I realized that the 9.0s were producing all the bass! I was truely astounished, I took my sub out of the system and just let the 9.0s play full range. How can so much bass come from a little 5.5" mid/woofer? I've never been so impressed with a speakers bass performance. Did I just inadvertantly upgrade my speakers and my sub? No not quite although the 9s go low they miss the very lowest bass. While they are capable of producing bass below 30 hz it's just not the same impact as a 15" sub or two is capable of establishing. Plus like I said before if you like it loud you'll need a sub to take over bass from approximately 40~50 hertz and lower. Yet since I've had the 9s my sub has been unplugged and not used at all. The bass is very "tight" and accurate 5.5" drivers are a lot more agile than a 15" sub which for me really adds to the realism.
As far as how these speakers work together they image very well, but for me this is something that my room and surroundings make it hard/impossible for them to do to their fullest. Like I said my roommate has a cheap and big entertainment center between where the speakers sit, if it were up to me I would just get rid of the thing but no can do. Plus I live in a house where the living room, the kitchen, the hallway, are all open to each other with no doors. All this in conjunction with street noise, refridgerator and minifridge noise, 3 roommates neighbors appox. 10 feet away and a guy who lives in the basement, makes it almost impossible for complete silience which is very important for good imaging. When I'm the only one up at 3:00 am is the only time I can hear the image really come alive, oh did I metion hardwood floors (I hate rental homes) Well I've heard them in other surroundings and the image was a lot better.
These speakers are all around good performers and a fantastic value, unheard of in the audio industry today. There is no comparison to any other speaker at the same price and they rival speakers that cost 3 to 4X more. As a matter of fact they rival many top of the line high-end speaker that I have ever heard (but I didn't tell you that). I know you may have your concerns about not hearing these speakers before you buy and it's a very valid concern based on other "values" internet companies have to offer but trust me, I know first hand that nOrh will go above and beyond the call of duty everytime in the name of customer satisfaction. I give these speakers the highest rating based on performance you get for the price. You will not find speakers anywhere near this price point that perform nearly as well. Thank you Michael Barnes and crew for a wonderful product and experience Feel free to e-mail me with any questions. I thank you for reading my review and I hope it helps you on your personal search for audio nirvana. =)

Similar Products Used:

dunlavy ivs, b&w 801s and 802s, wilson audio, pipedreams, jmlabs, magnepan, linn, tannoy, mirage, dynaudio, avantgarde unos and duos, infinity, and many many more

open, detail, airy, deep bass for a two way, outstanding value, musicality

Not made for head bangers

I have owned my nOrh 9.0 marbles for over a year now. The more I listen to them, the more I like them. They just sound musical. I listen mostly to Jazz, small classical groups and blues.
This is not a speaker for "rockers", although it will play loud, they will bottem out if you push them. A 5.5" driver has its limitations but if you want etail,imaging, musicality and refinement this is the speaker for you.
Balance of my system:
YBA 2-CD player
Welborne Reveille pre amp
Atma-Sphere M60 MKII OTL amps
Harmonic Technology cables and wire
Lots of tweeks
I listen nearfield with the speaker 4.5' off the wall behind the speaker.
nOrh and Mr Barnes are great to deal with, they are a real credit to this industry and my hobby.
I have three friends who also have prushased nOrh 9.0 speaker and they love them.

I want also to write a few words to those that want to discredit nOrh and those associated with Mr Barnes. This Audio industry has very few Barnes in it. I worked as an owner and manger in the stereo busines in western Canada for over 23 year. I would say that well over 99% of the people that I dealt with where great people, put there was those 1%ers that are just born losser in life. I am troubled by the 1%ers who are on this form.
I will be more then happy to email anyone who would like to discuss this wounderful speaker and its merits.

Similar Products Used:

ProAc 2.5, put better and 2.5 are great

Use very good parts.

