New NHT Classic line to replace Super Audio - Page 338

Oh now you are back and you seem hurt in some way ?... No alphaii, again I just pointed out the tantrum you threw, and it's all in print so I stand by what I said. Better that you take the stance you do, as you and your man are far too sensitive... at least you have each other though... Oh and my suggestion about playing Psychologist applies to you as well, stick to something you are competent at....looking for speakers on the cheap perhaps ?

Too bad that attempting to have a dialogue chafes some folks, but now let's get back to NHT speakers.
Edited by unbridled_id - 6/8/12 at 4:43am

alphaiii and unbridled_id:

Please stop. I'm not going to go back and read the roots of your disagreement...because at this point you've both take this too far. If it continues, neither one of you will be able to post in this thread.

NHT has 20% off coupons good until June 18....

I have a set of NHT's that I've been running for the last 18 years or so: 1.3 (L & R), 1C (center), Zero (surround) & for the heavy lifting I have the Velodyne CHT-12. The other day I heard a noise coming from my center speaker. The surround suspension (I guess you call it) has a tear in it.

One option is to get it fixed. I've been recommended Orange County Speaker by the a/v store that I originally bought my NHT’s from to get it fixed. It would be approximately $100. My main concern going this route is that all of the other speakers are just as old.

The other option is to get a new set. The timing is not good for this due to kitchen upgrades and such (don't want to get on the wrong side of the wife).

Any thoughts or recommendations on option one?

Thanks!

You could contact the folks at NHT directly and get their opinion on option one. They are very helpful and wouldn't try to push you buy new. Here is the email address:

help@nhthifi.com

I’ve been thinking of upgrading my old SW2 sub and mono amp unit for one of the newer subs, likely the B-10d. But I noticed the sizes of these latest subwoofers are more compact now in size, so I wonder if there’ll be any significant upgrade. Any thoughts from former SW2 owners? I really enjoyed my old sub – the definition and tightness of the sound coming from my SW2 were felt, not heard, and brought scores from films, such as Batman Begins and One Hour Photo, to another level at that time.

Thanks. I did that last night. The response just came a little bit ago:

Another "center channel" question for the NHT gurus here... My aged NHT setup consists of 2.5i fronts, 1.5 surrounds, and an AudioCenter 1 (all driven by Denon 2309). These days, the system is used about 90% for TV and movies.

After all these years, I still love the fronts, and am quite satisfied with the surrounds as well. But the AC1 has always been just so-so. Now that my ears are apparently getting worse, I really struggle to make out the dialogue on ~70% or 80% of the videos we watch. Nowadays, I have to crank the volume up to "nearly uncomfortable" to hear speech... and then (sadly) switch to Audyssey "Midnight" dynamic volume mode so we don't set off the burglar alarm... just so I can follow the conversation.

Would a TwoC or ThreeC offer any improvement with dialogue clarity?? Would they "pair" well with the 2.5is (similar voice?).

Any other recommendations for an appropriate center speaker?

Much thanks in advance!

Hi jweschman,

I also had an AC1 paired with 4 super ones for a 5.1 setup until a few years ago when I upgraded my whole system. I first upgraded my front l/r speakers to Absolute Towers and used the superones as side surround and wides in a 7.1 setup. Very soon after that I replaced my old onkyo avr to a Denon 4311 as a pre/pro (Audyssey xt 32 is just incredible) and an Emo XPA 5. I soon realized (as you are), that the weak link in this system was still my center channel speaker, the AC1. Soon after that, I was able to find a great deal on a, like new, Classic 2C on ebay.
The difference between the AC1 and the 2C was night and day. Suddenly dialog was clear and intelligeble. All that time with the AC1, I didn't know what I was missing 'til I got the C2C.
Since then I have replaced all the old Super ones with a mixture of Classic 3's and Claasic 2's pulling the wide and surround duties while still using the Absolute Towers @ main L/R. BTW, all of the Claasics I got off of ebay for less than 1/2 of retail and i've been lucky enough to get all in them in excellent, like new condition. So, if you're patient, they can be found for a great deal.

So to answer your question, I would say that YES, ABSOLUTELY, a Classic 2 or 3 would be a great upgrade from the AC1! As to how they would pair with your 2.5's, I can't really say for sure, I've never heard the 2.5's, but I would imagine that you should be fine. I know NHT claims that most of their speaker lines are compatible with one another. You might give them a call to be sure. NHT customer service is pretty friendly and informative with no pressure to buy.

