Let's face it; the economy still stinks. People are not exactly running out and buying expensive loudspeakers like they have a lot of money to throw around. The growing popularity of home-theaters-in-a-box (HTiBs) and soundbars proves just how many people are looking to do the audio portion of their system on the more affordable end. If expensive loudspeakers are not palpable right now, then what is? Quality affordable loudspeakers such as the NHT Absolute 5.1T System. Duh.
The fine people who run NHT mean well. But I really think they need to have their heads checked. Based upon the past several weeks of daily listening and movie watching, I would have to contend that they are certifiable. The pricing structure for these loudspeakers is way too low. Having listened to my fair share of products over the years; either under review, or at various trade shows, I have had the opportunity to really listen to loudspeakers from every price point. Some of the most expensive products left me extremely underwhelmed, while some of the overly hyped bargain basement products also left me cold. That is not the case with this package from NHT. Every last aspect is impressive: design, build quality, budget-friendly price and most importantly, performance.
Now that NHT has gone direct, with only a smattering of online dealers, a select network of local specialty dealers, plus their very own web store, the prices for their products have dropped below even their old, reasonable prices. From NHT's perspective, it certainly makes sense to cut out the middleman and let consumers buy their speakers online or from a favored local dealer at a lower price. At the new price points, the system under review represents a genuine opportunity to take the high-end plunge and know that your money was well spent on a system that will bring you years of aural enjoyment.
NHT has a reputation for putting a lot of well-thought out technology into their boxes, and the proof as they say is always in the rice pudding (the kind your grandma makes, not the lousy stuff you buy at Food Town); or in this case in the quality of the sound with both music and movies. The finish on all of these speakers is ridiculously good considering the price; the multiple coats of lacquer really give them an expensive look. You have to love it when a company decides to go overboard and not cut corners. The reality is that you don't expect it at this price point, which makes the warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you remove them from their boxes even better. Group hug time. You can let go now. Sure, I knew you could.
The heart of the system, the new Absolute Tower is a very deceptive looking product; it's also one of the best sub-$1,500 loudspeakers that I have ever heard, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. NHT provides a rather heavy base for these lads and it works for a couple of reasons; stability and bass response. At 38"H x 10"W x 12"D (with the base attached), the Absolute Towers are not exactly small. They have a most definite presence; both visually and sonically. The weird thing is how they just disappear into the room, which is a very good thing for any loudspeaker.
Each Tower features a 3-way, dual woofer, acoustic suspension design. Yes, I realize that they have 4 drivers. There is a 1" aluminum dome tweeter (which has to be one of the few metal dome tweeters that I can stand), a single 5.25" polypropylene midrange driver (housed in its own enclosure internally), and two 5.25" polypropylene woofers. At close to 37 pounds each, these puppies are no lightweights. The binding posts are above average in quality, but not exactly WBTs. I left the grille covers off during serious listening (as opposed to slightly silly listening...who invented these inane audiophile expressions?) because they were more transparent sounding. For $999, you are getting a lot of loudspeaker for your heavily taxed shekels.
The Absolute Zero bookshelf loudspeaker is exactly that; a bookshelf loudspeaker. It has had a long and storied run for the folks at Now Hear This, in its many incarnations. Many moons ago, the original "SuperZero" was the little darling of the high-end reviewing community (I owned two pairs back in 1994 and our editor Chris Boylan still has a few around for reference in his own home theater system). It was a great sounding little speaker back then. Guess what? It sounds even better now.
NHT Has three different sized center channel speakers in their line-up, and the Absolute Center channel loudspeaker is the entry-level model for those keeping score. It is also a 2-way acoustic suspension design that utilizes two 5.25" polypropylene woofers and one 1" aluminum dome tweeter. The Absolute Center is fully shielded and weighs a whopping 17 pounds. At 19"W x 5.7"H x 7.37"D, the Absolute Center is pretty compact and will easily fit inside most television stands. It is short enough to be placed under most wall-mounted televisions with plenty of clearance room. It needs a little more power than the other models to really open up, but you should be safe with 75-100 watts of good clean amplification.
Rounding out the package is the NHT Ten subwoofer. The Ten is a beast; in the best of all possible ways. It houses a very impressive looking and sounding 10" long-throw aluminum cone woofer that is driven by a gutsy little 150 watt Class G amplifier. At 18"H x 11.25"W x 15"D, the Ten is not one of those HTiB-like subwoofers that you can just toss in the corner and attach. It weighs 41 pounds and you'll feel it in your lower back the moment you try lifting it. It is rated down to 31Hz, but I would suggest that it goes down even lower in the right room with proper placement. Two subwoofers usually work better than one, but you'll be fine in a small-medium sized room with a single Ten subwoofer. Apartment dwellers are forewarned.
What makes this system so special is its cohesiveness and overall level of resolution for such a low asking price. Turn the volume down and it still sounds good. Crank the volume all the way up and it doesn't fall apart at the frequency extremes. the NHT 5.1T may not be the ideal surround system for a large room, but position these little puppies properly and dial in the subwoofer in a small to medium sized room and you'll achieve the desired sound quite easily,
I think we have a "situation" here and we're not talking Jersey Shore...
