AVS Forum banner

NHT AC2's for LCR duties?

4K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  DekPM19 
#1 ·
I'm a big NHT fan to start off with.

I currently using 3.3's for L & R with a AC2 for my center.

I want a bigger screen which will have to be an AT screen but the 3.3's will have to go in another room. They are simply too deep.

I love the way the 3.3's and the AC2 and my L5's and M5 produce a seem less sound field and am not up for replacing those surrounds and rears. Presently I'm cutting off the 3.3's at 80hz and sending the low end to my 4 18" IB subs coming up from the basement.

I've been planning on using 2 more AC2's for L & R duties and wonder if I'm making a mistake because of dispersion properties of these speakers of not? Can I put the left and right units upright to mimic the sound of the upper end of the 3.3's which are going, or should all 3 be mounted horizontally or vertically?

Admittedly these tweaks will mostly be for guests since much of my hearing range has gone the way of Disco.

Appreciate any text based feedback. ;)
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I had an AC2 with my 2.9s even though that was a good set up my M6 & M5 did a better job of blending together. 3 m6 across the front and 2m 5 for side surrounds.
I would look for some m5 or m6 to match what you have for surrounds.
Allen
 
  • Like
Reactions: videohot
#3 ·
I've got 1 M5 (because of placement) and 5 L5s' for surrounds as it is in the Living room where the projector is. I do have another 3 M5's I could put as fronts that I have in my bedroom system and put Classic 3's and 3 center I have but I've questioned the output with the M5's vs the AC2's. The AC2 I have, has NEVER sounded strained. I guess I'll just play around and see what sounds better. I really hate moving the 3.3's out but I suppose I can put them in the study/office/bedroom. The sacrifices we make for big screens:(

Thanks for your thoughts ;)
 
#5 ·
Many years ago I was using AC2s for surrounds, placed vertically. Jack Hidley told me that this was a poor implementation as the AC2s are supposed to be horizontal.

On a side note-I used to love NHT (2.9s, VT2s, C4s), but kept blowing drivers, especially the tweeters. I quickly realized that low sensitivity speakers are NOT good for home theater where reference level is the goal. They simply can't hit 105 dB 12 ft away without over-powering the drivers. I now use professional cinema speakers with sensitivity of 101dB.
 
#7 ·
I remember Jack Hidley saying something along those lines as well but it doesn't make much sense to me. I talked to a man at NHT within the past few weeks that pushed me to buy the M7 which has virtually identical drivers, orientation within the box, and overall size, tho doesn't go as low according to their web site. I'd hoped Jack was still around the forum and sent him a pvt message but haven't heard anything. I asked about Jack, (we met at CES years ago) when I talked to NHT since I'd hoped he was doing consulting or designing work still, but got a very emphatic NO from them. The man I talked to knew nothing about the AC2 at all and I therefore felt he was more into supporting the company rather than helping me.

In what way is the AC2 different from the M7 esp regarding dispersion? I can still put all 3 AC2's horizontally I suppose if necessary once I hear or understand reasons for doing so. The M7's I'm told can be mounted either way I'm told.

Even the owners manual says the M5 is designed for a small or medium sized room. I've got a big room to deal with.

Larry
 
#8 ·
I talked to NHT about the m7 seems it really is a m6 bigger box should sound the same but be stronger than the m5 and I think blend better than the 3 ac2 across the front.
Allen
 
#9 ·
I'm at a loss here. I don't understand how 3 identical speakers in front aren't going to blend unless Dekpm19 is talking about with the sides and surrounds but I understood, using the AC2's with 3.3's and L5's and M5's was just fine.

I'm back to this question, how exactly are the AC2's different than the M6 or M7? Maybe dispersion characteristics? That's what I asked the man at NHT I talked to and got an "I dunno" answer to. It's not individual speaker phasing issues if they match with the L5's and M5's. If the speakers driver components somehow are more directional in some way on the AC2's, what is the dispersion pattern like vs the M5, M6, M7 that makes them not proper to use in an upright position vs horizontal position?

I did see somewhere or other, recently, articles on the web suggesting special center channel speakers were mainly made to sell more speakers and look better in a system than 3 identical speakers up front. The AC2 on the other hand was designed after the 3.3's and 2.9's to specifically match those speakers. To have a center channel of the same model, 3.3, 2.9, with the upper end of the spectrum having the 25%, (or whatever it is), angle pointed directly forward would look ridiculous and be even more strange sonically if run full range.

I'm firmly in the camp saying speakers have not changed much in generations. Yes, newer models often offer better sound for the money yet speakers I have in the basement that are 30 years old sound pretty darn good when driven by today's better signals. Granted they were very expensive at the time.

No hater responses please to that contention. I find, often, posters on threads have a fiduciary interest in their views of one product or another. Calling someone out on that is considered bad form in a forum. 'Nuff said on that.

Larry
 
#10 ·
The ac2 and 2.9 and 3.3 are a different series than the m5 & 6. I have run them together and did a lot of comparisons between the 2 series. Don't get me wrong they sound good but having all the same speaker to match is better over all. I really liked my m5 and m6 set up, but I crossed everything over at 80 hz. With the 2.9 I ran full ranged and crossed over and when I crossed them over then you are wasting a 3rd of the speaker. So I moved my 2.9 in to a more music system run full range that does just a 2.0 set up and it does a good job.

As far as 3 ac2s I think you are right, turning them l/r on their side may change the way they sound, but if they sound good to you then you are good to go. But having 3 m5 or m6 across the front with your other m & l speakers would just be a better match. Imo that is why I ran them that way.
Allen
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top