Hope this helps in your quest .

C. Wood

Hi C. Wood,

Taking your suggestion, I contacted NHT. John Johnsen replied to my email right away, and then was kind enough to spend some time on the phone talking me through some tests / possible remedies to try before replacing the AC1. He also confirmed that the 2C or 3C should integrate just fine with my older 2.5is.

Thanks for sharing your experience with upgrading from the AC1 to the 2C. That's very encouraging, and unless I find a night-and-day improvement by fiddling with placement or receiver calibration (and I'm not optimistic that I will), then I'll probably order a 2C myself.

Much thanks!

hi again jweschman,

Glad you were able to talk to NHT direct. Great bunch of guys there. His suggestion to try different remedies BEFORE you upgrade is a valuable and honest one. And considering you have the Denon w/ auddysey, could most likely give you positive results. I tried that too b4 I upgraded w/ variable settings and running and rerunning Auddysey, but the upgrade bug hit me too hard and I just had to do something, and I'm glad I ultimately decided to get the C2C when an unbelievable deal popped up. I've been very happy with it and the other upgrades.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do

C. Wood

If anyone is interested, I do have a pair of NHT ST-4's with the 8" sub for sale for $300 or best offer. I really need to sell as I am moving and can no longer have a HT setup.

Please pm me or check this link to audio gon:

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/nht-st4-tower-speakers

Hi 65 EG,

yes, I have tried the C3's in main L/R position and they sound great too, but i just find that in my listening space the AT's sound just a bit better overall to my ears. Either way you can't go wrong, they are both fantastic speakers. Maybe at some point I might just sell one or the other, since having the C3's in just wide duty might seem like a waste of great speakers for such a minor role in the system, or maybe even keeping the C3's and selling the AT's.

Before I had the 3's I was using another pair of Classic 2's in the wide position (w/ the AT's @ main l/r, a C2C and a pair of C2's in the surround duty where they still sit) and honestly, there wasn't a whole lot of difference to my ears even after rerunning Audyssey. I just like the idea of having the better speakers (C3's) in use, whether they are performing in full duty or in just a minor role. Call me crazy

BTW, the AT's are the only ones I paid full retail for, all the others I got from ebay or Audiogon in like new condition.
I remember not to long ago, you had a discussion with another member about the relative value of speakers to people as it relates to paying full price or discounted, or something like that and you made mention of someone that just bought a pair of Classic 3's off of ebay for $375. Well, that was me and I feel very lucky to have scored them. I've seen others on ebay for more money and in worse condition. I'm always keeping my eyes open for good deals.



Regards,

C. Wood

CW I never have heard the towers though I would like to . I am not surprised that you prefer them to the 3's.

jweschman I also have spoken with a couple of folks at NHT and have always found them to be straight forward and quite helpful.

65, what can I say that I haven't already said.... except that you haven't moved on quite yet..

^^Double Agree!^^

NHT's are a phenomenal value. Great sound, great prices, nice looking too (although maybe a bit more subjective).

I think the fact that some may overlook these speakers because of their low price, confusing their low price with low quality, are doing themselves a disservice by at least not auditioning them. Also the fact that they are not easily available to audition because of their ID marketing strategy (which ironically helps to make them so affordable), leaves customers to make a blind buy decision or rely on testimonials of others. When it comes to making a purchasing decision like this, I think most would prefer to see, hear, feel what it is they are getting before dropping coin on something that is such a personal experience as A/V.

Just my thoughts.

C. Wood

NHT has always given their speakers up to be reviewed and I don't see that changing in the future.

Just thought I'd let you all know I ordered 5 Super Zeros to be used as my surround sound. Room size is 13x14x9. Should be here next Tuesday.
Sub won't be here till next Friday and TV, undetermined as of yet.

Will be mostly for movies, TV, gaming with some music thrown in.

Laters

I just got the B12d Sub. Wow. Music sounds like it never has. With my set up of C3's for front with superzeroes for surround and a 2c it's like the band is setup in my listening room. I really don't have anything to compare but I am digging the poop out of this setup. Crank it up and grin ear to ear. Seems like each time something in the room starts to vibrate so I have to "subproof" my room. Mostly music and then my test movie scene at this point is the One Ring being cut off of Sauron's finger in Fellowship of the Ring. The windows start to rattle sometimes. Sounds so good, looks so great!

