Norge Bookshelf.qxd - Norge Audio

RATING
Brand: Norge
Model: MD-80
Price: Rs 8,500 (MRP)
Warranty: 1 year
Category: Entry-Level Bookshelf Speakers
Aesthetics:
Build:
Sound:
VFM:
Norge Bookshelf Speakers
Sheer practicality and sticking to basics appear to be the
hallmark of this new entrant from Norge in the bookshelf speaker segment.
Hi-fi in India has been traditionally
limited to a few iconic
brands like Cosmic, Bush,
Sonodyne and of course,
Norge. Although Cosmic and Bush have
all but disappeared from any serious
threat to "hi-fi", Sonodyne and Norge
continue to strive for mass appeal and
acceptance. Norge has been making
inroads into the local audiophile's room
by manufacturing small-sized, modestly
powered, affordable amplifiers and have
achieved considerable success in doing
so. The company's no-nonsense
approach is seen in its products, which
are simple, reliable, and performance
based. This month, we got our hands
on the newly developed bookshelf
speaker, which will most likely be
bought along with the brand's
integrated amplifiers.
Technology
Well, if you're talking about a 2-way
bookshelf speaker, there isn't going to be
much to write about the technology bit.
Not unless you're reviewing a 2-way
bookshelf speaker from Wilson Audio or
Genesis Technologies, at least. The
Norge featured here is a simplistic design
featuring a 1-inch silk dome tweeter and
an 8-inch polypropylene woofer with a
rubber surround. Both the drivers are
sourced from Vifa, which also supplies to
some of the big international brands.
The trim ring surrounding the mid/bass
driver is an attractive addition and lends
a beefy look to the driver. The enclosure
itself is made of MDF and comes
wrapped in neat-looking vinyl, that quiet
convincingly replicates real wood grains.
While the enclosure is not radical in
All Ears
For Norge
design or appearance, it does have a
large internal volume, which aids in
boosting the low-end performance of
this speaker. Around the back, a small
port and a pair of speaker terminals are
all the adornments you will find. The
binding posts are of reasonably good
quality and accept spades and bananas
with ease, so you can experiment with
your wires to achieve the sound you like.
Performance
Looking back at Norge's history confirms
that the brand has a reputation for
providing the maximum bang for the
buck. Their recent amplifiers have left us
impressed and these speakers had something
similarly in store. We set the speakers
on stands and about 2 feet from the
sidewalls and 4 feet from the rear walls,
with a distance of 6 feet between them.
With a light toe-in, we started our listening
session hoping the Norge would
stand up against other local competition,
and possibly even some international
threats. As we sank into the couch, we
realised that this isn't the plain bookshelf
speaker it seems like. Starting with the
Linn sampler disc, I was impressed by
how "out-of-the-box" these speakers
sounded. Even though no proprietary
enclosure technology is used in manufacture,
its apparent that the drivers
used for this design are of high quality
and basic engineering principles have
been met.
The 8-inch woofer is well matched to
the 1-inch silk dome tweeter with no
audible dip in the crossover region. This
is commendable as it is difficult to do so.
Vocals are anchored dead centre and the
soundstage possesses serious depth,
making this speaker sound a lot more
expensive than it actually is. On Alan
Parson's Project, the pristine recording
quality is emphasized with a slightly
bright top end and an added bounce in
the lower mid/upper bass region. This
was most apparent on electric bass guitar,
which sounded souped up and
caused the speaker to "boom", robbing it
of definition. This doesn't mean that the
lower bass lacked punch. There was
plenty of slam and drive in the woofer to
make you get up and dance, but you
also have to be wary of the kind of
recordings you put through these speakers
because not everything will sound
good through them. The inherent
brightness and a hump in the mid-bass
are obviously built into the speaker to
cater to the local market and its preferences.
It does make for an exciting
speaker that would suit the tastes of its
targeted clientele. It has a happy-golucky
nature though, that would suit a
lot of amplifiers without fuss and its
overall sonic impression does leave a
smile on your face, for the kind of
money it comes at.
Conclusion
Norge has struck a right chord with
this speaker. It sounds big, clean and
audiophile-like and at the same time will
attract the novice or college kid who
loves Metallica played loud. Using high
quality parts and good old speaker making
techniques, all Norge needs to make
this speaker more accessible is a better
distribution network and more aggressive
marketing. The speaker would sell itself.
NISHANT PADHIAR ■
January 2005
41