Read the review

I got these speakers form a friend who lives in the USA,
he have bought them after reading some very good things about them in Audioreview.com Speaker's Board.
I read the stuff published about them at nOrh.com site,
what struck me the most was the beautiful black finish the marble version had, it was astounding. I continued to read how these speakers can rival the B&W Nautilus 801 speakers.
All in all I felt very good about these speakers, and I had an opportunity to buy a used pair from a friend of mine who decided to move to a much more expensive pair.
He sent them through FedEx three weeks ago, and I got them a week after. The speakers were completely broken in when I got them.
I opened the package and was disappointed to discover that the beautiful black marble finish is actually not so beautiful, apparently it has a lot of white scratches-like patterns all over it, now, I'm not saying these are really scratches, but more of a very low quality marble stone, not those you'll find in the average marble furniture. you can always say that these are just speakers, and the finish needn't be perfect, but I actually use mine in the living room so any missperfection on them really bother me.
Their sound:
they replaced a pair of ACI Jaguar 2000 speakers, which are not bad at all. While the treble and detail of the 9.0 is a bit better than the Jaguar's, I think that the overall presentation of both is quite similar, EXCEPT, one major area : bass. the 9.0 goes much deeper than the Jaguar's but on the expense of volume, the 9.0's just can't fill my room without bottoming out. In order to get decent SPL levels from them I need to stuff their ports, then, they can really play LOUD, but on the expense of bass extension, which start to roll off at about 80hz. When stuffed, the 9.0's can play much louder than the Jaguar's but with much less bass extension. When not stuffed, the 9.0 just can't fill my room, the sound is full and balanced, but the volume is just not high enough for me. I can't feel like "I'm in there".

When I take all things into account, and try to get to a conclusion about the overall appearance/performance of these speakers I can only come to the next conclusion:
These speakers are not for me. Their finish is bad, they can't play loud without bottoming, and when considering their relative not-cheap price, I can only feel cheated.
Maybe in a small room positioned far away from the living room I would have come to a different conclusion and give them a better rating, but in MY situation, they just miserably fail to deliver. Am I asking too much from a speaker? maybe. what I do know, is that these are not getting anymore than 1 star from me.

My System:
Odyssey Stratos power amp.
nOrh ACA pre amp.
Rotel RCD-991 CD-Player.

- Imaging, soundstage, clarity, transparency
- Drop-dead gorgeous looks
- Quality of parts and workmanship
- Customer service
- Value for money
- Price

- Slight lack of bass 'oomph' for HT use (probably due to room/amp)

The following is an account of my limited experience of putting together my first real audio system and a 'review' (I'm very hesitant to use that word!) of the marble 9.0 from nOrh and my experiences with the company. I apologise for the length of the text - I just got a bit carried away!

Background

In preparation for the purchase of my first home theatre set-up in May 1999, I spent hours stumbling around the www searching for tips/advice on how to get the 'best bang for my buck' for a 'hi-fi' system that would be used 50/50 for HT/music. I came across the 'reviews' section of Audioreview and after reading as many reviews as I could digest (along with 'advice' from 'What Hi-Fi'), decided on a Yamaha RV-995 Receiver (HK$5,600, US$720) B&W 602 speakers (HK$3,200, US$410) for mains, Tannoy M1 (HK$1,200, US$150) for surrounds and a Tannoy MC1 (HK$1,000, US$ for the centre channel. I also bought a Sony DVP-S7700 (HK$5,600, US$720) to use as a CD/DVD source and a pair of 28-inch heavy-duty spiked stands (HK$800, US$100). The retailer threw in the speaker cable (12 gauge) for free (replaced later by DHL Labs T-14 bi-wired, DH Labs BL-1 interconnects). I got the whole package for a total of HK$17,400 (US$2,200). I heard the components individually (but not all together) and compared them to others at the time of purchase and felt comfortable with my decisions.

The first time I hooked up my system and watched a DVD (The Matrix), I was totally blown away by the sound. I'd never heard anything like it in my home! The next couple of months were spent listening to music and watching movies. During this time, I noticed that the sound seemed very harsh for my tastes - the highs were piercing/shrill and listening to the sound for longer than half an hour was unbearable. I stopped watching movies - despite having built up a substantial collection of DVDs - and found myself listening to music/HT sound via my headphones (Sennheiser HD580) connected directly to the DVD player. I don't know why the amp/speaker combo had such an effect on my ears, but I assume that the metal-domed tweeter in the B&Ws was partly responsible.

The upgrade bug bites!

