Norman Laboratories 'Norman Labs' Anyone know these? (And Hello!)

[Xmodius]

I recently started snooping on Ebay and got bit by the bug. I received a Marantz 2230B and wood cabinet this past week ($100 and $62.13, respectively). I also went to a local pawn shop and found a pair of Norman Laboratories Model 8 speakers ($125). I hooked everything up and....wow. Maybe I'm easy to impress, but it's been awhile since I listened to either Marantz or Norman Labs. I'm wondering if anyone else out there remembers Norman Labs speakers or knows anything about them. These speakers are 2-way, 10" woofer with rubber-looking surrounds and what looks like a 1" tweeter, dome (shiny black). Each speaker weighs just over 30 lbs, is built like a tank, and has very nice furniture quality walnut veneer over very heavy 'particleboard'. Very nice looking speakers overall. I know they made other models which were much larger. I used to drool over them when I was in college in the eighties. I think they have been out of business for many years. The speakers don't have any indication of recommended power on them. They sound great with the 30wpc Marantz 2230B. I'm wondering how I can find out more about them, recommended maximum wattage etc. Internet searches yield surprisingly little information for me other than that 'they are good'. I already knew that though. I don't know if they were widely distributed. They were made in Norman Oklahoma and sold in high end hi-fi shops when I was a kid. I would appreciate any information. Thanks!

[Xmodius]

Oh, silly me. I just did a search HERE and found out a little more. :yes:

[luvvinvinyl]

Well, glad you found the 'Search' button so quickly! And welcome to AK!

Be sure and post some pics of your new babies. :yes:

[Xmodius]

Thanks for the welcome. I hate to admit it, but for a few days reading this forum I kept trying to somehow reconcile 'AK' as meaning 'Alaska'. It just didn't work so I had to figure it out. :)

[luvvinvinyl]

If it is any consolation, you are not the first one to make that mistake, and probably won't be the last! :D

Glad you are here. :yes:

[gonzp]

Welcome to Alaska Xmodius :beerchug:

[J. H.]

I have a set of Norman Lab 10a floorstanding speakers I brought in '76 in Little Rock, Ar. They still look/sound great, although my son is using them now. I haven't been able to find out much on the web either, but there are some reviews at AudioReview.com. As far as I could tell they were more af a regional company, selling in the southwest. I beliveve they went out of business in '95 or so. To bad, they are great speakers.

[White01L]

Picture of my Model 8's

[White01L]

According to the Warranty card from my Model 8's state
"POWER REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS The Norman Laboratories speakers can easily handle the output of any amplifier built for reasonable home use, up to the clipping level of the amplifier, on convential music or speech input material. However, excessive power inputs can damage any speaker. The following escessive power conditions can cause damage not covered by warranty. ..."

Hope this helped. Oh by the way the crossover is of a "low insertion loss LCR type with a crossover frequency of 1500 Hz."

[Pickoid]

There are two pairs of Norman Labs speakers in the same pawn shop here in Little Rock. One pair is a floor standing tower model with two woofers (8" I think) and two tweeters. The other pair is a bookshelf model with one each of the same drivers as the floor standing pair. They are nice looking speakers, wood veneer and very heavy. If the dang pawn shop didn't want so much for them, I would be sorely tempted to try them out in a home theater setup. IIRC, the woofer surrounds were rubber on these as well, so no worries with foam rot. I think they were made in Norman, OK.

They wouldn't budge below $125 a pair on the smaller ones, the bigger ones are like $375 or something. Ridiculous for me, but that's the way this place is. Maybe I don't look enough like a serious buyer :scratch2:

[J. H.]

Pickoid,
Sounds like the floor standers are probably the model 10 or 10a. I have a set of the 10a's I brought new in Little Rock back in '76. As my wife reminded me last night, we spent 2 grand back then on the speakers, a jvc turntable, and a sony str-6800sd receiver. Don't remember how much the speakers were, but at 325 for the pair at the pawn shop they are a steal. If they are in good shape and you can afford them, I don't think that you can go wrong. I've let my son use mine, but they still look great and sound just as good.
Good luck.

