NHT Classic Two Setup

They say perfect objectivity is an unrealistic goal, though fairness is not. I must admit I’m a little biased when it comes to NHT speakers, since they were my first real hi-fi speakers. I almost bought a used pair of NHT Super-Twos, but their new Super Audio line had just been released, so I bought the ST-4s instead. NHT has implemented some clever ideas, bringing high-end sound to the budget-minded people like me. Super Audio is where NHT brought its aluminum-dome tweeters and a separate enclosure design to its ST-4. These are ideas that would be improved upon in the Classic series.

The Classic Two is a complete 5.1 bookshelf speaker system. It consists of two Classic Two bookshelf speakers, two Absolute Zero bookshelf speakers, a center speaker and a subwoofer. The Two C is this system’s center channel speaker, and at first glance, it appears to be a real gem for this system. It’s a three-way center speaker, set up with a superior configuration than the Super Audio’s center channel speakers. The subwoofer in this system is NHT’s Ten, a powered sub with a 10" driver.

Two: Two-way bookshelf. 6.5" polypropylene cone woofer, 1" aluminum dome tweeter. 12.7 lbs

• Absolute Zero: Two-way bookshelf. 5.25" polypropylene cone woofer, 1" aluminum dome tweeter. 8 lbs.

• Ten: Vented 150W Powered Subwoofer. 10" long throw aluminum cone woofer. 41 lbs.

• Two C: Three-way center channel. 2 x 5.25" aluminum cone woofers. 2" aluminum dome mid-range and ¾" tweeter pod.

The Classic Two is NHT’s step-up system from the Classic Zero, another almost identical 5.1 speaker system. The only difference between the Classic Two and Classic Zero is the inclusion of the Two bookshelf speakers for the front. The speakers I received came in the new Special Dark color, reminiscent of a black cherry wood, but they’ve got a smooth, glossy finish. Since I had only seen the sample color square of Special Dark on NHT’s website, I wouldn’t have picked this color for myself. However, once I got a look at all the speakers together, I found that the Special Dark did have a charm of its own. The smooth lines of all the Classic speakers harkens back to another era in electronics, when even radios had a distinctly art deco look to them. But the contours in the upper enclosures aren’t simply for style. Apparently, it tightens the space inside the acoustic suspension enclosure around the tweeter, which provides a more solid cabinet design. According to NHT, this will increase the resolution from their aluminum dome tweeters.

Aluminum Tweeter / Mid-range Pod

New to NHT’s Classic line is the aluminum dome mid-range/tweeter pod. This system consists of a 2" aluminum dome mid-range and a ¾" tweeter. The special assembly is designed to provide enhanced dispersion and resolution, and is found in the Two C center channel speaker. The Three C, the Three, and the Four tower speaker from the Classic line also use NHT’s special aluminum dome tweeter/mid-range pod. NHT’s use of aluminum in the speaker is a clever way of bringing the high-end performance of a very rigid but lightweight material into the drivers. The 1" aluminum driver has been used by NHT in its previous Super series, and that same driver still exists in the Two and Absolute Zero. For the aluminum tweeter/mid-range pod found in the Two C center, NHT has incorporated a scaled down version of their 1" tweeter which is a ¾” size in this system.

Pricier, high-end speakers by the likes of B&W, JM Labs and others use costly minerals like diamond and beryllium to achieve a more ideal driver response. Aluminum, if implemented properly, can share many of the performance virtues of the more exotic materials at a fraction of the cost. Lately, we’ve all probably seen too many speakers using aluminum drivers or even knock-offs of aluminum drivers just for appearance’s sake, but they fail miserably to achieve the audio benefits you want. One of the most significant changes to the Classic line - which isn’t mentioned on any of their spec sheets - is the upgraded cabinets: they’re now double-braced with a stiffer structure, to help prevent panel acoustic output and improve dispersion.

Setup

Minimal assembly was required to place tracks on the bottom of the bookshelf speakers. Both the Absolute Zero and Two had rounded bottoms, which would be fine for hanging on the wall but wouldn’t sit right on a stand. Included with the tracks are rubber feet and screws to fasten them on.

At 20’ x 31’ my Home Theater room is too large for a small bookshelf speaker system and a solo 10” sub. I set them up anyway, to get an idea of the sound, and was obviously completely under whelmed. It’s not surprising the details and bass were lost inside this room, with its carpeting and big couch. Even with the sub corner loaded, it couldn’t build up enough momentum to produce the rumble required of Home Theater. Also, in this room, the Twos didn’t have the dispersion or dynamic range to produce any compelling soundstage. However, the center performed admirably, as voices in the soundtrack were clear - a testament to the design of the aluminum dome tweeter / midrange.

I had a chance to break in the Absolute Zeros and Twos separately, using them as stereo-only speakers connected to a system in a smaller room in the basement. The gym in the basement is where I listen to loud music intended to inspire me to move faster and push just a little more weight. The bass output in both these tiny speakers blew me away considering their size (however the resonance of the low ceiling probably contributed favorably to their total output). I was also surprised by the weight of both pairs, after several times hefting them onto a shelf near the ceiling. Going back and forth (when I’m already tired) was a workout in itself and gave me an opportunity to hear the speakers in a casual listening environment.

The biggest surprise was the Absolute Zero - for such a small speaker, the frequency response was amazing and the dynamic range of the lower frequencies caught me off guard. There was a point during some of the hard rock tunes where I had to turn the volume down, because the bass was hurting my head. I certainly didn’t expect this from the Absolute Zero. The more I listened to it in comparison to the Twos as two channel-only speakers; I started to detect a slightly different character from the Absolute Zero.  It seemed a little more articulate in the upper midrange than the two. The cost of using a smaller woofer in the AZ is of course bass response, but somehow I didn’t even notice the loss while listening. If I had to fill a small to medium-sized room with two channel stereo sound, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Absolute Zero. I could easily see it being used as the front speaker in a 5.1 system.

After this test, I took the whole 5.1 system out of the large Home Theater room and reassembled it in a considerably smaller bedroom, measuring only about 10’x15’. I put the sub in the front corner of the room and set up the Twos up front on stands. The Absolute Zeros sat on nightstands on either side of the bed.

Testing Home Theater in a bedroom was certainly an exercise in decadence. At first I didn’t trust the Absolute Zero speakers being so close to me - they were only about three feet away from my ears and less than a foot from the wall. But after calibration and toying with positioning, I was amazed at the imaging of rear channel. When the rear channel speakers were tested together to create a phantom center rear, it sounded like the test tone was coming from a sixth speaker inside my head.