[mdavis]

You have to make the decision between these speakers based on your preferences...But, keep in mind, the Aerial offers superior center(CC3/CC5) and surround speakers(SR3s).


Best Regards, Mark

 

[aerialman]

From their specs it seems that they are close. The aerial 7b goes to 35hz and the nht 2.5 goes to 29hz. the aerial 7b is 86db efficient and the nht is 87db. the aerial is a direct radiating speaker and the nht is direct and has a side firing 8" woofer- this could cause placement issues.


I think youre gonna need some good amplification for either speaker. I also think that you would benefit by adding a good subwoofer to either setup- especially for HT.


- Jerry

 

[GaryH]

I have the Aerial 7B, CC3, and SR3's. I bought them for my HT setup as I watch more movies than listen to music. I listened the NT's and found the Aerials to be better. In my opion, the Aerials are superior for movies and audio.

 

[ham]

Thanks for the help so far. I have been really impressed with the arials and may very well get them. Any other comments would be appreciated as well.

 

[ham]

I have looked at the above speakers and would like to ask if they would be good for HT. they both are very musical, I think, but do they have the responsiveness required for HT? My wife would prefer the "prettier" Ariels but I'm not sure the sonic quality is really that superior to the NHT.


Opinios? Suggestions?


Any other suggestions in the $4000 range not including sub?

 

[budiman]



Hi.


FYI, there's www.audioreview.com for a general collective opinion on the two speakers you mentioned.


I personally owned the NHT 3.3, and I like it. Even though the base still goes low, it doesn't go low enough for HT (or even some music CDs for that matter). The NHT lines from 2.5i is 2.9 and 3.3. The 3.3 has better spaciousness compared to its younger siblings. Pairing NHTs with amplifiers is rather crucial on the treble side, harshness is usually exhibited on 'incompatible' pairings. Some people has mentioned cables make a difference with Cardas being one good NHT supporting cable being mentioned.


Haven't heard the Aerials, but in your price range, a LOT more speakers can be heard. www.unclestereo.com has the 3.3 for $2900 (dunno about the service though, never ordered from them). One thing the NHT do well is they can play LOUD with low distortion. I mean like LOUD, LOUD, where you won't want to be in the same room as the speakers are.


Other speakers that I can recommend in the $4K price range is Magnepan 3.6 (require ample amplification - heard it with Aragon, and it was sweet) - very natural sound, but has a rather small sweet spot. PSB Stratus Gold-i, heard the Silver, couldn't find a dealer with the Gold-i nearby me, but the silver impresses me enough. The lows are not that of the NHT, but open speakers, and WAF is rather high. The Sony MM-S9 (Model # might be wrong) is another good one, but might be hard to find a dealer - lower bass than NHT, a bit short though, so standing up impairs the sound a bit.


Enough on my rant. Might be biased, but the thing I liked most about my NHT is that it can play LOUD and still sound clear. And that's about it http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif .


Ciao.

Muljadi Budiman.