Demoed 3802 and new NHTs last night (1 Viewer)

[John Garcia]

Unfortunately, they did not have the 3802 setup in an EX/ES configuration because they have only had it for a week. No matter though, I was listening to it in 2ch stereo anyway... This is definitely one nice piece of equipment, and I was certainly impressed. Clean power and excelent sound placement, even with a relatively modest setup.
NHTs Demoed: SB1, SB2, SB3, and their new sub and center channel. I always loved their soft dome tweeters, and the new metal ones (with a heatsink!) are even sweeter. Absolutely beautiful new enclosures - thick MDF, rounded edges and coated in piano lacquer, in black or white. Some of the most attractive I've seen.
SB1: Great imaging, extremely accurate. SB1 (5 1/4") almost completely lacks bass, and had a hard time playing full range. I suspect it would do well as a surround or set to "small", and their literature states that this is what they were designed for.
SB2: Again, excellent imaging and accuracy, and a very respectable level of bass for such a small speaker, at 51Hz (6 1/2"). It still felt a little lacking in bass to me at lower levels, but when teamed with a sub, this speaker will perform superbly.
SB3: This one is a shocker

. Nearly the same size as the SB2, with the same size, but different bass unit and the same tweeter, with the positions swapped (tweeter on the bottom). This tiny little speaker is capable of amazing bass response. Their literature claims 39Hz. (fairly hefty price increase though). A great speaker!
Their new center and sub are nothing particularly special. The center uses the same drivers as the SB1, with dual 5 1/4. The sub is 10", direct radiating, ported, front firing powered by 150w.
I LOVE their tweeters!
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All progress is based upon a universal, inate desire on the part of every organism, to live beyond it's income.
ITRCA ** Honda/Acura Club ** Link Removed (sorry, car guy)

 

[Gil D]

Hi John,
Can you tell us more about the SB speakers.
Are the tweeters and midbass drivers the same as any of other NHTs? Also, some find the NHT metal tweeters a bit fatiguing as I do but I like the NHT soft dome tweeters. How do the metal tweeters in the SBx compare to the 1.5 model.
Also the orignal Superone and Xu models are rumored to be discontinued. Is there any truth to that?
Thanks.

 

[Phuong]

I think NHT is keeping the XU models but the boxy Super Ones and Zeros are outta here. Get 'em while you can at oncall.com crutchfield.com and yawaonline.com

 

[John Garcia]

Yes, the "Super" series has replaced with the SB lineup, with the exception of the XU speakers.
I only listend to the various speakers for about a half an hour, so I can't really say that I would find myself fatiguing over time. The tweeters are a new version of their previous generation, and is bright, but not harsh. I liked the sound, overall. The literature said it is based on the tweeter from the VT series.
I will try to get a scan of their new brochure up later or tomorrow. Haven't seen the info on the web yet.
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All progress is based upon a universal, inate desire on the part of every organism, to live beyond it's income.
ITRCA ** Honda/Acura Club ** Link Removed (sorry, car guy)
[Edited last by John Garcia on August 08, 2001 at 01:20 PM]

 

[Randy G]

I had a chance to listen to the SB2 last week and here's my take:
I was immediately struck by the new cabinets; the rounded corners and piano lacquer(black) finish were absolutely gorgeous! The cabinet also felt a bit heavier than the SuperOne(which IS discontinued).
As for the sound, I may be crazy, but the tweeters seemed a bit rolled-off to me. I'm not one to love tizzy highs, but I anticipated a wee bit more brightness from the aluminum domes. Maybe NHT wanted to counteract those notions from the get-go by slightly rolling off the highs. To be fair, the highs were pretty good overall(my girlfriend preferred the PSB Alphas on female vocalist).
As for the bass; Excellent for their size! Actually, I was very pleasantly surprised. No sub is necessary for casual listening, but diehard bass fans will absolutely want a sub.
Overall, I think NHT has a real winner here, and any small deficiencies will be more than made up for by the aesthetics of the new cabinets. I suspect that they got rid of the old drivers for marketing reasons....old is old, I guess.

 

[John Garcia]

Crutchfield now has the info up for the new series: Link
I actually preferred the sound of the soft dome tweeters better, but the new ones are not bad at all.
[Edited last by John Garcia on August 08, 2001 at 05:42 PM]