Please Help!!! --> Norge 1000 Concerto Gold + Sony Speakers

rishiguru

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
568
Points
63
Location
In the Haze..
Hi, this is rishiguru. I am currently in a state of confusuion of what to do. The thing is, as of now I am on a very tight budget and want to buy a decent amplifier for my pair of Sony SS-GN88D speakers.

This belongs to a Sony Mini-Hifi System MHC-GN77D that a guy bought six years back at Rs.28,000/--. The guy is a total noob in audio department, so he sold the speakers at Rs.1500/-

Speaker specification:
Speaker System: 3-way, 4-units, bass-reflex type (magnetically shielded)

Speaker Units:
Subwoofer : 8 inch X 1
Mid woofer : 3 inch X 2
Tweeter : 2 inch X 1

Rated Power : 150W per speaker
Nominal Impedence : 6 ohms

Dimension: 265 X 415 X 320 mm
Mass: 8.7 kg approx per speaker
------------------------------------------------------------

Now I am looking for a suitable amplifier within Rs.10,000 max. The problem is I live in Kolkata and it is very hard to find audiophile gear.

I have come in contact with a person who had bought the Norge 1000 Concerto Gold + Millenium Speakers at June,2011 from mumbai and wants to sell the amp at 10K because he is going for an upgrade.

Now I like bass and small mid woofers of Millenium speakers simply cannot produce anything below 60Hz. Also my budget limits me. Later I may think of a speaker upgrade.

Now my question is will i buy this amplifier? Also the amp is rated at 4 ohms. Can a 4 ohm Norge amp with the 6 ohm Sony speaker create problems like overheating or blowout?

And also, is a second hand Norge 1000 at 10k a good deal? Will i go for it?

He is ready to provide me the 3 year warranty card & purchase bill details. He is ready to give me an audition.
 
Last edited:
If the owner (if i am not wrong, he is a forum member too) is offering audition, warranty and bill then nothing like it. Audition it with your speakers and decide whether you like the sound or no. I liked the sound of the amp when paired with Quad towers.

Secondly, an amp rated at 4 ohm is easily going to drive speakers of 6 and 8 ohm. Dont worry about that. Norge amp are known to run pretty cool. Usually it is the AVR That heats up.

On the other hand, it may fail with speakers of 2 ohm impedance.
Speakers with higher impedance are easier to drive for amp.
10k is decent price for norge 1000 amp that is less than 2 month old. A new one will cost you something around 12k and you wont get to audition it in kolkata. Stereo amp hardly undergoes any wear& tear so soon.
 
Last edited:
If the owner (if i am not wrong, he is a forum member too) is offering audition, warranty and bill then nothing like it. Audition it with your speakers and decide whether you like the sound or no. I liked the sound of the amp when paired with Quad towers.

Secondly, an amp rated at 4 ohm is easily going to drive speakers of 6 and 8 ohm. Dont worry about that. Norge amp are known to run pretty cool. Usually it is the AVR That heats up.

On the other hand, it may fail with speakers of 2 ohm impedance.
Speakers with higher impedance are easier to drive for amp.
10k is decent price for norge 1000 amp that is less than 2 month old. A new one will cost you something around 12k and you wont get to audition it in kolkata. Stereo amp hardly undergoes any wear& tear so soon.

Thanks jaudere for the important info. It seems that the Norge 1000 + Sony speakers can have a go. I was relieved that the impedence mismatch will not create any problem.

Are Norge 1000 amp known to be overly bright at the higher frequency. I have also seen a lot of members talk that the 1000 is capable to deliver good bass.
 
Last edited:
If u r getting it for Rs 1500,,, the guys a complete NNOOB..... get these speakers... u wont regret.......Since u hav a tight budget I suggest look for a 2nd hand Norge 1000 ... There s one in d For Sale By Onwer forum....
 
If u r getting it for Rs 1500,,, the guys a complete NNOOB..... get these speakers... u wont regret.......Since u hav a tight budget I suggest look for a 2nd hand Norge 1000 ... There s one in d For Sale By Onwer forum....

