NHT XdS First Impressions
Introduction
Life is good as an audioholic writing reviews for Audioholics. And one of the nicest things about being in this fortunate circumstance is Gene never sends junk. Ever. (I’ve asked him on occasion to send some suitable specimens of junk, ripe for public skewering, but he’s never been inclined to do so). So in my brief time as a reviewer for Audioholics I’ve been in a fortunate position to find a stream of quality products being delivered to my front door. A fine case in point, and the topic of this review’s conversation, is the NHT Xd system. If I had to describe the system in one sentence I would say, without reservation, here is a system that actually lives up to all the hype. And looks pretty cool doing it, too
Since its incorporation in December of 1986, NHT has, by anyone’s measure, lead a storied existence:
definitely a company that has seen its share of ups and downs. (For those interested, the 5/91 edition of SpeakerBuilder magazine features Bruce Edgar interviewing Ken Kantor, an NHT co-founder, discussing the challenges of sheparding a startup along with an insiders technical guide to the engineering that had gone into there earlier products, such as the Model 1 & 2).
Through it all, NHT have managed to bring to market consistently innovative products, notably forward thinking in design. The Xd system is just such a product. A hybrid, if you will, of advanced speaker, amplifier and digital processing technology that all adds up to one sweet listening experience, sure to surprise & satisfy demanding audio palates everywhere.
First Impressions
So what exactly do you get for $6000.00 US (MSRP)?
In a nutshell, you get a pair of XdS each sporting a 1” tweeter & 5.25” midrange driver, (with stands & cabling) the XdW (a bass module) packing 2 10” woofers and its own built-in PowerPhysics 500 W Class D power amp & cabling, and the XdA, a Deqx/PowerPhysics processor/power amp with 6 channels of DSP processing, 4 x 150 W amplification channels, 2 line level outs, firmware upgradeable via USB. Though tempting at first glance to think so, its definitely not a satellite/subwoofer system, typical or otherwise.
Figures 1 – 3: Unpacking an XdS. Note the cover for the woofer, used during shipment for protective purposes. Note also the 4-pin banana plug found at the end of the coiled speaker cable, also in Fig. 3 and parked just to the right of the woofer’s protective cover. The big blue sock keeps the Xd’s superb finish in pristine condition.
“Retro moderne” is how an interior designer friend of mine described the appearance of the system.
The burgundy/cream color combination of the supplied review system is a classic and the overall look is reminiscent of the Raymond Loewy school of industrial design. “Entirely new, yet entirely familiar” is another phrase she used to describe the visual impact of the system. The Xd system is a unique looking product, that doesn’t take an advanced degree in the visual arts to appreciate. The folks at NHT must have thought long and hard where it came to crafting the appearance of the system. It has a way of growing on you and though the system has graced my listening room for a considerable length of time, the novelty hasn’t worn off, either. It’s as cool looking today as the day is was first unpacked.