[Thatch_Ear]

I have a passive NL sub that has a DVC 8" woofer in it. I like the little thing, it really makes the small set of Altec Coranas sound great. I have a small SS amp made by Costanance salved to the center channel of a Fisher 400. All in all a pretty nice sound for a small room.

[aiconn]

Norman Labs enterned defunct status in early 1998. The owner, Gail Dixon, also owned Audio World in Little Rock, AR. I worked at Audio World for several months in 1990/91 and maintained contact with Gail and his daughter until 2000. Their speakers were considered "audiophile" quality until the early 90's. The changes that were required to compete with mass producers like Infinity, Bose, JBL, and the like caused the degredation of quality and the eventual closure of the production and research facilities in Norman, OK.

[gantamp]

I know this forum is a little dead, but if anybody has any for sale, contact me. At Contemporay Sounds in OKC, they used to A-B Model 8's with L-100s using a Crown 300, maybe a 150 pre-amp. Model 8's at about a 3rd of the price were flying out of the store. I've had both 8's and 10's regretably sold both sets in moves. Can't seem to win any on Ebay, would love to have some more. I'm currently using L-100s w/ C-28, Mc-2105, and Mr-74. gantamps@earthlink.net vintage guitar amp site- home.earthlink.net/~gantamps
Thanks! Dave

[gonetotc]

Try the pawn shops around OKC. I stumbled on this thread via a Norman Labs google as I was in the market for a center channel speaker and wanted to see if perhaps Norman Labs was still in business. Sorry to hear they weren't.... My ex-Navy dorm neighbor in college had a pair and always regretted not buying a pair myself. This thread really brought back memories....

I saw someone hit the history, local Norman OK manufacturer and all.... probably not US popular enough to see many on ebay, but I'll bet if you hit all the pawn shops in Ok you could find a pair or two. You might check and see if the pawn shops have email addresses to do some quick checks.

[aiconn]

Try the pawn shops around OKC. I stumbled on this thread via a Norman Labs google as I was in the market for a center channel speaker and wanted to see if perhaps Norman Labs was still in business. Sorry to hear they weren't.... My ex-Navy dorm neighbor in college had a pair and always regretted not buying a pair myself. This thread really brought back memories....

I saw someone hit the history, local Norman OK manufacturer and all.... probably not US popular enough to see many on ebay, but I'll bet if you hit all the pawn shops in Ok you could find a pair or two. You might check and see if the pawn shops have email addresses to do some quick checks.

Norman Labs did make unshielded center channel speakers for the last few years of production. I've been looking to find one myself for an HT setup including Model 10's for main speakers and model 8's for surround.

I've recently bought the rights to normanlabs.com and normanlaboratories.com in hopes that I can compile a history of the company including scanned representations of the original literature. The going is very slow at this point since I haven't been able to contact the original owners or Gail. If anyone has their documentation I'd love to have scans. Until I get the site running my email address is jmwest@charter.net

[gantamp]

I was in Ada last week but didn't get a chance to get to the city. I have budies in OKC, I'll call and have them search. They pop up on Ebay but the prices are getting higher. They would be a find! Thanks for the reply!
Dave

[drjuju]

there were some Norman Labs for sale in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette not long ago.

www.ardemgaz.com

Since Norman did a lot of work & sales here there's frequently something in the ads.
I think the link is free...not the news part, but maybe the ads. If not, PM me and I'll put a watch on for you. I get that rag daily and read it every night, though it comes at 4am or so...believe it or not I'm off to work at that time...yeesh!

[Vitavox]

Nice to see some other Arkies on this forum. If you like really booming bass, NLs are for you. If, however, you enjoy a more musical sound...travel to Hope, AR, and talk to some folks who were in business before Gail Dixon came along, and are still cranking out (and up) some pretty good speakers. Ol' Paul got some good ideas from the Brits who built the ORIGINAL cornerhorns.
BTW, AR stands for Arkansas. AK Audio Karma and Alaska, AZ Arizona. Somebody tell CNN!!

[aiconn]

Nice to see some other Arkies on this forum. If you like really booming bass, NLs are for you. If, however, you enjoy a more musical sound...travel to Hope, AR, and talk to some folks who were in business before Gail Dixon came along, and are still cranking out (and up) some pretty good speakers. Ol' Paul got some good ideas from the Brits who built the ORIGINAL cornerhorns.
BTW, AR stands for Arkansas. AK Audio Karma and Alaska, AZ Arizona. Somebody tell CNN!!