Any other suggestions?

Will i look for Sonodyne amps in kolkata or stick to Norge 1000?
 
Thanks jaudere for the important info. It seems that the Norge 1000 + Sony speakers can have a go. I was relieved that the impedence mismatch will not create any problem.

Are Norge 1000 amp known to be overly bright at the higher frequency. I have also seen a lot of members talk that the 1000 is capable to deliver good bass.

about it, audition and only audition will help you. Your own ears are your best friends.You have to form your own impressions. According to me, Norge 1k is brighter when compared to norge Mosfet ref amp with same power specs.However it was same sounding as Denon PMA 710AE at least with QUAd towers that I heard. But again those were my ears. Someone else will claim that there is night and day difference between the two.:)
 
about it, audition and only audition will help you. Your own ears are your best friends.You have to form your own impressions. According to me, Norge 1k is brighter when compared to norge Mosfet ref amp with same power specs.However it was same sounding as Denon PMA 710AE at least with QUAd towers that I heard. But again those were my ears. Someone else will claim that there is night and day difference between the two.:)

Thanks again jaudere. Atleast now i know it will be a good investment to have the Norge 1000. Later I can upgrade the speakers.

But the bottom line is clear now --> Spending 10K on Norge 1K is a good investment.

So, I am going for it.

One more request. Can anybody provide me the complete technical specification of Norge 1000. Thanks in advance!!!
 
Last edited:
Got the Norge 1000. This amplifier is truely awesome. I paired it with the Sony speakers and I was literally blown to heaven. The amp is incredibly powerful and produces detailed sound, I can hear every minute note, every instrument of a complicated music composition.

The way I see, Norge 1000 can be best described as --> Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

My elder brother's 26K Panasonic HiFi became very LowFi in comaprison to my 11.5K combo.

The person who sold me the Norge 1000, is a true blue audio enthusiast and very sober,kind and helpful. He not only gave me an audition but also provided me many valuable information regarding system setup & general audiophile gear after knowing that this is my first step to the audiophile world. And the best news is he lives very close to me.

I will provide a more detailed review later on. As of now, my finding are that Norge 1000 + Millennium Speakers are better than Norge 1000 + Sony Speakers. The sound is more accurate, tight & precise with the Millennium speakers.

Amazingly though, the Sony speakers seems to provide every thing in much more quantity than Millennium speakers can, as it produces way more floor rattling bass (courtesy 8 inch subwoofer), more midrange grunt (courtesy 2 X 3 inch midwoofers) and even more high frequency response with the 2 inch tweeter.

But what the Sony lacks is a little bit of the accuracy, precision or exactness when compared to the Millennium speakers.

As of now I am very happy with what I have. I personally believe at (Rs. 11,500) it will be very hard for anyone to pull a better deal. (10K for Norge + 1.5K for the Sony speakers)

I contacted Sony to know the price of SS-GN88D speakers, they replied 10K a pair. I got it for 1.5K. Mine is six years old though, but in mint condition. Not even a scratch.

Thanks to all you guys for the generous help. Long live HifiVision.
 
Last edited:
rishiguru,

Congrats on your purchase . May they give you true musical bliss.

One little grouse about your first post, though. It is not VERY hard to find audiophile gear in our city. For that matter, no city is particularly abounding in audiophile shops, for the simple reason that audiophiles are short in supply.
I set up my modest hi-fi rig this year and visited four very well-stocked and knowledgeable shops in Kolkata dealing with audiophile equipment ) amps, speakers, receivers ) before I found components to my liking and budget.

Best wishes, again.
 
rishiguru,

Congrats on your purchase . May they give you true musical bliss.

One little grouse about your first post, though. It is not VERY hard to find audiophile gear in our city. For that matter, no city is particularly abounding in audiophile shops, for the simple reason that audiophiles are short in supply.
I set up my modest hi-fi rig this year and visited four very well-stocked and knowledgeable shops in Kolkata dealing with audiophile equipment ) amps, speakers, receivers ) before I found components to my liking and budget.

