I am amazed by NHT SB-1 speakers. What about SB-3 or SuperOne, even better?

Hmm...SuperZero 2.1 + SS 10 Subwoofer delivered from Amazon in 2 days for $500...tempting...

 

Pretty good deal if you want a sub. If so, I would definitely stick with the NHT.

 

The C3s have jumped up to >$450/each on Amazon, so not the relative bargain they sometimes are. FWIW, my SuperOnes were okay with a ML Dynamo 300 sub purchased at closeout prices.

I'll spend part of this rainy day listening to a Nick Drake compilation sacd on this system: Sony UBP-X800, Marantz NR 1402, Linn LK100, NHT C3/Martin-Logan Dynamo 300.

 

They were $319 each yesterday now $463. Too many on this forum checking them out or buying?

 

Whoa!

 

I would MUCH rather have larger speakers with no sub, even if bass is not as "low" or not "as much". But I am only interested in 2-channel, and audiophile sound.

Or even slightly larger speakers and a lower crossover frequency for the sub(s). Then just the natural roll-off to the mains with no high-pass filter at all to them.

And I'm the guy who STARTED this thread.

 

As a result of this NHT survey, I have too many NHTs now. So if anyone would like to make an offer on the pair of gloss white SuperOne (original version), like new, please PM me.

 

Hoffman.tv rules are everything has to have a stating price, so I am thinking $180 plus actual cost of shipping.

 

@Warren Jarrett, you have caused me to question the sound of my Classic 3's: "Am I missing something?" I think to myself. I just ordered a pair of SuperOne 2.1's to find out.

 

Please listen to Tuxedo Moon, Joy Division, Bauhaus and Husker Du, with your Hana SL cartridge in stereo, no processing and no subwoofer.

Crank up the Meat Puppets and Fugazi, too, if you have them. With the above and these records I suspect the SuperOne 2.1 will pump you up more than the C-3. Probably best to have your loved one available soon after you listen, to vent all that energy you'll absorb.

I look forward to reading your findings.

 

Point of order, if I may.

They are Classic "Threes."

And don't sell them unless you must. You'll regret it. They do many things, and do them very well.

(Thank you for your indulgence. )

 

Thanks for that tip, I don't plan on selling the Classic-3s. I can always use them to build a second system.

 

Oh right, my mistake. I've never heard the Classic Three, only the C-3. I can only guess that they may have some similar sound characteristics, being of similar cabinet volume and both being 3-way.

But I am thinking the older model might indeed sound better, because of most purchasing agents' motivation to save money on crossover parts. In these days of rapidly increasing costs, any company that offers "value" products has to find ways to save costs. A three-way speaker is much more audibly sensitive to the materials and quality used in its crossover. Audio Note feels so strongly about this that they don't even make a 3-way speaker.

So, as much as I would hope there is a model of NHT 3-way that sounds better than the C-3, I am more suspicious that their 2-ways sound universally better, in the areas of performance that I value.

I happily returned my C-3 speakers (B-stock with slight cosmetic damage to the grills) to Amazon, even though they were only $231 each, a bargain for a speaker that LOOKS that good.

 

Very interesting thread, as I have several pairs of NHT speakers (Classic 3, Classic 2, AZ, SuperZero 2.1, Classic 3C, Evolution U2 sub system). At one point I had 3 Classic 3's across the front in my MC system. At present, I have a pair of the Classic 3's in my 2CH system, but this thread has motivated me to pull the SuperZero 2.1's out of the closet and swap them into my 2CH system.

As an aside, when Stereophile measured the Classic 3's, JA found that the grills did have a very measurable affect on the treble response. I can't say I have heard anything, but listed to them with the grills off on general principles.

NHT Classic Three loudspeaker

 

I'm not sure if Super Zeroes and a well matched sub qualifies as "audiophile", but they sure do qualify as fun. Every mansion should have a room with 'em.

I haven't missed an SB2 post or paragraph, have I?

 

So what qualifies as "audiophile" in your world?

