November 2001 Reviewed by Vince Hanada	NHT SB1 Home-Theater Speaker System

Description Model: SB1 speakers Price: $299.95 USD per pair Dimensions: 10.25"H x 6.25"W x 6.75"D Weight: 8 pounds each Model: SC1 center-channel speaker Price: $299.95 USD Dimensions: 5.63"H x 16.54"W x 6.63"D Weight: 11 pounds Model: SW10 subwoofer Price: 499.95 USD Dimensions: 14.5"H x 14.5"W x 14.5"D Weight: 43 pounds System Price: $1400 USD Warranty: Five years parts and labor (one year for subwoofer amplifier)

Features 4.5" polypropylene mid-woofers (SC1, SB1) 1" aluminum-dome tweeters with neodymium magnets (SC1, SB1) Bass-reflex design (sealed cabinet) (SC1, SB1) Video shielded (SC1, SB1) 10" polypropylene woofer (SW10) 150W amplifier (SW10) Auto on/off (SW10) Variable crossover (40Hz to 180Hz) (SW10) Audio/Video Contour switch (SW10) Phase switch (SW10) Speaker-level and line-level inputs and outputs (SW10) Five-way binding posts High-gloss black or white finish

NHT, or Now Hear This, is a California-based speaker manufacturer known for high-performance speakers. Founded in 1986, its speaker systems are split into three groups, each with a specific purpose: high-end speakers for use predominantly in music systems, speakers designed for home-theater systems, and the value-oriented speakers of the Super Audio line. The SB1 system is the smallest system in the new Super Audio line.

Product description

The SB1 is a compact speaker with a 1" aluminum-dome tweeter and a 5.25" polypropylene woofer. It is a sealed-box design. Its crossover slopes are second order (12dB per octave). The SB1 comes with good-quality five-way binding posts on the back and a removable grille in front. NHT has abandoned its trademark of sharp-edged veneered cabinets in the new Super Audio line -- the SB1 has rounded corners. The cabinets -- available in black and white -- have a high-quality mirror finish, the result of seven coats of high-gloss paint.

The SC1 is the only center-channel speaker in the Super Audio series and is designed to match with every speaker in the line. It has the usual center-channel woofer-tweeter-woofer speaker array, with the woofers flanking the same tweeter used in the SB1. It, too, is a sealed-cabinet design with a removable front grille. Around back, the binding posts are offset to one side, making room for a nifty bracket which enables listeners to aim the center channel at their listening seats. Normally, I use rubber erasers to prop up the rear of my center channel for optimum placement, so the built-in bracket is a welcome addition. The low profile of the SC1 was totally unobtrusive on top of my TV.

The NHT SW10 subwoofer has a rather large port in the front, which offsets a 10" polypropylene woofer. The cabinet is a fairly compact cube, measuring only 14.5" per side. It, too, is finished in high-gloss black. Its comprehensive controls, such as an adjustable crossover and phase switch, make it a versatile component that's easily integrated into a wide variety of systems.

All of the speakers in the NHT SB1 system look classy. The quality of the high-gloss paint is several notches above what I’m used to seeing in this price range, which is usually a black wood-grain finish. This system rates a 10 in SAF (Spousal Acceptance Factor). The entire system retails for $1400 USD.

Home-theater listening

Because of the small size of the SC1 and the SB1s, the placement of these speakers in a room is fairly easy. In my medium-sized family room, the SB1's compact size allowed me to move the speakers around a fair amount to hone-in on the optimum position. I settled on the main SB1s about three feet away from the front wall and about two feet from the side walls. The surround SB1s flanked my listening position, aimed diagonally across the room. The SC1 sat on top of my TV, using the built-in bracket to aim the speaker at my listening seat. The SW10 was placed in the front of the room, adjacent to the left speaker and the video monitor.

The SB1's excellent imaging capability was immediately apparent. This quality was obvious with the Forrest Gump Special Collector’s Edition DVD. Subtle sound effects are sprinkled throughout the DVD, and the NHT SB1 handled these beautifully. For example, as Forrest sits on his bench, telling his life story, there's the sound of buses panning across the front soundstage. The bus sounds have a smooth transition from right speaker, to center channel, and ending up at the left speaker. When the buses pull out from the bus stop, they gradually fade away from the left speaker. With the SB1, the speaker disappears, with the faded bus sounds seemingly coming from an area slightly behind the speaker, but never localized at the speaker.