Best wishes, again.

Thanks pratapaditya. This is my first stepping stone to true hifi audio world.

Regarding the audiophile gear avalibility in Kolkata, yes I was wrong. I just didn't knew. :eek:

The person who sold me the amp gave me names of four audio showrooms where I can get audition and buy audiophile gear. :)

I have small question though. The Norge produces
i) 125 X 2 watts @ 4 ohms
ii) 100 X 2 watts @ 8 ohms

So, for my 6 ohm speakers I assume it is producing at around: 112 X 2 watts @ 6 ohms

Am I right?
 
Thanks pratapaditya. This is my first stepping stone to true hifi audio world.

Regarding the audiophile gear avalibility in Kolkata, yes I was wrong. I just didn't knew. :eek:

The person who sold me the amp gave me names of four audio showrooms where I can get audition and buy audiophile gear. :)

I have small question though. The Norge produces
i) 125 X 2 watts @ 4 ohms
ii) 100 X 2 watts @ 8 ohms

So, for my 6 ohm speakers I assume it is producing at around: 112 X 2 watts @ 6 ohms

Am I right?
Its more complicated than arithmatic mean. Dont indulge in number game. Enjoy the music. Congrats on your purchase.
 
Its more complicated than arithmatic mean. Dont indulge in number game. Enjoy the music. Congrats on your purchase.

Many many thanks jaudere. Really enjoing my new setup.:)

Regarding the number game, well I am actually an engineer, so I have a general affinity towards the performance & hardware in use.

I already know the power transistors used, the the op amps in use, capacitor details, etc. But the innards of the amplifier is dominated by a mighty toroidal transformer. The power supply of Norge 1000 is mighty powerful and this the reason why the amp is so powerful.

Must admit though, circuit layout is very neat and tidy in comparison to cheap Chinese & "local made" amps.

Though I admit "sound quality" cannot be measured by the above parameters alone.
 
Last edited:
Hi,
Since you are an engineer you are in much better position than myself to understand these thing. I am a doctor.:)

From whatever i have read,The power an amp his delivering to speakers depends upon impedance of speakers. When a speaker says nominal impedance 6 ohm, the load of 6 ohm is not constant. It varies with frequency being played. For each speaker driver, impedance is highest at the Fs (resonating frequency). Each of your speakers has 4 drivers in total and each is going to behave differently.
So even though nominal impedance is 6 ohm, in some music passages, it may dip to 3 ohm also.
There are some speakers known to have less variation in this impedance and hence a constant current for amp is adequate for them. For many of the speakers , this is not the case and they need variable current and accordingly you amp will feed different wattage.

This is just a starting point I am providing for you to build your knowledge further. With your engineering back ground and thirst for knowledge I know you will understand things in a far better way.

By the way, just for informations, an average home user rarely needs anything more than 20watt RMS. I use 60w/ch amp and i never cross 10 oclock position of volume knob. I am quite sure that on your norge 1k, you will find it difficult to cross 9 o clock unless your listening room is very large.
 
Hi,
Since you are an engineer you are in much better position than myself to understand these thing. I am a doctor.:)

From whatever i have read,The power an amp his delivering to speakers depends upon impedance of speakers. When a speaker says nominal impedance 6 ohm, the load of 6 ohm is not constant. It varies with frequency being played. For each speaker driver, impedance is highest at the Fs (resonating frequency). Each of your speakers has 4 drivers in total and each is going to behave differently.
So even though nominal impedance is 6 ohm, in some music passages, it may dip to 3 ohm also.
There are some speakers known to have less variation in this impedance and hence a constant current for amp is adequate for them. For many of the speakers , this is not the case and they need variable current and accordingly you amp will feed different wattage.