A lot of speakers can play loudly. Not all of them sound that great when you do. The Absolute Towers can be pushed and pushed and pushed until your ears can take no more. The scary thing is how good they sound the louder you play them. The midrange on the Absolute Towers is extremely transparent sounding, with just the right amount of warmth. Female vocals in particular just sound right; Sarah McLachlan? Ethereal. Tori Amos? Raspy.
Another area where the Absolute Towers excel is tonality. Guitar and alto sax, in particular just sound dead on. It doesn't matter if you are listening to Charlie Parker, Phil Woods, Paul Desmond, or Canonnball Adderly; you'll always know that you are listening to an alto sax. The Absolute Towers are not large speakers by any stretch of the imagination; they just sound like large speakers. I was immediately impressed by the ability of the Absolute Towers to reproduce music and soundtracks with real gravitas.
NHT's speakers over the years (and I've owned a few of them) have always been good with all kinds of music, unlike some other high-end products that sound great with jazz and classical but sound like a jumbled mess with rock and heavy metal. Their bass limitations, notwithstanding, the Absolute Zeros are all-around great loudspeakers. They do not reproduce music with the same sense of scale as the larger Absolute Towers, or even the Threes, but what they do for their asking price is very impressive indeed.
A lot of manufacturers make interesting claims about the frequency response of their loudspeakers, especially subwoofers. NHT claims that the Ten has solid bass down to 31Hz and based on what I heard using some test tones, they are not throwing that number around lightly. Not only does the Ten reproduce very resolute and taut sounding bass, but it is quick and very coherent sounding. If you enjoy listening to the bass guitar, you will immediately be impressed by the fact that the Ten does not suffer from "one-note disease".
My Denon surround receiver has the power to drive far more demanding loads, but it just sounded so comfortable with the Absolute Towers. When I cranked it up (which was basically when the entire family was out of the house), the Absolute Towers glared at me as if I had no respect for their high-end origins. My ears gave up way before these loudspeakers did. While not as forceful in the lower midrange and upper bass as my Spendor A6 floorstanders, the Absolute Towers were still quite resolute in their performance. Confident and coherent is the best way to describe their presentation.
You would have to be f!#*^% deaf not to understand how good this is...
At 17'L x 13'W x 8'H, my home theater room most falls into the "medium-sized" category and while the Absolute Center loudspeaker did a great job, it still came across as slightly small-sounding for the room; certainly in comparison to my significantly larger reference Spendor C9e. At $199.00, the Absolute Center channel loudspeaker is downright highway robbery. In my not so humble opinion, nobody on planet speaker is making anything as good as this for the money. It has no competition. Zilch. But compared to my $1,800 Spendor C9e (too bad Spendor doesn't offer this anymore), the Absolute Center sounds... a little puny.
I know that it is unfair to compare a speaker that costs ten times more, but the Spendor sets a very high benchmark for center channel loudspeakers. I have owned it for almost eight years and unless Spendor comes out with something that bests it in a big way, it will be my center channel loudspeaker of choice for my main rig for many years to come. The C9e has midrange and top end resolution that could be classified as "reference" quality. The fact that I was able to actually enjoy the NHT system, without feeling the need to run back to my reference speaks volumes for the quality and performance of these little gems. In fact, the NHT Absolute Center channel does three things that make it untouchable for your hard earned cash:; plays ungodly loud without losing its lunch, sounds extremely coherent across the entire frequency range, and it anchors the entire system very well. The sound quality of the Absolute Center really makes me wonder what NHT's other, only slightly more expensive center channel loudspeakers can do.
Turn Ons
Are there better home theater speaker systems than the NHT Absolute 5.1T? Absolutely. Just not for under $3,000. In some ways -- namely, transparency at really loud volume levels and imaging -- it bests my $8,000 Spendor home theater system. Where it loses out to the boxy Brits, is in its midrange resolution, top end shimmer and overall sense of scale. Vocals sound great through all of the NHTs, but they don't quite have the presence of the more expensive Spendor loudspeakers, which, considering the price difference, is still quite an accomplishment.
If Lord Louise will let me keep them, I have a new surround sound system for my living room that will keep me happy for years to come. You can't beat this system without spending a lot more. Kudos to the folks for NHT for being so gifted and cost conscious. I still think they are certifiable. Utterly.
Buy NHT Loudspeakers Online:
Manufacturer's Specifications on NHT Absolute 5.1T System Components:
NHT Absolute Tower Speaker
NHT Absolute Center Speaker
NHT Absolute Zero Bookshelf Speaker
NHT Ten Powered Subwoofer
Buy NHT Loudspeakers on Amazon.com:
Manufacturer's Contact Details:
Now Hear This
535 Getty Court
Benicia. CA 94510
ph: 800-NHT-9993 (800-648-9993)
On the web: www.nhthifi.com
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