North Creek Music System speakers

johnsonad · 7023

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline johnsonad

  • Hero Member
  • *****
    • Posts: 1670
on: October 05, 2010, 03:04:39 AM
In the process of acquiring parts to rebuild my Altec Model 19 crossovers from North Creek Music Systems I took notice of their speaker line.  They seem to have two models which are tube friendly, one for near wall placement and a second for free air placement.  Has anyone looked into these models specifically the North Big Kat for near wall and the North Catamount for open room placement?  The Big Kat looks interesting to me; small foot print, well designed and as stated good with 3 watts of power (though I don

Aaron Johnson


Offline Tubejack

  • Full Member
  • ***
    • Posts: 113
Reply #1 on: October 06, 2010, 07:11:20 AM
No experience with the Kats, but I built (assembled is probably a better term) a pair of George Short's Rhythm Revelator Signatures about 10 years ago, with wonderful cherry cabinets as built by Lee Taylor.  I purchased the speakers broken in and with matched perfect quads, and the 8 gauge air coil inductor crossovers.  The physical size of the crossovers precluded them from fitting into the speaker cabs directly (they were built on a single board and weigh close to 35#s each), so Lee Taylor built stand alone crossover boxes (bi-wired capable) which are spiked and sit aside the Rhythms.  Unlike the Big Kat, the Rhythms are meant to be placed "away from the wall" into the room.  I think they are about 92db.  I have loved these speakers and have used both 2A3 and 300B SETs (as well as PP ST-70 clone, PP 2A3, KT88 SET), but they really need the 300Bs if you have significant dynamic range material.  They are are in a dedicated 2 channel system with my 300B SETs, not HT.  I have never felt the need to augment the Rhythms with subs.  Great imaging and sound stage, with all types of music.

I have continued to experiment and build and replace everything else in my system over those 10 years, but not the Rhythms - no need, or desire to do so.

(Well, I have "strayed" for a bit with a pair of bi-amp'd OB Hawthorne Sterling Silver Duets, but I'll never divorce the Rhythms.)

There are 10 types of people in this world,
Those that understand Binary and those that Don't!