Dissatisfied with the harsh sound of my system, I decided to try to improve upon it. A change of job had given me more disposable income and I was looking for somewhere to channel the excess funds. I've always looked for value for money in my purchases and spent months searching and lurking at the various message boards. The consensus amongst most contributors to message boards seemed to be that speakers have the biggest impact on a system, and these should be the first component to purchase. As regards budget, I didn't really have one - I was prepared to pay a reasonable amount for something that I could live with and enjoy. I thought that about US$3,000 would be sufficient for speakers but would have been happy to pay less.

The trials begin

I read as many reviews as I could and checked out the manufacturers' websites etc. When the choice was narrowed down, I set out to audition the short-list. This proved to be tougher than expected. Listening rooms (if you can call them that!) here in Hong Kong are small and speakers are literally piled one on top of the other. Add to this the background noise and constant stream of people passing through, and it makes auditioning an impossible task. Dejected after many 'failed' auditions, I returned to my headphones and the Audioreview board.

nOrh?

Reading the threads in the speaker section on Audioreview, I noticed frequent mention of a small manufacturer in Thailand making drum-shaped speakers out of wood. I was intrigued and visited the website. At first, I was bowled over by the sheer volume of information there, but I started to read the various articles and descriptions of products. The website wasn¡¦t particularly well laid out, but the information and points of view of the author struck a chord with me. The views expressed were very straightforward and the philosophy of the company and its founder, Michael Barnes, was something that I could relate to. What particularly appealed to me was the company's use of beautiful designs using top-quality parts at wallet-friendly prices. The problem for me, however, was that I wanted to hear the speakers first. A few more months went by, during which time I visited the nOrh site frequently and continued to read as much background information as I had time for.

Losing my marbles?

I'll never forget the first time I saw the Marble 9.0 on the nOrh website. I thought it was quite simply the most beautiful speaker I had ever seen! During my 'research', I recall reading many comments to the effect of 'listen before you buy', 'trust your ears' etc., but after seeing pictures of the speakers and reading the comments of RobC/Tyson and the other nOrhphiles, decided to take the plunge regardless and order a pair of black marble 9.0. I figured that if I didn't like them, I could always send them back.

Cracking up?

About two months after I placed my order, I received an email from nOrh saying that my order had been dispatched. Three days later, the guys from UPS arrived with two huge boxes. I eagerly removed the speakers from their double-boxed and insulated packaging. I wasn¡¦t really prepared for the weight of these things (80 lbs each), but carefully set them down on the floor for a closer inspection. Whilst lifting them, something felt wrong - I could feel imperfections on the surface of the cabinets. When I looked closely, I could see numerously hair-line cracks towards the rear port of one of the speakers and a crack to the side of the other's cabinet. The finish was not up to the standard I had expected either - the leather baffle was scratched and bruised. I was mortified! How could this have happened? I checked the packaging and the foam to the rear of one box was deformed, the other box's exterior had a large dent in it. It was pretty obvious that the boxes had been mis-handled and probably dropped.

Lemme at 'em ...

My first reaction was one of anger. I immediately began drafting the statement of claim (I'm a lawyer) in my mind with the intention of suing UPS into oblivion. After I calmed down, I took photos of the damage and sent copies to both nOrh and UPS. UPS sent an investigator round, who also took photos and said that the claim would be settled with the manufacturer, nOrh. I asked them to expedite the process, as I wanted replacements ASAP to be able to listen to them. I was told that the process would take a couple of weeks, so I put the speakers back in their boxes and awaited the outcome of the claim.

Barnes-stormer!

I received a reply from Mr Barnes shortly after my message and photos were sent. His reaction was one of surprise and concern. He reassured me that he would settle the claim with UPS and provide replacement cabinets and told me to listen to the damaged speakers until replacement cabinets could be sent. I guess I could have listened to the speakers. After all, the damage was cosmetic and I doubt that the sound would have been affected. I just couldn't bring myself to do so, so they just sat in their boxes.