Forrest Gump is predominantly a dialogue-driven DVD, which the NHT SC1 handled well. From big Forrest Gump to little Forrest Gump, Jr., voices were reproduced cleanly. As with most center-channels to which I’ve listened, the SC1’s horizontal array of drivers suffers from minor coloration, due to the close proximity to the front of the TV from which sounds are reflected. As an experiment, I used a surround SB1 on top of the TV for center-channel duty. As can be expected, the center SB1 mated perfectly with the main SB1s. The minor coloration I encountered using the SC1 was gone, and the SB1 had a deeper, more precise soundstage, which matched extremely well to the front left and right SB1. Since the SB1 is relatively compact, it doesn’t look too goofy on top of the TV, in my opinion. As good as the NHT SC1 is, I would rather use an SB1 for center-channel duties, giving me a perfectly matched front soundstage.

Where the SB1 continued to excel was in the subtle details. In chapter 10 of Cast Away, coconuts fall throughout the scene. When they fall off the screen, the SB1 made it easy to imagine where they were falling. In chapter 12, the ocean that laps at Tom Hanks' feet sounded very natural. In chapter 13, the rustling leaves under Hanks’ bare feet sounded realistic as the sound pans from the SC1 to the right SB1.

The SB1 exhibits excellent transient response, too. In the opening scene of Vertical Limit, the percussion in the music score had a pleasing tightness to it. From chapter 2 of O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the gunshot emanating from the left rear was startling in its clarity. In chapter 14 of Cast Away, the scene shifts from crashing waves to underwater. The SB1 handled the transition admirably, due at least in part to the quickness of the SB1’s woofer.

The NHT SW10 subwoofer performed very well in the home-theater environment. I kept the subwoofer switched to the "Audio" mode because I found the "Video" mode too boomy. To illustrate the SW10’s prowess in producing bass quality, I fired up chapter 19 from Vertical Limit. In this scene, nitroglycerin explodes, and the SW10 shook the room with authority! In chapter 14 of Cast Away, when the waves crash over Tom Hanks, the SW10 added to the realism as he is tossed around the ocean by surging waves. The bass gets louder as the waves approach, which was handled nicely by the NHT SW10.

Music listening

Although my collection of DVD-Audio discs is limited to two, listening to them through the NHT SB1 system proved to be a very enjoyable experience. My usual home-theater system has dipoles for rear speakers, but the direct-radiating SB1 sounds better listening to multichannel music. With JVC’s Beyond Music Sampler DVD, Jill Sobule’s "Rainy Day Parade" has vocals popping up in the left- and right-rear speakers as well as in the front soundstage. The SB1 reproduces these voices with precision, compared to the vague reproduction through my dipoles. The voices sound natural, without any hootiness or cabinet colorations. The SB1 sounded surprisingly brighter in comparison with my NHT 2.5i, although this was not too bothersome.

Comparison

In comparison to other home-theater speaker systems that I’ve heard, the NHT surrounds subscribe to a direct-sound philosophy quite different from the dipole, bipole or quadpole rear speakers other companies employ. The more diffuse surrounds produce a soundstage I find slightly more enveloping than that of the SB1. In chapter 7 of Vertical Limit, the slow-moving helicopter propeller cuts through the air. With the NHT SB1 system, there was an audible gap along the sides of the room. With the Axiom QS-8, this effect is seamless.

There's no question the NHT sounds different than my usual rear speakers. In chapter 8 of Vertical Limit, as the storm moves in on the mountain climbers, the wind blows through the rear soundstage. With the SB1, the wind is more distinct, and I find it distracts from the on-screen action. Many people prefer the precision of direct radiators -- NHT’s Jack Hidley, for one. In my conversation with him, he opined that the software (i.e., DVD sound design) should dictate the diffuseness of the surround soundfield, not the speaker. Seems to make sense.

The NHT SW10 subwoofer is as good or better than other subs in its price range. In comparison to my Denon DSW-10, the NHT sub can shake the room more, but tends to sound boomier. This characteristic does not quite match the SB1, which isn’t objectionable in a home-theater system but might be in a music-only system. Going back to chapter 19 of Vertical Limit, when the nitro explodes, the room shook, but the bass notes tended to hang around longer than with my Denon sub. Once again, you may feel that this looser-sounding bass complements movie soundtracks better than a tighter-sounding subwoofer.

Conclusion

With the SB1/SC1/SW10 combination, NHT has created a well-thought-out home-theater speaker system, where each speaker matches synergistically with the others. I was particularly impressed with the transient capabilities of the SB1, and I feel that this speaker is better than most in its class in this regard. The SW10 is a very capable subwoofer, equal to most other subs in its price range. Although I had a few nits to pick regarding the choice in direct versus diffuse surround presentations, the direct-radiator route may be your preference. Finally, the SB1 is flat out one gorgeous speaker to look at, and it would complement most any décor. If you are looking for an attractive system that works great for multichannel music and as a precise home-theater speaker system, this system would make a great choice.

Manufacturer contact information:

Website: www.nhthifi.com

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