NHT vs Ascend Acoustics vs nOrh vs Energy (1 Viewer)

[BryanZ]

Joel,
Can't wait to read the results of the shootout! Wish I could be there! Thank you for doing it!

 

[Claude M]

Joel, would the take 5.2s be included ? I will be waiting to read the results too. Thanks for posting about it here!

 

[Ron Reda]

Joel,
I'm curious to see what you think about the Axioms as there's not much out on the Web to read about these little wonders.

 

[JoelW]

Energy has been very reluctant to supply us with a review unit. We've contacted them and they said they are very selective with who they let review their equipment.
It's their perogative, oh well.
A minor update on the Diva's, I did get confirmation that they will be in late next week or early the following week.
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Joel White
Editor CheapHomeTheater.com

 

[George Carlisle]

If you want to spend $1500, that's one thing....but if you want to spend 1/3 less, you can get easily get 4 NHT Superones and a SuperCenter for less than $600, throw in a sub for $400 and you'll be sounding great for $1000 or less. I could be wrong, after all this is just my personal preference and not a allegedly absolute conclusion...but I don't think at that under $1000 proce that anything compares to NHT. Have fun with your norh.

 

[Peter Jessee]

I agree with the last posting - there is no reason to spend $1500 on the NHTs. I bought 5 SuperOnes for $623, two years ago before they were being closed out. I just added an Adire RAVA sub ($372 delivered, after a 10% "out-of-stock" discount) and think this is a under-$1000 setup that's hard to beat. I have never heard the other speakers mentioned in this thread, and look forward to reading the results of the shoot-out.
I don't think NHT rules the world or anything, but they are a great value at their real-world price. How cheap are the S1s now that they've been discontinued?
Peter

 

[Steve Satch]

I know you guys love your nOrh speakers, but I'm crossing my fingers that the HTD towers come out ahead : ) The wife HATES the look of the nOrh and does NOT want me to say that's what I've decided on! I much prefer the look of the (mini) tower on built in stand over a bookshelf or monitor on a stand too. But if the nOrhs trounce the HTD towers it'll make it tough to pay more for the HTD.
Satch

 

[Kishu]

Steve,
You can also look at Norh Prisms which are kinda like esoteric bookshelf speakers http://www.norh.com/products/prism/index.html
Cheers,
Kishore

 

[Carlo_M]

If you're interested in NHT's go to www.yawaonline.com - they are my dealer of choice out in Walnut, CA and are an authorized NHT dealer, so the full warranty applies. Email them and they'll take care of you.
Good luck with whatever speakers you decide to go with!
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My dealer of choice (especially if you live in So-Cal, I highly recommend them): www.yawaonline.com

 

[Ryan Schnacke]

I would just like to take a second to thank Joel and the crew at Cheap Home Theater for their efforts. Its obvious that they're reviewing the stuff we're interested in. And they spend time on these boards to stay in touch with our tastes and interests.
And in the end they produce VERY informative reviews in very little time. This is one area where printed magazines really fall down. They'll print the review 6-9 months after it happened. By then its old news. But, for example, CHT has had a professional review of the Onkyo 595 posted for several weeks now.
Thanks guys!

 

[John Gates]

Hi Steve,
I completely understand about the looks of the nOrh speakers. Either you love them or hate them, and there's not much in-between. My wife LOVES them. To her, they are more a piece of art than a speaker, and I have them sitting on plaster columns for stands. The finishes are outstanding. I have both wood and marble versions of the drum design, and they are both something to behold.
We have found, after owning these for a while two weeks, that they are tremendous conversation pieces. Many are curious about how they are made, and nOrh has a terrific story to tell. Did you know it takes something like 800 pounds of raw material to make one marble speaker? Each drum speaker, whether Marble, Wood, or Ceramic, is made out a single piece of stock turned on a lathe (ceramics are done differently, of course), and each is made by hand (using machinery) by a skilled artisan.
For me, these little details add to the enjoyment of owning the nOrhs... Oh, as an afterthought, these sound better than anything I have heard within its pricerange.
As Kishore mentioned, the Prism line from nOrh is another alternative with another shape. The overall philosophy of nOrh, however, is that a box or rectangle shape is the WORST shape for a speaker because of the reflected standing waves produced within the cabinet. Thus, no nOrh speakers have any parallel surfaces in their cabinets.
I'm amazed that other speaker manufacturers have chosen to ignore these discoveries, but they probably do so because most folks prefer a "box" shape and aren't aware of how cabinet shape and materials can affect overall performance of the speaker.
Of course, this is all nOrh propaganda, but I can tell from personal experience that these speakers do sound fabulous, and I conclude that nOrh's theories on cabinet shape and material are practical and valid.
Good luck in the speaker hunt! I'm writing all this up just to explain further why so many of us are so excited about this line of speakers, and not to try to tell your wife to like them (or else).

There's more to it for me than looks and even sound...
John
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[Tyson]

Just curious when you guys @ CHT will maybe have the 4.0 reviews posted? Looking forward to it. . . .
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"Remember Sammy Jenkins"

 

[JoelW]

Tyson,
The nOrh review is scheduled to be posted Aug. 8th, one week from tomorrow. Our real jobs have been requiring lots of hours, so its been tough for to get the review staff together.
We're scheduling a meeting to finalize the review this weekend, so initial review will be in my hands this weekend.
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Joel White
Editor CheapHomeTheater.com