NHT 2.9/3.3 owners, what amp are you using? (1 Viewer)

[Ricky T]

I am currently driving my 3.3s with two unbridged 100 watt channels from my Citation 5.1, and told by some that this is lacking I have experienced better sound and bass when I previous used a Parasound 1500A 205x2, the Citation 5.1 bridged 300x2, and the bigger Citation 7.1's bridged 450x2 and biamped 150x4.
Just wondering what NHT 2.9/3.3 owners have to say about: what amp they are using and why? What other amps have they tried? Fire away guys....

 

[John Tompkins]

PARASOUND 2205 BABY!! Ricky my keyboard would wear out if I listed all my amps plus I know I'd forget a few, but here goes:

chiro c-300

chiro c-500

parasound 1201

nht sa3

carver 4.0t

carver 753 thx

HK 2.1

HK PA5800

sherbourn 5/1500

rotel rb-993

rotel 985 thx

McCormack dna-1 deluxe

sherwood am9080

citation 7.1

 

[Camp]

John,
You don't own all those amps right now, do you?!?
Wanna sell some?

 

[John Tompkins]

Camp,
Just the parasound 2205 and HK 2.1 at the moment. I am a reformed amp slut since I met my true love which is the parasound 2205. Wouldn't mind making some sort of trade with somebody for the hk 2.1 and ? for parasound 1206 or 1206

 

[Gil D]

John,

I am not sure which amps you have had at the same time together but could you give me an idea of how the following compare and why the 2205 is king:

1) H/K PA5800 vs Sig 2.1

2) Parasound 2205 vs 1206 and 1201

3) Sherbourn vs Parasounds and H/Ks

I have a H/k PA5800, Parasound1201 and ATI 1505.

Thanks,

Gil

 

[John Tompkins]

I haven't had the 1206. The 1201 is NOTHING like the 2205 as the 1201 is really a soundstream in sheeps clothing. I just recieved the hk 2.1 this week so cant really comment to much so far, other then it has plenty of power/current to run the 3 subs and two speakers I have hooked up to it! Thats the difference between the very nice pa5800 and the 2.1 as I wouldnt attempt overloading the 5800 like that, other then that it seems the 2.1 and 5800 are very similar in terms of sound/warmth etc.

Ther was a 3 page thread going on the 2205 that I started that stated the reasons why I call parasound king. It comes down to being an incredible match with my nht speakers. It is the only amp that I have had that was both revealing yet smooth, dynamic but delicate, warm but neutral all at the same time. It is just as good with music as it is with movies which is a very difficult task. The sherbourn was nice but I felt the parasound was a bit smoother with a little more dynamics. The dna-1 was nice for music but too laid back for my tastes for ht.

 

[Elbert Lee]

Ricky - I'm using an ATI2505 (5x 250w), but it's closer to 5x278w all channels driven. As a rule of thumb, you need at least 200w for each of the 2.9s. I checked with NHT on this one. They are very straight forward and will give their PERSONAL opinion, which is always appreciated and much more preferred over the typical corporate replies.

Elbert

 

[Bob_L]

I using NHT 2.5's for my mains and driving them with an Aragon 8008. It's making these speakers do things I never dreamed they could.

 

[John Morris]

Ricky: the 3.3s are in my top five speakers that I've ever heard. Over the years I've heard them driven with Aragon monoblocks, a Parasound 2200II, and a CAL MCA, and I think I really liked them best with the Aragon Monoblocks because my vague music memory remembers them as being most neutral. Still, I trade them and the amp that drove them for my current front setup in a minute if they'd also match the rest of my speakers to the 3.3s.... I came close recently with OneCalls deal! UGH! Please don't remind me....:frowning:

 

[Will]

NHT 2.5's

The 2.5 uses far less power than the NHT 2.9 or the NHT 3.3.

 

[BeatCrazy]

My NHT 2.9's get happily pushed along by the McIntosh MC-202 amp. Previous amps include the Anthem MCA5, and (gasp) a Sony STR-DA30ES receiver.

 

[Erik J]

I had the opportunity to try my 2.5's on my good friend's Krell Theater Amp Standard yesterday. I could not believe what I was hearing from these speakers. Simply amazing.. and almost as good as his Thiel 2.3's (a little less detailed, but outstanding nonetheless). That metal tweeter sounded so silky smooth. I love that NHT neutral sound. I've been driving them for the last two years with sub 100w receivers with varied results. I can't afford seps yet, but found a good deal on an HK AVR-7000 receiver that I'll be auditioning next week. I'm hoping it's amp section is comparable to the Sig 2.1. It sounds like Parasound is what I should be saving for, but I'd highly recommend the Krell for those who have the means

 

[Jeff Keene]

and almost as good as his Thiel 2.3's

Bah!

 

[Ricky T]

Yeah, I know, 100 watts is not enough for my 3.3s. No one on audioreview seems to have less than 200 watts. Some people even biamp with four 200+ watt channels. When I had the Onkyo 989, I was using four of the internal amps to drive my rears and sides, and able to configure my two citation 5.1s to 300x3 for the 3.3s and AC2. Maybe I can use a cheaper amp to drive my rears and free up 3 citation channels to go back to the 300x3 configuration.

Merc,

Your two ATI2505s would rock with 3.3s in biamp mode! We can get you into a pair of 3.3s, with AC2, and four VS2.4a for under $5k. Just give the word...

 

[Bob_L]

The 2.5 uses far less power than the NHT 2.9 or the NHT 3.3.

Yes, I know. That's why I mentioned that I was using 2.5's in this thread about 3.3's and 2.9's.

However, I suspect that the 200wpc of the Aragon would be quite sufficient to drive the higher end NHT's, so I still thought my comment would be pertinent.

 

[Dan Rankin]

My NHT 2.9's are bi-amped with an NHT SA-3 and an Onkyo Integra M504.

 

[BillG]

I run a pair of 2.9s, an AC-2 and a pair of 1.5s with a Rotel RB-985. Works great, sounds great. The rating may be only 100x5, but it's an honest 100 watts.

 

[Ricky T]

Dan,

Have you considered biamping with a 2nd SA3? With only one SA3, you are getting MONO and not stereo bass with the 2.9 woofers (under 100hz). In fact, you should get the samson s1000 ~ 300x2 (500x2 into 4 ohms) pro amp with variable gain per channel currently for sale for $375 shipped in the classified, and sell your SA3 on ebay for about even money.

 

[Jason Watson]

Merc,
Please,please, please dont buy NHT till you talk to me. Or for that matter,Earthquake(subs and Cinenova Grande, baby!),Tara Labs,Lovan and some others. Ask David Meek about what I can do for HTF members.
[email protected]

 

[Will]

Like you sell it here http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...899#post560899 and here
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=57966