This is just a starting point I am providing for you to build your knowledge further. With your engineering back ground and thirst for knowledge I know you will understand things in a far better way.

By the way, just for informations, an average home user rarely needs anything more than 20watt RMS. I use 60w/ch amp and i never cross 10 oclock position of volume knob. I am quite sure that on your norge 1k, you will find it difficult to cross 9 o clock unless your listening room is very large.

jaudere, even though i am an engineer, I am new to this audio field, where as you are like a fine honed connoisseur whose expeirence far outweighs my knowledge. You have been here for a long time.

20 watts of power is a lot of power if driven through speakers of very high sensitivity. And it can be hell loud.:eek:hyeah:
 
Last edited:
Hi,

I would definitely like to hear your impressions after 1 week i.e. after you listen to most of your favourite songs. If the Sony speakers are doing good job, they might be worth consideration. Usually Sony is given low rating in audiophile world but even companies like Sony can work wonders for some product like the speakers that you have. The price of 10K for new pair is very attractive for a floor stander.I have always found Sony to have bloated bass (very boomy) but probably that is because their amplifier is tuned in that way. Speakers may not be at fault.

By the way, it is time for some pictures now.:)
 
I have a somewhat similar set-up ........ Norge 1000 with vintage (1988 era) Sony SS S440 FS .... These speakers are of 750 H x 350 W x 290 D .... weigh 16 kgs each.

There is a 10" woofer, 3" midrange and a tweeter for each speaker ..... which is rated at 45 W nominal and 90 W peak, and the sound quality with the amp is phenomenal. Can't exceed 10 O Clock position on the volume knob of the Norge ..... The music output is not bright, more laid back rolled-off type. Can go on listening for hours at a stretch.

Indian classical, vocals ..... TT outputs are the best match for these speakers, with the Norge amp.
 
..... The music output is not bright, more laid back rolled-off type.

The Sony SS-GN88D speakers on the other hand are very bright, produce sharp detailing with very good imaging. The speakers can produce gobs of bass. I am overwhelmed with its bass actually.

As i said before, the Sony SS-GN88D has excess of every thing be it bass, mids or highs. So, if anyone wants to sacrifice a little bit of quality for quantity go for them.

But for pure quality I still think Norge Millennium are better. But I believe the Norge 2060 is a better match for the Millennium. The Norge 1000 have more power than the speakers can handle.
 
Last edited:
The Sony SS-GN88D speakers on the other hand are very bright, produce sharp detailing with very good imaging. The speakers can produce gobs of bass. I am overwhelmed with its bass actually.

As i said before, the Sony SS-GN88D has excess of every thing be it bass, mids or highs. So, if anyone wants to sacrifice a little bit of quality for quantity go for them.

But for pure quality I still think Norge Millennium are better. But I believe the Norge 2060 is a better match for the Millennium. The Norge 1000 have more power than the speakers can handle.

Hii Rishiguru, first of all congratulations for ur new stereo set-up and I am glad that u like it:)

Can u tell me the sound quality and signature difference between Norge 1000 Concerto Gold + Sony Speakers and Logitech Z2300?
 
As i said before, the Sony SS-GN88D has excess of every thing be it bass, mids or highs. So, if anyone wants to sacrifice a little bit of quality for quantity go for them.

I think indirectly this means that sony speakers have sensitivity higher than norge millenium speakers.

Someone please teach me what is meant by imaging/ sound stage/layering etc. Despite reading so many things about music i am yet to understand imaging,sound stage,layering.
All i can describe is 1)bass heavy speaker vs treble heavy speaker vs all rounder speaker
2)the sound is pleasing to my senses or no.
 
Things are getting exciting now.....
I would love it if someone answered jaudere's queries, as they match mine.

rishiguru, no shame in not knowing. And not everyone has the guts to own up to that. Hats off to you.

Meanwhile, I am having a temptation to hear out your combo! Afer all, we live in the same city.
 
Follow HiFiMART on Instagram for offers, deals and FREE giveaways!
Back
Top