...been there, done the tour, got the t-shirt, and will still take the NL over any horn loaded monstrosity. :banana:

[drjuju]

Nice to see some other Arkies on this forum. If you like really booming bass, NLs are for you. If, however, you enjoy a more musical sound...travel to Hope, AR, and talk to some folks who were in business before Gail Dixon came along, and are still cranking out (and up) some pretty good speakers. Ol' Paul got some good ideas from the Brits who built the ORIGINAL cornerhorns.
BTW, AR stands for Arkansas. AK Audio Karma and Alaska, AZ Arizona. Somebody tell CNN!!

Yup, an AR fellow..live north of LR just off hwy 5 about 9 miles south of Rose Bud. My info says Mount Vernon, but that's several miles off. I'm on a horse ranch and drive about 30 miles to Conway every day to work for Acxiom. Not bad, all in all. I ended up getting my EMI/Isophon spkrs back on the front, A+B with a pair of Genesis I 2-ways. Boy am I happy! What a sound! :lmao:

[Vitavox]

DR Juju:

Yup, an AR fellow..live north of LR just off hwy 5 about 9 miles south of Rose Bud. My info says Mount Vernon, but that's several miles off. I'm on a horse ranch and drive about 30 miles to Conway every day to work for Acxiom. Not bad, all in all. I ended up getting my EMI/Isophon spkrs back on the front, A+B with a pair of Genesis I 2-ways. Boy am I happy! What a sound! :lmao:

What a small world. I live in Sherwood, but have a house at Greers Ferry. probaly been driving right by you for 20 years! Especially if you are the horse ranch with the two silver gates on HWY 5. :banana:

BTW, don't you just love the new "El Paso Expressway". 4 lanes for Hwy 5! Who'd a thunk it?

I've just recently learned a great deal about these Vitavox horns. Apparently PWK was in jolly old England and rubbing shoulders with JBL and these folks before he started his buiness in Hope. Google Vitavox for some interesting reading on speaker history. Pink Floyd used them exclusively at one point! (BTW, aicon, I don't think Roger Waters ever heard of Norman Labs) I bought the vitavox mid-horns that are shown in my avatar from Stanley Communications in the late 70's for $200, because I couldn't afford real La Scalas back then. "Borrowed" the design for the bass cabs, and built my own x-over. Now, I see these horns, and similar Altecs from the era on eBay for $1000!! I knew they sounded great, but never knew the history.

[aiconn]

[QUOTE=Vitavox](BTW, aicon, I don't think Roger Waters ever heard of Norman Labs) [QUOTE]

I don't guess it really matters what Roger Waters thinks. He's not in this thread, or is he? Anyway, everyone has their own taste in speakers. Lots more people like Klipsch than have heard of NL. That's not necessarily a bad thing. At least NL's can be had for a reasonable price and not a small fortune. It's just unfortunate that more folks haven't heard the smooth sound of a Model 12, Model 10, 632 or 432.

[bOUddha]

[QUOTE=Vitavox](BTW, aicon, I don't think Roger Waters ever heard of Norman Labs) [QUOTE]

It's just unfortunate that more folks haven't heard the smooth sound of a Model 12, Model 10, 632 or 432.

:thmbsp:

[Ratdresser]

Hello All,

New to the forum and I have a problem. I have a pair of NL 8s that are in need of some replacement speakers. I know that Nl is out of business and has been but I was wondering if a sutiable repalcement parts can be had. I love the sound of the pair but due to too much heavy metal in my misspent youth I have blasted the cones from the frames. Anyone know of a replacement for the cabinets?

[aiconn]

Hello All,

New to the forum and I have a problem. I have a pair of NL 8s that are in need of some replacement speakers. I know that Nl is out of business and has been but I was wondering if a sutiable repalcement parts can be had. I love the sound of the pair but due to too much heavy metal in my misspent youth I have blasted the cones from the frames. Anyone know of a replacement for the cabinets?


You can contact David Miller at Speakerworks in Tulsa, OK, phone (918) 664-6299. He bought the inventory of the Norman Lab factory when it closed and should have the parts you're looking for.

