Norge Amplifiers - How good are they ?

deba

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Dear All,

It will be of immense support if anyone can say how good are Norge Amplifiers compared to any foreign brands. Are they as good as Cambridge Audio and Rotel Integrated Amplifiers? Do they sound clean without hum and hiss in high volumes and extended hours of usage ?

I still remember Sonodyne Amplifiers making hum and hiss noises when the amplifiers were turned about 60% and above but it was about 15 to 20 years ago. Did Indian Amplifiers improve over time?

Being in Kolkata I did not get a chance to audition Norge. Kindly share your experience and let me know who deals in Norge Products in Kolkata.

Thanks.
 
I do not have any experience with the latest Norge products but after reading reviews from AV Max; I am very confident with all their products. The amplifier and speakers are in a different league compared to what they used to make 20 years ago.

I am sure AV Max checks for any distortion in the signal when they review products and I have never heard of any such issue.

Its not fair to compare Norge with far more expensive brands. You must remember that you are paying half the cost for a Norge when compared to a premium brand such as Cambridge & Rotel. The cost of Norge top of the line amplifier is half the price of Rotels budget amplifier. I am sure Norge is on par with budget amplifiers from Yamaha, Pulz, Sonodyne, Sherwood, etc. It could be as good as Rotel (Kinda difficult to say cause I own a Rotel pre power) but then its not anywhere close when it comes to circuit board construction & overall finish. This is where the more expensive brands score.
 
If you know CA amp,then I can rate Norge(1000) to CA(540) as ratio 8:9 out of 10.
Norge is clean without distortion,but need to check compatibility with spk.
I tried with Tannoy,it sounded Bright,but with Norge spk ,sounded best.
 
If you know CA amp,then I can rate Norge(1000) to CA(540) as ratio 8:9 out of 10.
Norge is clean without distortion,but need to check compatibility with spk.
I tried with Tannoy,it sounded Bright,but with Norge spk ,sounded best.

Hi Spiro,
".....as ratio 8:9 out of 10."
I am not sure what you meant. Do you mean on a scale of 10 being highest marks, Norge gets 8 marks and CA540 gets 9 marks?

Hi Deba,
I had a short 10 min audition of Norge 1000 (@10k) alongside DENON PM 500 (501? not sure @ 17k). Didn't find any dramatic difference in SQ /soundstage /details etc. So eventually I bought Norge due to its lesser price...

Regds,
 
I heard it for15min with WF 9.5 FL and it sounded good, pretty close to NAD 325. Dont remember if it was 1000 or 2060 model.

Cheers
 
Hi Spiro,
".....as ratio 8:9 out of 10."
I am not sure what you meant. Do you mean on a scale of 10 being highest marks, Norge gets 8 marks and CA540 gets 9 marks?

Regds,

Yes that 's correct.If reference(not very hifi)sound is 10,then Norge around 8 it too comparing with my Tannoy.
Congrates.
 
Deba,
Being a Norge 2060 user for about 2 months now let me share my experience.
Positives:
I did not hear any hum or hiss when turned to about 40-50% of vol. But you really do not need to pump to such volume levels. It has got enough power to drive any spk above 86db sensitivity with ease. I have paired it with my Wharf 9.2 which is power hungry and im satisfied at max 25% vol level.

Negatives:
As rajanravi complained there are no remote no loudness control etc which are really not required. True quality sound comes with default setting of the amp with no colorations. I dont touch my amp except for the power button!. The only thing i felt is vol control which also can be compensated by adjusting your DVD/CD player vol levels. So there is aboslutely no requirement for any additions. Norge is a plain and simple amp for rock/pop whatever genre you imagine.
Regarding finish of amp : yes finish may not be great but i only hear the sound and dont look at amp when playing music.
 
Dear All,

It will be of immense support if anyone can say how good are Norge Amplifiers compared to any foreign brands. Are they as good as Cambridge Audio and Rotel Integrated Amplifiers? Do they sound clean without hum and hiss in high volumes and extended hours of usage ?

I still remember Sonodyne Amplifiers making hum and hiss noises when the amplifiers were turned about 60% and above but it was about 15 to 20 years ago. Did Indian Amplifiers improve over time?

Being in Kolkata I did not get a chance to audition Norge. Kindly share your experience and let me know who deals in Norge Products in Kolkata.

Thanks.
hi deba I bought Norge1000 exactly a month back. sound is very good for the price. very powerfull indeed. The most I liked is it never gets heated even after hrs of playing and no humming or hissing sound when there is no source even the vol kept in 12 o clock pos. But looks so so You can't compare it to denon or maranz etc (They cost almost double or even more). I think not sure if you want some aditional features Norge will custom make with some extra payment.
 
Last edited:
hi deba I bought Norge1000 exactly a month back. sound is very good for the price. very powerfull indeed. The most I liked is it never gets heated even after hrs of playing and no humming or hissing sound when there is no source even the vol kept in 12 o clock pos. But looks so so You can't compare it to denon or maranz etc (They cost almost double or even more). I think not sure if you want some aditional features Norge will custom make with some extra payment.


Thanks for the reply. How much did you pay for it ?
 
Marantz is a little bright but very very musical. Please keep aside the technical parameters and look. If musicality is considered how is Norge compared with Marantz 7001. In different threads I've seen one group is telling it is an truely outstanding amplifier and the other group is telling it is very very ordinary. I am pretty confused.
Regards,
Partho.
 
In different threads I've seen one group is telling it is an truely outstanding amplifier and the other group is telling it is very very ordinary. I am pretty confused.
Regards,
Partho.

Why not arrange an audition and hear it for yourself?!
 
It is like comparison between a Benz and Maruti. If you want to hear real music then drop the comparison between Norge and Marantz . Go with Marantz , Denon , NAD , Cambridge etc.

Regards
 
I heard it for15min with WF 9.5 FL and it sounded good, pretty close to NAD 325. Dont remember if it was 1000 or 2060 model.

Cheers

Hi Gobble,
Most people consider NAD 325 as warm sounding amplifier.

1. Going by your comment above (...pretty close to NAD 325...), should one consider that Norge 1000 is also a warm sounding amplifier?

2. Irrespective of above, did you find Norge 1000 as Forward /Neutral or warm sounding?

Thanks in advance,
Regds,
 
Hi Gobble,
Most people consider NAD 325 as warm sounding amplifier.

1. Going by your comment above (...pretty close to NAD 325...), should one consider that Norge 1000 is also a warm sounding amplifier?

2. Irrespective of above, did you find Norge 1000 as Forward /Neutral or warm sounding?

Thanks in advance,
Regds,

Hi Sono

I don't think the NAD is warm - I think it is not cold and thin and clinical like many other budget amps. Hence this is a big plus for me.

I do not think it s a question of forward vs neutral vs warm. It just sounded right to me for the price. And I would not have spoken in favor of it if it sounded cold and clinical.

Now that you already have it, just sit back and enjoy it :)

Cheers
 
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