The Replacements and a shock

Two months after receiving the initial damaged pair of 9.0s, I received a message from nOrh saying that replacements had been dispatched. This time, DHL delivered the boxes around three days later. With much trepidation, I opened the boxes to find two pristine black marble 9.0 enclosures WITH DRIVERS!!! I had expected new cabinets, but not drivers as well! nOrh had, at their own expense, provided me with something that they were not legally (or ethically) obliged to. I was a bit taken aback to say the least by this, but it was a very pleasant surprise. The finish of the cabinets this time was flawless. (NOTE: nOrh will not be re-imbursed for this 'customer care', given that their claim against UPS will not cover the drivers, but I hope that this public acknowledgement goes some way towards saying 'thank you' to Mr Barnes for his attention (all emails answered the same day) and his altruistic action in the name of providing, as his website states 'unbeatable customer service'.)

Getting ready to rumble

I set the 9.0s on the speaker stands that I used for the B&Ws. The top plate was just wide enough to accommodate the steel feet (11 inches apart). The study construction of the stands (which weigh about 20kg each) ensured that they were able to handle the weight. The 9.0s were hooked up the Yamaha receiver via DH Labs T-14s in bi-wire configuration using gold-plated banana plugs at both ends. The source was connected to the receiver via the analogue-out RCAs on the DVD player using DH Labs BL-1 interconnects (for music) and by a cheap optical cable for HT.

You call that 'taste'?

My musical tastes are varied - mainly classical and rock. The recording quality of the disks in my collection ranges from mediocre (80's British pop) to excellent (classical DSD recordings on hybrid SACDs). I tend to like sweeping orchestral pieces, such a Tchaichovski/Beethoven symphonies, piano works (Chopin, Debussey) and some opera. My pop 'tastes' run to mainly 80s/90s British bands (Squeeze, Del Amitri, Ocean Colour Scene). I've listened to many of the CDs in my collection (about 500 discs) in order to get a good feel for how the 9.0s sound.

The shoe-box

I've lived in Hong Kong for the past five years, where apartments tend to be very small and insanely expensive. My 'listening room' is a lounge/diner/open-plan kitchen, approx. 30 ft x 10 ft. Floors are polished wood (no carpets/rugs) and furniture is minimal. Given the confines of my listening area, speaker placement does not leave much room for manoeuvre. However, placed just 18/24 inches from the side/rear walls, with a slight toe in, sitting approximately 10 feet from the speakers, gave the most satisfying experience within the room's limitations.

Disclaimer

Before I describe my impressions of the 9.0s, I would like to say that the source and the amp I have are not exactly what some would describe as being of 'audiophile' quality. Moreover, these are the first 'audiophile' speakers that I have ever owned, so my comparison base is very limited. Any subsequent comments should, therefore, be read in that light. My expectations were also high, having auditioned a large number of similarly-priced speakers (in less than ideal settings, granted). I thought I had a good idea of what to expect.

Initial impressions

The first thing that I remember striking me when I popped the first CD into the play and turning up the volume on the amp was the level of detail that I was able to hear and the 'even-ness' of the sound across the frequency range (no blooming mid-range or lack/surfeit of bass/treble). nOrh's claims of a flat ( +/-3db across the frequency spectrum) appeared to be valid (at first). Sounds that were previously unidentifiable, particularly in the upper-frequency ranges, now were very clear and discernible (thanks, no doubt, to the use of the Scan-Speak Revelator tweeter). Reverberating cymbals were no longer muddied and vocal inflections became obvious. Orchestral instruments became much easier to identify and bass notes had much more authority. This level of detail came, however, with the absence of the harshness that had prevailed in the previous set-up.

Soundstage/Imaging

I found this element of the speaker's traits to be most dependent on the quality of recording used. Some recordings projected a reasonable 3-dimensional soundstage, whereas others just sounded like voices coming from the centre, with the instruments at, or near, either speaker. On certain recordings, the soundstage was incredibly good - I had to keep checking that receiver was not in 'surround' mode! I have read comments from others about their perceptions of being able to determine the location of individual instruments in the soundstage. In my set-up, this is not always the case.

Solid as a rock

Vocals, however, always seem to be rock-solid in the centre of the space between the speakers. As a result, I no longer use a centre channel for movies! Depending on recording, the depth of the soundstage is also very good - deep and wide - the speakers seem to blend into the aural picture that they have projected.