[bully]

Also check to see if they are rebuildable.

[capturedlive]

Don't know where I'd fit these. The ad says they've got 10-foot woofers.

http://i9.ebayimg.com/01/i/04/99/0d/b6_2.JPG

[capturedlive]

Sorry, here's the ad:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NORMAN-SPEAKERS-MODEL-82_W0QQitemZ5796164135QQcategoryZ14993QQssPageName ZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Celt]

Don't know where I'd fit these. The ad says they've got 10-foot woofers.
Ten foot! Is that all? :lmao:

[aiconn]

Don't know where I'd fit these. The ad says they've got 10-foot woofers.

http://i9.ebayimg.com/01/i/04/99/0d/b6_2.JPG

:banana: Maybe that's why those things have been there for 2 months! :banana:

[Dean P]

Sorry, here's the ad:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NORMAN-SPEAKERS-MODEL-82_W0QQitemZ5796164135
QQcategoryZ14993QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewI tem

He is a good man to deal with, he is retired & makes the high end estate & garage sales in DFW area.

[sb01]

Hi all! Brand new to the site, nice to know others out there are familiar with Norman Labs speakers. I live in NW Arkansas and regularly make trips to both Little Rock and Tulsa OK. The pawn shop in Little Rock with the Norman Labs Model 8's and Model 10's still has both pairs. The Model 8's are in SUPERB condition, hardly any marks on the cabinet finish, and all drivers are intact. The Model 10's are not too far behind, a little more wear and tear on the cabinetry but not too bad, and the drivers are again excellent. The shop also now has a pair of the Model 83's, however one of the woofers on these has surround rot and would need to be replaced. I am also familiar with David Miller of Speakerworks in Tulsa--he is a real pleasure to do business with and I have talked to him on several occasions about Norman Labs speakers. He was also very familiar with Gail Dixon and Audio World in Little Rock- I think they were pretty good friends. (I however have always hated Audio World ever since I bought a POS Kenwood portable cd player there around Christmas of 1990 and it never worked right, the place didn't have anything else I was interested in but would absolutely not give me my money back. AICONN--are you listening? That's why they are out of business now, as even David Miller confessed to Gail Dixon being a great audiophile but a terrible businessman.) But, I digress...

[gantamp]

What Pawn shop in N Little Rock has those Norman Labs? You can email at
gantamps@earthlink.net I've had no luck bidding on ebay. I've had both 8's and 10's. Would like some again. Curently using old L-100s w/Mac C-28 & 2105. If your into vintage guitar amps,checkout my site:
home.earthlink.net/~gantamps Thanks for your time.
Dave Gant
gantamp

[aiconn]

I however have always hated Audio World ever since I bought a POS Kenwood portable cd player there around Christmas of 1990 and it never worked right...

AICONN--are you listening? That's why they are out of business now, as even David Miller confessed to Gail Dixon being a great audiophile but a terrible businessman.) But, I digress...

The funny thing is that I might have sold that POS to you. I always thought the Kenwood stuff was junk. It brought in customers who usually bought the Onkyo or Sony ES equipment.

Those statements about Gail are very accurate. He was a great engineer, but a horrible salesman. I watched him walk many customers by talking over their head or calling them stupid for not wanting to buy his goods.

[aiconn]

What Pawn shop in N Little Rock has those Norman Labs? You can email at gantamps@earthlink.net

They're at USA Pawn on South University in Little Rock. They're wanting an arm and couple of legs for the Model 10's, which are a 5/10 at best in my opinion. The Model 8's are a bit steep as well. I've offered them $75 for the 8's several times, but their greed, or ignorance (When I told them Orion was $90 for the Model 8's they asked what an Orion was.) has caused me to avoid them and look elsewhere.

[gantamp]

I know I'm being more of a pest, I can't find the listing, even with the address. If you get a chance, is it legal to post the phone #?
Thanks
Dave

[texasnole]

I bought a pair of Model 10a from the Gramophone in Norman when I was teaching at OU in 1981-82. I still have them, and like my revolver, they will have to be grabbed from and prized from my cold, dead hand.

