General Asylum: REVIEW: nOrh Multiamp Amplifier (SS) by walkern General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

For Sale Ads FAQ / News / Events

This is the first review I have ever written about an audio product, although I have been a music/audio lover for many many years. The nOrh Multiamp is exactly the sort of product that fits my taste in audio equipment for a number of reasons. First, I would rather listen to music than my hi fi products. What I really want is to have a set up that will allow me to relax and enjoy the music, and forget that I am listening to a stereo system in a listening room. Second, I need to maximize a limited budget. Third, I love to build my own speakers, generally from well thought out and engineered kits. This fits with maximizing my budget, and makes me an ideal candidate to get the most out of the Multiamp. In addition to being a 100 wpc stereo amplifier, this unit has a built in 24 db per octave electronic crossover with three selectable crossover points. When using this feature (the “Active” mode), a single amp can be used to drive a two-way speaker without the need for a passive crossover in the speaker itself. It can also be switched to a mono amp, and it is capable of using both amp channels to drive a single speaker with a bi-wired internal crossover. In the “active” and bi-wired modes, (as well as the mono mode obviously) two amps are required for stereo.

I need to say a bit about working with nOrh. They are thousands of miles from me, have no local dealers or service locations, and as such present some potential downsides. I have e-mailed the president (Michael Barnes) the Multiamps’ designer (Werner), and the order/shipping folks (Namphung) on multiple occasions with questions or concerns, and I have always gotten prompt and effective responses. My initial concern serves as a perfect example of what sort of customer service to expect from nOrh. I was uncertain whether the Multiamp could be driven well via a passive preamp. Michael Barnes e-mailed me back immediately, stating that he was confident that there would be no problems. He had Werner e-mail me the input sensitivity and impedance statistics just to be thorough. When the input sensitivity and impedance numbers didn’t look promising, Werner dug out more information on exactly what signal level was required to drive the amp to full output. By the way, he and Michael were right. My passive preamp drives the Multiamp with ease. At this point, I have absolute confidence in the folks at nOrh. They really will do anything they can to make sure their customers are happy. My only difficulty in getting my amp was waiting through a 6-week backorder situation.

This product replaces a Golden Tube Audio 300 B SE amp. This is a single ended triode (SET) amp that puts out a whopping 8 watts per channel. It was Golden Tube’s most expensive product, and retailed for a bit over twice what the Multiamp costs. The rest of my system consists of: an Audio Synthesis Passion passive preamp, a Toshiba 2200 DVD player / transport, a Perpetual Technologies P-3A DAC, a Mission 774/775 turntable/arm with an old NAD 1020 preamp for phono stage duties, and Speaker City’s MTM 18 speakers on Paradigm Reference stands. The Speaker City speakers use two Scan Speak 7” carbon fiber mid-bass drivers and a Scan Speak 9300 fabric dome tweeter in an M/T/M configuration. These drivers are used in commercial speakers like the Wilson Watt, Vandersteen 5’s, Proac Response 3.8’s, several Nova Audio models, etc. The crossovers use 18db per octave slopes, and the parts quality is top notch.

Michael Barnes describes the sound of the Multiamp as a single ended triode amp on steroids. I have to agree with this description. In the stereo mode, it recreates the magic that has resurrected the popularity of single ended triode tube amps. Instruments have the distinct harmonic character that so often has been washed out or diminished with some modestly priced (and some expensive) solid state amps. Images seem incredibly palpable within quality recordings. Those images are wonderfully distinct in location and size, with excellent focus and stability. Soundstaging varies from enormous to modest depending on the mic and mixing techniques used to produce the recording. The only area where my SET amp equaled the Multiamp was in the layers of depth it could convey. The Multiamp sets up a wider soundstage however, and also conveys height more clearly and realistically.

The overall frequency balance of the Multiamp differs in a couple of respects from what I was accustomed to. This amp lacks the slight upper-midrange forwardness that was endemic with my SET amp. As such, I had an initial sense that the amp lacked some of the details I was accustomed to hearing. This was a mistaken first impression. The Multiamp unravels subtle musical details much more effectively than any amp I’ve ever heard. It just doesn’t throw them in your face. The other difference I noticed immediately was in the bass. This amp provides significantly more authority and control in the bass than my SET amp ever did. This comes as no surprise as SET amps are rarely known for their bass extension or control (although the Golden Tube was no slouch). The Multiamp has real pace and rhythm, making music with a driving beat all the more enjoyable.

I stopped buying and using transistor amplifiers many years ago because I couldn’t afford the great ones, and the lower priced ones didn’t sound as good as similarly priced tube amps to me. This was before the advent of the McCormack DNA 0.5, BEL Mk II, or the Pass Aleph 3. I enjoyed VTL and RAM Labs amps for years before being seduced by single ended triodes in 1998. As a tube roller on a budget, I became accustomed to somewhat diminished dynamics, lush midranges, soft or gentle highs, and indistinct bass. The Multiamp is a wonderful example of the best of both transistor and tube worlds. It is beautifully balanced in the midrange, being neither lush nor etched and glaring. It sounds very extended in the treble range without getting gritty or harsh. It has terrific dynamics at both the micro and macro end of the volume spectrum. Its bass is distinct and tuneful while also sounding powerful and extended.

The first time I listened to this amp, the thought that ran through my mind was “how can anyone make an amp that sounds this good for so little money?” The amp was fresh out of the box, and has continued to improve with use. Initially it was a bit thick or heavy sounding in the mid-bass and it lacked the soundstage dimensionality and depth that it has subsequently achieved. Even now after adjusting to the improvements over my previous amp, I am still amazed that anyone can sell an amp that sounds this good for $900. In some respects, I can see where corners have been cut. The binding posts are run of the mill (which is fine because the rear of the amp is so crowded you couldn’t fit giant pieces of fat wire back there anyway). The amp is attractive looking and well built, but the casing is simply folded steel. I am sure there are cost savings associated with having the amps assembled in Thailand. None the less, the compromises for $ savings have been cosmetic rather than sonic, which I deeply appreciate.

After letting the amp settle in for a week, I decided to try out the bi-amp and active modes. I bypassed the crossover in one of my speakers and set it up right next to the other (intact) speaker. I hooked up the Multiamp in the bi-amp mode and listened to it through the speaker with the internal crossover still hooked up. I then switched wires to the other speaker and clicked the amp into the active mode. This is hardly an ideal way to evaluate the potential sonic changes since I could only listen to one speaker at a time. No imaging or soundstaging clues at all. None the less, the improvement from using the bi-amp mode to drive the speaker with the internal crossover hooked up; compared to using the active mode to drive the speaker with the crossover bypassed was easy to hear. The midrange was less congested and the treble had more clarity and less grunge in the active mode. I couldn’t detect any differences in the bass, however I was nearfield listening so I can’t say that there weren’t any. The changes were clear enough and positive enough to convince me to order a second amp and go 'active’. Unfortunately, I will need to wait until I sell my Golden Tube amp before I can afford the second Multiamp.

I may not be the ideal person to review this amp. I am unaccustomed to putting my listening experiences into words. In addition, I am not in a position to compare it to similar solid state products from other manufacturers. I am however an ideal sort of customer for this amp. I don’t have to worry about voiding my speaker’s warranty by opening them up and bypassing their crossovers. The M/T/M geometry of my speaker system (according to Joe D’Applolito’s research) lends itself perfectly to 24 db per octave crossovers. Even if I couldn’t use the various features available on this amp, I would still buy it for its outstanding sound quality and its very reasonable price. More than any amp I have ever owned, it allows me to close my eyes and enjoy the music as if I was there at the performance.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Amplified Parts

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---