Bass

Initially, I was concerned about the ability of the 5 and a half inch Scan-Speak Revelator woofer to produce quality bass down to low levels (without the use of to a subwoofer). Bass, as far as I am aware, is dependent on a woofer's ability to move air and on the speaker's position/dimensions of the listening room. Could such a small driver move so enough air? I tried a couple of bass-heavy rock tracks and orchestral pieces and was pleasantly surprised. A bass intro on one of my favourite tracks was rendered almost as good as I¡¦ve ever heard it (I once heard it through a speaker using a 15-inch woofer which had a bit more authority). Sometimes, however, especially when watching movies, I feel it could use a bit more 'oomph' low down in the bass department. As Barnes says though, the ability to deliver good bass is also dependent on the amps ability to deliver power quickly. I suspect the Yamaha amp (driving 4 speakers simultaneously) that I'm using may partly responsible for this perceived shortcoming. My listening room would also have a bearing on it. The bass it does produce at slightly higher frequencies is very clear and authoritative. Cellos, baritones, horns all sound very pleasing to my ears, much more so than any speaker that I heard during my 'auditions'.

Treble

The Scan-Speak Revelator is one of the most expensive tweeters to be found in any loudspeaker. It never ceases to surprise me with the way it conveys all the subtle nuances of sounds without sounding harsh or edgy. The 9.0s seem to be very transparent - incredibly clear and natural to my ears (due to being silk domed?). There's are certain airiness around hi-hats and cymbals; sounds which were difficult to identify and grating before are now a pleasure to hear as an additional detail and not a distraction. Violins and upper-octave piano notes are just so 'right'. There's no annoying screeching that I've heard on so many speakers.

In a nutshell

I am delighted with my purchase (now) and with the service that I have received from nOrh. To anyone thinking of buying from nOrh I would say that my experience has been that they go above and beyond the call of duty (if only I could say the same about UPS!) I have a pair of speakers that I do not foresee will need to be upgraded for many years to come at a price that I find truly remarkable (US$2,500, now US$3,000). Now I can concentrate on upgrading the other components in my system.

Product strengths:
- Imaging, soundstage, clarity, transparency
- Drop-dead gorgeous looks
- Quality of parts and workmanship
- Customer service
- Value for money
- Price

Product weaknesses:
- Slight lack of bass 'oomph' for HT use

The upgrade bug is biting again

The next upgrade will probably be the amp. Initially, I was going to go for a pair of nOrh MultiAmps in active mode for stereo use, integrated into the current set-up (retaining the Yamaha for HT) via the HT passthrough on a decent pre-amp (nOrh ACA?). That is still an option, but I'm also considering the Bel Canto Evo.2000, Plinius SA-100, among others. If I go this route, it will be a lot more expensive if I chose to 'go active' at a later date. I may well go for 4 MultiAmps (2 for fronts, 1 for the rears and one for the centre). I'm also looking at digital amps and how the technology is developing. Auditioned the Sharp SACD-Digital amp combo, using B&W802s. I enjoyed the sound, but the room/recording were unfamiliar, so any comments would probably not be very helpful.

I'm very interested in SACD, but am still waiting for more software and a multichannel player (looking at the new Sony C555, US$1,700). Wondering how to integrate HT and multichannel SACD ... Not aware of any pre-amps that can currently do this (switch between two 5.1 sources). I guess it will take a while for the manufactures to figure this one out.

I'm interested in adding a subwoofer. If nOrh made matching marble subwoofers (which could double as stands for the 9.0s), my name would be top of the order list.

Guess I've still got a long way to go, but with the nOrh speakers, I feel I've got a pretty good base to start from (sorry, no pun intended there!).

Many thanks to Michael Barnes/nOrh for living up to their promises and exceeding all reasonable expectations, Rob Curtis (for his email and advice) and to the nOrphiles (Tyson, Todd, Northbear, DueN, Dan G - sorry if I've missed anyone) who helped me to make what I believe to be a great purchase that has and will give me many hours of listening enjoyment.

(If you've read this far, please accept my apologies once again for the rambling and less than professional level of 'review' (gimme a break, I'm just starting out in this hi-fi lark!). Any constructive comments/advice on where to go from here with the set-up would be appreciated. Remember, anything you say can and will be held in evidence against you - just kidding!)

Rock on!

Similar Products Used:

None