Audiophiles may not want to accept it, but the iPod was the single best thing that ever happened to audio. Not only did it stimulate interest in music among the young around the globe, but it opened up new opportunities for manufacturers of loudspeakers who had to think outside the box and come up with creative and affordable products for consumers who had zero interest in high-end systems that they could never afford. One company that understood that long before the advent of the iPod was NHT.
Now Hear This turned the high-end on its proverbial golden ear with the release of the original SuperZero loudspeaker in the 90s and it dropped the hammer with the release of its budget-killer Super Zero 2.0 in 2010. With the holiays shopping season only weeks away, NHT is unloading a bunker buster today in Manhattan with the introduction of its powered SuperPower high-end powered loudspeaker that will retail for $199 each.
If you think the SuperPower looks a lot like the Super Zero 2.0, you're not going crazy and do not adjust your set. The SuperPower utilizes a 4.5" long-throw woofer and 1" silk dome tweeter in a sealed box finished in NHT's trade-mark high-gloss laminate. The rear panel features a power switch, RCA input, and power cord receptacle.
What makes the SuperPower so special is the 90 watt power amplifier built inside the loudspeaker's cabinet. The amplifier is mated with a custom designed pre-amp circuit that shapes the speakers' response for both bass extension (to 72Hz) and additional SPL (over 111dB @1 Meter). If the SuperPower reminds some of the older NHT M-00 powered mini-monitor, they would be correct as NHT took some of the inspiration for new loudspeaker from that very successful model. It was very popular in the pro audio world and NHT is betting that the SuperPower will appeal to consumers in the same way.
NHT is also sick of music lovers just plopping their loudspeakers on some shelf; sacrificing midrange purity and restricting the soundstage from exploding in front of your grinning face, so they have also introduced the DeskStand ($59.00 per pair) which is made out of 10-guage carbon steel. The stands not only look cool but they do exactly what they were designed to do.
The SuperPowers can play incredibly loud (aside from just sounding great), but they were not designed to deliver deep bass and that's why NHT suggests that you mate them with one of their Super 8 powered subwoofers ($299 when purchased with a pair of SuperPower loudspeakers). This little dynamo can deliver taut bass response, even in medium to large sized rooms. The SuperZero 2.0/Super 8 combination is one of the best bangs for the buck and we think that the SuperPower/Super 8 duo raises the bar even further by eliminating the need for a separate amplifier component.
Rounding out NHT's ultimate desktop system supplies is the company's PVC PC [$99] - a passive volume control interface that puts a simple, reference caliber volume knob at the user's fingertips, and in the process isolates any computer-generated noise from the speakers. In addition, the PVC helps reduce the unwelcome sonic effects of software-based volume "dithering" effects and makes the addition of a Super 8 subwoofer even simpler.
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