After a bit of research into the NHTs Classic line, I believe the Classic Two suffers from Jan Brady syndrome – “Marsh, Marsha, Marsha”. This is because the Two fits between two systems that are likely to be more popular. The Classic Zero is probably one of the best options for a budget bookshelf system and a smaller room. A system comprised of Absolute Zero front and surrounds would make a very nice match for the Ten subwoofer. The Classic Three may be one of the finest bookshelf  5.1 speaker systems, period. The Classic Two may have difficulty finding the perfect application with only a pair of Two’s up front and a pair of Absolute Zero speakers for surrounds. This system can be found for an excellent retail price of about $1700.

NHT gives you the freedom to mix and match. The speaker systems found on NHT’s website like “Classic Two” and “Classic Zero” are only suggested systems, these are not pre-packaged systems.. Assembling speakers from NHT’s Classic line to fit your individual needs is a real treat and there might be some better ways to match the speakers.

When putting together a 5.1 speaker system you’re not just buying speakers. You’re answering a problem, like a math equation, with the best possible answer. In this case, the problem is the room you must fill with sound. The solution most manufacturers want to sell you is based purely on meeting a certain price goal. Shoppers often get caught up following manufacturers’ and retailers’ own incremental cost-centric solutions - a fact made evident when you see the aisle of A/V gear at Best Buy and how it’s lined up by cost. This marketing style leads people to believe that on one end (generally the lower-priced end) lies the best solution, and on the other, the least desirable. This forgets each product’s unique qualities. The result is consumers end up forcing standardized systems into their living rooms when they should really be demanding that their specific needs be met. That can’t always come from a pre-labeled rating. With NHT’s Classic line this Californian manufacturer hasn’t forgotten that the key to buying your personal 5.1 speaker system is to remain focused on the best possible solution to the “problem”. And that solution doesn’t necessarily fit into most manufacturer’s ideas of “good”, “better” or “best”. NHT provides suggested matches giving consumers the ability add speakers to assemble a 6.1, 7.1 or add an extra sub.

One weakness of the Classic Two as a complete system is that no two speakers use any of the same woofers. This can be easily circumvented by employing substitutions for the best driver match possible.

It would seem that this system was assembled to meet a price point above the Classic Zero, but below the Three. You can’t blame NHT for the demands of the market; they’re just playing the game by putting out the Classic Two. If you have the choice, you might want to add a couple of tweaks and go ‘outside the box’ so to speak to create the best solution to your “problem”.

Recommendations

Differences between the Two and Absolute Zero were noticeable, but not in the way one might expect. The Two wasn’t clearly the Absolute Zero’s superior. In fact, it was my observation that in a smaller room either would make a fine cornerstone for a 5.1 system. And, by supposedly ‘downgrading’ to Absolute Zero, you could actually save about $200 on the price of front speakers, without noticeably compromising quality. If cost isn’t a factor you could go with four Two’s and upgrade the sub to the Twelve which is a better match for the Twos.

The Two C is a suitable member of this system if placement for the center speaker is inside a shelf or on top of a projection TV over the audience, it’s probably best to keep it. The Center is tuned a little differently than a regular speaker because it’s designed to compensate for boundary reinforcements caused by shelves, close walls or sitting on top of a big TV. But, if you have the ability to place the speaker on a stand, you might want to consider simply using another Absolute Zero (or Two if you went that route) as your center. This substitution actually saves you about $300.

If you take both these paths, you’ll end up with five speakers that are completely matched and a savings of about $500 - but hold on you’re going to need some of that.

The next thing you’ll have to do is upgrade that Ten sub to a Twelve (or buy a second Ten). Both solutions will accomplish the same goal of providing the low end you’ll be missing out on with all those Absolute Zeros. The Twelve costs about $300 more than the Ten, but it’ll be worth every penny. 

Conclusion

Overall if I was looking for a 5.1 speaker system in the budget of almost $2,000, would I buy this system?

Two grand on this speaker system isn’t cheap, despite its being classified in the low cost category. But, for a high quality set of bookshelf speakers, you would be hard pressed to do any better. Looking around at competitors in this price point brings up systems like B&W 602 or MT-20. Bose priced its Lifestyle 28 system at $2,000 for speakers that are a fraction of the size of the Classic Two with less than a fraction of the sound quality. There is no doubt that for a smaller room around 15’x20’ the Classic Two system will really shine. For this price it would be difficult to find comparable build quality or speakers with rigid, sealed enclosures for tightly controlled sound.

With its Classic line, NHT has further pushed the envelope to bring high end performance and affordability. If I had a larger room to fill (20’x20’ or greater) I would be tempted to save the money for the Three system - I haven’t heard it yet, but by all accounts it looks like NHT has produced something very special in the Three. The Absolute Zero / Two / Ten / Two C combination isn’t the best matched speaker system I’ve seen, and I’d be tempted to tweak it. But, I was impressed enough with each speaker in this system to recommend it in any combination.

The silver lining to the Classic Two driver mismatch is if you listen to a lot of CDs and other two channel music sources. You would definitely appreciate the extra push given to the mid-bass having a pair of Twos up front as opposed to the system comprised only of Absolute Zeros. Once my ears adjusted to CD music using only on the Twos I actually caught myself putting my hand on the Ten sub just to ensure it wasn’t being used. I also found the 2.1 music experience very satisfying. The low end wasn’t muddied at all by incorporating the periodic murmur of the Ten subwoofer. NHT’s attention to the musical qualities of their speakers is evident in the details.

The NHT brand should generally be considered by anyone who wants a home theater system that easily makes the transition to hi fidelity music. The Classic Two system should be auditioned if you’re looking to NHT and have a medium to small sized room. Other more sub-heavy 5.1 speaker systems might shake the walls a little more than the Ten from this system is capable of. But, articulate midrange and detailed highs are this system’s forte. If you like to  hear every whisper in a film’s soundtrack, subtleties like birds in the background or wind rustling through trees, then this is the definitely a speaker system to get excited about.  

 NHT
6400 Goodyear Road
Benicia, California 94510
U.S.A.

http://www.nhthifi.com