I like the NHT's because the music sounds natural. A realistic reproduction of the music. I know it is all preference but i feel very fortunate and grateful since I did this with no listening test , only the opinions of people on this forum. I started with the superzeroes and the Denon 2112 and promptly got that dreaded disease of "upgradeitiis".

I have my 5 super zero 2s set up. Don't have a sub yet but tested them today with the movie the Incredibles. Awesome seamless panning around the room. It is nice to have all matching speakers. I'm only pushing them with a 50watt/channel HK AVR 1600. Seems to have just enough power for now. I'll know more once I get my sub so I can cross them over at about 100hz or so and take a big load off them.

For those that say they have no bass- they actually have more bass than I thought they would based on comments here.

So I'm really looking forward to my first Blu-Ray test with the sub in the mix.

So far I've watched 4 movies, blu-ray, Vudu and satellite. I am most impressed with the sound that these little and inexpensive speakers put out. I've listened to some music, put them through my "Sade" vocal test and I am very happy with their sound.

I was a little concerned I wouldn't have enough power for movie use, but I've yet to turn my HK AVR 1600 past -10db to get really loud. The sub really helped fill out the sound. I have them crossed at 100hz. I really enjoy the seamless panning.

Awesome!

Good deal, continue to have fun and enjoy.

I've been going blind reading as much of this thread as I could since this afternoon. Lot's of very interesting reading for sure.

I'm considering replacing my legacy VT-2's and VS-2 with something newer from NHT.

From this thread it seems the choices may be Classic Three's or Classic Four's with the appropriate newer Center Channel. I plan to take a side trip to Benicia during a visit to the Bay Area in December to take a listen.

In the meantime, I'll ask if anyone can tell me what these newer speakers sound like in comparison to my fronts? I'm really curious to know if the newer Classics are a lot better than what I have.

My room is fully carpeted, open and 1920 cubic feet with an 11'x 9' leather sectional. You can see my equipment in the signature below.

I've got a fever that not even "more cowbell" can cure - I think I need more NHT. But I want to be sure.

Long time lurker, first timer poster

I recently purchased a Super Stereo system from NHT which consists of 2 SuperZero 2.0s and a Super8 sub for desktop/PC use. I'm running them through Audioengine D1 DAC and Audioengine N22 amp. I really like the setup so far, I'm especially stunned by the sound quality of SuperZeros considering they are $99 each. Amazing value indeed! Did anyone compare SuperZeros to Absolute Zeros ? I can certainly pay $200 more if there will be significant difference in SQ (I will keep the Super 8 sub either way). What do you guys think ?

I have a pair of AZs that I use for surrounds and occasionally repurpose if I'm reviewing am amp and need a pair of passive speakers (actually have a review of both the D1 and N22 coming up). I also have a pair of SuperZeroXU (fairly similar to the current SuperZero). Both are good deals. I think the Absolute Zeros are worth the price increase, though. The AZ sounds a more neutral and natural, and eliminates some colorations that I can hear in the SZ. The AZ is also more detailed.

They're different speakers, though. The SZ has a 4" woofer and I don't think they sound good without a sub. The AZ has a 5.25" driver and I think it can hold its own without a sub but certainly benefits from one. I don't think a Super8 would add a lot to the AZ; I think you'd want a 10" sub with it.

So I'd say hang onto the SZ if you're pretty happy with them—if you're going to upgrade to the AZ, I think you'll want to upgrade your sub eventually, too. But you'd definitely get your money's worth out of that system.

Thanks for the feedback! I think I will keep the Superzeros! I think Super 8 is doing a great job where Superzeros are lacking (below 90hz). Where can I read your review of D1 and N22 ?
Edited by Aras Aslan - 10/14/12 at 10:53am

Yeah, I love my SuperZeroXU/SW1P combo (which is roughly the same but a decade or two older)—If I had heard it when I was first shopping for speakers, I might have spent less and never upgraded!

Thanks for asking about the review—I do audio reviews for Macworld's web site. Not an audio publication, but I think it's a great chance to expose people to ways to improve their listening. I'm doing a series of headphone amp/DAC reviews; the D1 will be next, I think. Probably will be published on the web in month or so. The N22 is for a review I'm doing of several "desktop" integrated amps, which I keep putting off. I'll be glad to drop you a line when they get published.

Thinking of adding a TwoC to my Absolute Towers. My receiver doesn't allow for seperate crossovers. Would the best for the TwoC be 80 or 100? I do have an Infinty PS10 sub.