 

I agree. At my wife's house, we have a dedicated home theater room, just a big bedroom really. We have a projector and screen, 5.1 processing, players for Blu-Ray and the now defunct HD-DVD, big Aerial Acoustics main and center speakers (BIG!), and a 15" subwoofer crossed over at 50 Hz. Great fun occasionally. But at my home, The Audio Home, I only have 2-channel systems, 4 of them. I listen to music every day, sometimes all DAY AND night. That is my love and hobby: LPs, reel-to-reel tapes, SACD, Bly-Ray, DVD-Audio, many phono cartridges to choose from (each one much more expensive than any NHT speaker ever made) on 6 turntables (each one worth more than any car I have ever owned). That is just me, not that I would recommend such a devotion to anyone else.

All the other hobbies I ever loved are dead and gone for me, since chronic health problems keep me almost totally inactive.

No you didn't miss anything about the SB-2 yet. I am so crazy about the SuperOne 2.1, I have not inserted the SB-2 yet. But they look very similar, so it should be an interesting comparison. As you may remember, the original SuperOne speakers totally bombed, in my listening sessions with them. And I won't even mention any more about how much I disliked the C-3 speakers.

 

Well, I was actually referring to actual purist audiophiles - and I ain't one of them!

I did actually ditch my SZ setup 15+ years ago, just because I wanted a bit more fullness and the ability to play loud a bit more cleanly. The SB1 was enough. (Strangely, the SB2s from the basement never sounded as run with the sub. The 1 was the seamless one.) My 20 x 13 room was a tad big perhaps. I gather the new Zero has cleaned up what some used to call a "wiry" treble when pushed.

 

You're running a musical Disneyland!

 

That's probably a big room for the SuperZeros. I have the SuperOnes (2.1) in my living room which is 13.5'x18.5'. I can push them to a level higher than I would ever listen to. The couple sets of SuperZeros I have are in smaller bedrooms (no subs) and that's where I think they're comfortable.

 

The first question was not directed towards me, but may I answer about my world? My health is heavily damaged now by radiation treatments for cancer 43 years ago, which my saved life. I was cured of Hodgekin's Disease when I was about 20, and enjoyed many hobbies since then, and an engineering career that took me to many countries for work and play. I could have had a recurrence of cancer at any time, so I always adventured with SCUBA diving, private airplane flying, off-road motorcycling, mountain biking, camping, and world traveling. But I never died, so I was extremely lucky. Almost everyone who had cancer that long ago have died a long time ago. Finally, now, the radiation (the cure) is taking its toll. I can only stay home, mostly in bed or a listening chair. I get tired of watching movies but I never get tired of hearing music.

So, my definition of audiophile is simply MY TASTE in audio equipment and sound, in a pretty high budget level, admittedly above what most people can fit into their complicated lives. I have no family except a 99 year old mother, and a hard-working, well-paid wife. Whatever money I can get a-hold-of is available for my only hobby. I suffer from pain and severe non-curable conditions every day, but my ears are treated with the best distraction from my medical situation that I have at my disposal: about 50,000 LP records, a few very special reel-to-reel tapes, and quite a lot of CDs.

"Audiophile" in my world means strictly 2-channel music, played through expensive high-end audio equipment that I can barely afford, through which the sound is absolutely as good or better than anyplace I have ever heard it, and continuously sounding even better through regular explorations into equipment upgrades and side-moves. Currently, Audio Note makes the best sounding equipment I have every heard, so I regularly demo my audio systems, at The Audio Home, and occasionally make some sales of it. This is indeed my "musical Disneyland" and an ultimate expression of the "audiophile" hobby, as I see it..

 

Wow, Warren, thank you for sharing that. Keep fighting and enjoying every moment because it's really all any of us have - the moment we are in.

 

I have a pair of SB-3's and an SC-1 available if anyone is interested...

 

Yes, I would like to buy the pair of SB-3. Please PM me.

 

I finally brought myself to remove the wonderful SuperOne 2.1 speakers, and replace them with the SB2. Then I've stayed up listening now until 3:30 am.

Between these two models and the original SuperOne, this is a particularly interesting comparison because they are about the same size and look about the same, seemingly 3 generations of the same speaker. But they definitely sound very different from each other in my system. The SB2 are also wonderful, which further confirms how disappointing the original SuperOne were compared to all the other NHT bookshelf models I've heard.

I will continue listening to my reference repertoire this afternoon and write about my final results.