NHT vs B&W??? Help (1 Viewer)

[Johnny_L]

Hey Guys, Im sorry if this question has already been address but what would you guys go with. I am obviously a newbie to HT and have nothing as of yet. But I was thinking about getting the Yamaha RX-Z1 as a receiver so what do you guys think? My total budget for the floor speakers are going to be 1.5K -2.5k. I am not too familiar with NHT except for the fact that I isten to them once at my friend's house and they sounded really awesome, but I do not know what he has. I listened to the B&W CM and CDM NT series today and just thought they sounded really good. I am not sure how much better or worse NHT are. if they are comparable then i will go out and try to find a distributor but if not then i dont wanna waste mey time listening to it. I have heard great things about them but I have also heard that they've gone downhill thru the years. ok this is already long enough, so THANKS AGAIN and I'll be eager to see what you guys have to say.
Also, would u guys recommend anything else, what is a better bang for my buck???

 

[Haru]

B&W and NHT are my two favored brands of speakers. my current rig is all NHT, including subs, but when my dad needed speakers, I made sure he got a pair of B&W Nautilus 803s.

I don't understand if you are talking about a full hometheater set up or a stereo set up. If it is a stereo set up, by far the best sound you can get is to get a pair of Nautilus 805s bookshelves , and add a nice small sub to fill in the bottom end. It needn't shake the earth. Something like the $450 HSU VTF-2 would do very well. You simply cannot get better sound today for $2500.

If you're thinking $2500 for a full complement of speakers, I'd advise the HSU VTF-2 as the sub, leaving $2000 for the rest. Now, the question is what you like better. NHTs are more inefficient and therefore harder to drive. But they are also very rugged. B&Ws in the under $2k range have a smoother, more laid back sound, than the NHTs, but they can't belt out without complaint quite like the NHTs can. The NHTs have a more forward, sharper sound, but your amplification had better have a lot of balls or they'll make it cry.

I can't really advice that you pick one or the other. It would be best if you picked up some music that you own and consider vital to have sound good. then take the discs with you to stores and listen critically, carefully, and think about what you're hearing. NHT or B&W, it will become clear very soon.

 

[Johnny_L]

I am talking about a full HT setup, i dont think I will be using it for music too much, occassionally but more for movies for the family. When I said 1.5k-2.5k, I meant just for the front speakers, not including the center channel or the surround speakers. I heard paradigmns were also good but I am not sure if they can compete with these.

 

[Haru]

Paradigm speakers are very good. I used to have a pair of Reference Studio 100. Good Stuff.

You have to keep in mind that a system that has $2k (the middle of your range) front speakers will get very expensive. The matching centerchannel speaker will be in the range of $750, a subwoofer will be $800-$1000, rear speakers will be $600-$800 the pair, and you'll need two pairs if you get a 7.1 channel system. so you're looking at over $4500, give or take, for a full HT complement. Are you ready to spend that?

The problem here is that you've narrowed down into two players that are both producing killer products in your price range. The B&W CDM NT range is highly regarded, and new NHT Evolution M5 based modulat system is fantastic as well.

The fact is that both are fantastic. And they each have their own kind of sound. so you really cannot make a decision without fitting you preference to the sound of each. If you put aside individual preference for a second though, the NHT Evolution T5 system's flexibility and the usefulness of that flexibility are extremely powerful factors in the NHT's favor. If I were buying today, unless found the B&W CDM sound above the NHT's league, I would be inclined to pick the NHT.

The T5 system consists of the two M5 satellite speakers, two B5 subwoofer modules for each channel, the A1 subwoofer amp and the X1 crossover. Each satellite M5 attaches to one of the B5 subs to form a tower type floor standing speaker. The X1 crossover takes the signal prior to amplification, sending the subwoofer frequencies to the A1 amp to drive the subs, and the high frequencies to your regular amp/receiver for amplification and transmission to the satellite portions. The X1 cross over has excellent control parameters that let you really fine tune the subs. Also, the X1 is a stereo unit, so you can add a second A1 amp, and drive your B5 modules in stereo rather than mono. This whole set up retails for $2500, obviates the need for a subwoofer, and sounds simply FANTASTIC.

to expand to a full hometheater, you just buy more M5 satellites at $450 each. it serves as both the surround and the center channel, and being the same upper range speaker as the T5, the sound is perfectly matched between all speakers.

This system is simply awesome. you can also go up to the T6 system which is essentially a T5 with bigger drivers in the satellites, two drivers in each bass module and two included A1 amps. it costs $4000. just awesome.

 

[Johnny_L]

So what would u say is a better setup since you know and have heard both. 1)B&W CDM 7NT fronts, CDM CNT center, DM 601 S3 rears and a ASW cm for the sub or possibly ASW CDM. 2)NHT T5 for the front, M5 for the rears, not sure what to use for the center speaker and would i need or would it be a lot betterto get a sub too. Which of the two setups do you think is better. I want the sounds to be full, but more crisp, and clear sounding. I am also getting hooked up for the speakers as well so it will definately below retail price. Thanks for all your advice as well!!!

 

[Haru]

my first and strongest impluse is to tell you to take a couple of CDs that your systems HAS to sound good with, music that you're intimately familiar with, and listen to the systems for yourself. personal preference is a really big thing, I am telling you.

I must warn you however to not use DM rears in the CDM NT system. The two series are not timbre matched, and the DM601 is not the ideal speaker for the surround. You would need the CDM 1NT in the back. Also, the ASW cm sub will not come near the performance of the T5 system. So, either you upgrade the choice of surround speakers and subwoofer or you look into the NHT route. But there too, you would need properly matched speakers for the surround, i.e. the M5 at $450 each. substituting some other cheaper NHT model that is no timbre matched to M5 will cause you to have non-optimal sound.

 

[Haru]

also, I don't know much about the ASW CDM, but my guess will be that two NHT B6 modules will outperform one the B&Ws. And the added flexibility of having the subwoofer contols in your equipment rack rather than on the back panel of the subwoofer is EXTREMELY convenient.

 

[Haru]

see here a couple of reviews of the T5 system
http://204.126.173.47/reviews/evolution_sound.pdf
http://204.126.173.47/reviews/evolution_ht.pdf

 

[Johnny_L]

One of the articles mentioned something about a biamping, so would I need an extra amp or something or can the Yamaha z1 handle that? Also i noticed that one of the driver in the M5's are a 3 inch paper woofer, Is that bad and cant that rip? What does the B&W s have? sorry for all the questions. I think I am leading towards the NHT's now cuz it has or will have two 12 inch subs instead of just one. I think i will still try to go listen to them as well.

 

[Mike Butny]

Stick with the B&W speakers.

 

[Haru]

johny,

by biamping they mean that the T5 is driven by two different amplifiers. the bass section is driven by the included A1 amp, and the upper section is driven by your receiver. The RX-Z1 will most certainly be up to the task.

you don't have to worry about the "paper" woofer. Like metal can be liquid mercury, thin aluminium foil, or forged steel, so is paper a lot of things, and the one thing that the NHT woofer won't face is getting ripped because its paper. of course everything can break, but it breaking because its paper is extremely unlikely. a very large number of woofers you see are made of paper because in terms of weight, stiffness, and formability, paper is a great material for this application.

The B&W midrange driver is made of woven kevlar and B&W has made it a central point of its marketing. the idea being that kevlar is not only light and strong, it also does not resonate because vibrations cannot ring across it. That is supposed to make the thing sound very good.