I have taken them from Norman to Montreal to London to Enid (OK) to Dallas to Pensacola. The English never saw a speaker so large or one that sounded so good. My wife banned them from the living room so they are now in my office.

The developer of the design was a guy with the improbable name of Leonard Bernstein. He was an OU graduate with work in music and engineering. They were deemed to be "reference" quality speakers, and I am sure they were at the time. It is hard to find anything as accurate today for anything less than thousands.

Mine case about $750 back then, so who knows what you would pay for a good pair today. You can't have mine!

I first powered them with a[n American] Marantz, then a Carver (in the living room) and now a Sony in my office. They would make a transistor radio sound good.

Buy 'em if you find 'em, provided they are in good shape

[gantamp]

I had 8's when I was in norman (77-78), moved to LA and bought a pair of 10's for $200, a steal! I used a Phase Linear 4000-400, sounded wonderful!
I found 7's in OKC last year for $100, sound great, just won 8's for $20! I'll be patient, maybe I'll find some 10's. When I get the 8's, I'll put those with a McIntosh 1900, can hardly wait! A dedicated Norman Labs fan here!

[beans]

There are two pairs of Norman Labs speakers in the same pawn shop here in Little Rock. One pair is a floor standing tower model with two woofers (8" I think) and two tweeters. The other pair is a bookshelf model with one each of the same drivers as the floor standing pair. They are nice looking speakers, wood veneer and very heavy. If the dang pawn shop didn't want so much for them, I would be sorely tempted to try them out in a home theater setup. IIRC, the woofer surrounds were rubber on these as well, so no worries with foam rot. I think they were made in Norman, OK.

They wouldn't budge below $125 a pair on the smaller ones, the bigger ones are like $375 or something. Ridiculous for me, but that's the way this place is. Maybe I don't look enough like a serious buyer :scratch2:

There's a decent-looking pair of Norman Tens in Fort Worth....sure wish I was headed to the DFW area so I could check these out.

But my question is: Is it true that woofers made with butyl rubber surrounds like these never need replacing/reconing?
http://cgi.ebay.com/NORMAN-SPEAKERS-MODEL-10_W0QQitemZ150218523783QQihZ005QQcategoryZ14993QQ rdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638 Q2em118Q2el1247

[gantamp]

I found a pair of 14's a couple years ago , a 5" woofer and a dome tweeter and the surrounds have gone bad on those, but I haven't had any problems with the bigger speakers. It probably depends on the manufacturer. I wouldn't say never though. I have that seller bookmarked and have schemed at those 10's too. I have gear acquisition syndrome so I have to be careful about space. I only bid $20 on the 8's and won them, couldn't pass that up. I notice you have Mac stuff too, what a joy to listen too! I also have a Technics 8600 amp & tuner (college flashback) and a Marantz 2230 (in the kitchen-dining room) that I enjoy listening too. I'm amazed I get by with the kitchen stereo, but I put on a jazz station or CD and clean like a madman!

[beans]

I found a pair of 14's a couple years ago , a 5" woofer and a dome tweeter and the surrounds have gone bad on those, but I haven't had any problems with the bigger speakers. It probably depends on the manufacturer. I wouldn't say never though. I have that seller bookmarked and have schemed at those 10's too. I have gear acquisition syndrome so I have to be careful about space. I only bid $20 on the 8's and won them, couldn't pass that up. I notice you have Mac stuff too, what a joy to listen too! I also have a Technics 8600 amp & tuner (college flashback) and a Marantz 2230 (in the kitchen-dining room) that I enjoy listening too. I'm amazed I get by with the kitchen stereo, but I put on a jazz station or CD and clean like a madman!

I love the sound of the MC752 in our bedroom (75WPC) but it's not considered collectible...YET...not quite old enough I guess (made in early 80s). The Norman Tens are not the most efficient and would probably work a little better with at least 100 watts but the MC752 should push them enough for a bedroom.

As far as getting this pair, our problem is that he says he won't ship...the size & weight of them would be too expensive.:sigh:

[biker1059]

Texasnole, what is the difference between the 10 and the 10a? Mine look like the pair in the Ebay ad. I have a pair of model 8s and 10s, I've had the 8s since new 79 and the 10s were given to me about a year ago in mint condition.