Norman Lab model 9's

[beans]

They are rare because they weren't marketed hardly at all and were sold mainly in the southwest. A friend of mine spotted a full-page ad for the model Ten in Playboy once in the mid 70s. They shopped them around to the more exclusive stores, then depended on word-of-mouth advertising. I remember a record store I used to go to in the 90s that had Model Eights hanging from the ceiling. Then as soon as Norman went out of business they switched those out for some JBLs, for some reason.

As for the sound, they have slight mid-range coloration, but it's very pleasant. The bass is smooth and tight. My Tens don't go terribly, terribly deep, but what's there sounds great. Your Nines will handle PLENTY of power - believe me.

 

[gbroot]

I've heard about Normans being a rare sort of speaker that sets itself apart. But what kind of sound do they have? How would you describe them? What do they remind you of in terms of other speakers? If Ihad to guess, I'd guess they were a cross between Frazier and EV? Am I close here? Or way-off? Just shootin' in the dark here...

I can't speak to the 9's as I have not heard them. My 11's have a 10" woofer and 2 phillips tweeters. They are voiced similarly to my KLH Model 23's with a little more detail in HF's. They are a sealed box with the typical concise, tight bass that probably reaches down to 30hz or so and mids are fabulous but not over bearing. I have not heard ADS, but in viewing pics posted around hear I think the Normans are designed and even in appearance look very much like the ADS lines of the late 70's and early 80's.

 

[avguytx]

again noob question but do the voltage rating and tolerance matter?

They do but not something to go crazy over. The Solen caps are rated at 400v typically, Daytons will be at 250v (give or take) and similar with others. These 16uf Solen caps from Parts Express would work just fine at $8.71 each as would these 15uf Dayton 5% tolerance caps for $5.49 each.

You don't have to spend crazy money to get an increase in sound quality and peace of mind. There are higher $$ caps out there like Sonicaps ($25.69 each for 15uf) which are great but you have to "want" to spend the extra money. The resistors could even be changed out for minimal money but they usually test ok.

 

[beans]

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Ok here are some pictures, my only concern was the yellow stuff on the woofer I think its just dried glue but not sure

Yours are circa 1980 based on looking at the tweeters. They originally came with smoked glass for the top. Do they still have the glass? Without the glass the felt underneath gets damaged and dirty very easily.

 

[SuperToaster]

ok guys back with an update I ordered capacitors and ended up getting the bananas plug posts (purely aesthetic and it was less then $20 for all of them). Everythings suppose to arrive today and in preparation I was taking the woofers out of the cabinets and I noticed the surround on the back woofer had a small crack in the rubber surround and it looks like it coming off in some places which is weird because I check all of the woofers before I took them home and they all looked good and I didn't really use them that extensively so I dont know how that happened but anyways can someone recommend me a good rubber surround kit.

and yes beans I do have the smoked glass tops.

 

[dan-c]

I've heard about Normans being a rare sort of speaker that sets itself apart. But what kind of sound do they have? How would you describe them? What do they remind you of in terms of other speakers? If Ihad to guess, I'd guess they were a cross between Frazier and EV? Am I close here? Or way-off? Just shootin' in the dark here...

The 9s are hard hitters, they sound good at low volumes and with moderate wattage amps at higher volumes. Where they really come to life is with high wattage amps. I have some dbx SF1As (soon to be for sale with the unobtanium controller) and some Technics SB7000As. The Normans walk all over them. Simple design 2 ways. Clear, crisp and accurate. A high power amp allows them to use their power handling capabilities to their advantage with a tight bass line and sweet mids and highs. No need for a sub or loudness control

Pour about 200+ watts to them and hold on. Can you tell they're my favorite speakers? Those are in my listening room.

Jensens and a tube amp in the downstairs room, just for ambience, nostalgia and cool factor

For heavy duty it's Normans all they way.


By the way, those are the newer ones you have ST. The older ones have silver Phillips tweeters and unfinished MDF fronts.

 

[peterfranks]

Nice score on the Normans. Those are probably ones you'll want to hold on to. I'm all the way out in Portland OR and managed to find a very early set of 7s in a thrift store. Just can't ever imagine cutting them loose. Replace the cap with a film and clean them up - they are pretty special.

 

[SuperToaster]

I'm back and its been a while but something came up and I didn't have any time to do this until now. But I got one speaker recapped and sounding good, sounds a lot more clear and less boomy. Since I did one I can toggle back and forth between the old and new one and theres quite a diffrenece. But I still have the problem of one of the woofers has a multiple cracks in the rubber and overall looks like someone did a shotty job of putting the rubber on. So can anyone recommend a refoam/rerubber kit for the 9's

I forgot to take pictures while everything was apart but I will on the next one