December 2001 Reviewed by Anthony Di Marco	NHT ST4 Home-Theater Speaker System

Description Model: ST4 speakers Price: $1000 USD per pair Dimensions: 38"H x 8"W x 12"D Weight: 47.5 pounds each Model: SB3 surround speakers Price: $600 USD per pair Dimensions: 13"H x 8"W x 10"D Weight: 16 pounds each Model: SC1 center-channel speaker Price: $300 USD Dimensions: 5.63"H x 16.54"W x 6.63"D Weight: 11 pounds Model: SubOne powered subwoofer Price: $800 USD Dimensions: 16"H x 15"W x 14"D Weight: 45 pounds System Price: $2700 USD Warranty: Five years parts and labor (one year for subwoofer amplifier)

Features 1" aluminum-dome tweeters (ST4, SB3) 8" high-excursion polypropylene woofer (ST4) 6.5" high-excursion polypropylene mid-woofer (SB3, ST4) Dual binding posts (ST4) Adjustable mounting bracket (SC1) Video shielded (ST4, SC1, SB1) 250W Sunfire amplifier (SubOne) 10" high-excursion polypropylene woofer (SubOne) Preamp and speaker-level inputs (SubOne) Outboard subwoofer controller (SubOne) Variable low-pass crossover (40Hz to 180Hz) (SubOne) Selectable high-pass crossover (50/75/110Hz) (SubOne) Independent LFE gain (SubOne) Selectable flat/video contour switching (SubOne) SubOne to sub controller RCA interconnect Adjustable gain (+/- 10dB) (SubOne) Auto on/off (SubOne)

It takes guts to name a loudspeaker company Now Hear This.

It's almost a challenge: You’ve heard the rest; now hear the best. But it's not bragging if you can back it up. NHT designs loudspeakers that, they maintain, improve upon the performance of similarly priced products, while staying transparent to the original recording. This demanding attitude toward speaker building isn’t news to anyone who has owned a pair of NHT's shiny black boxes. The SuperZeros, SuperOnes and SuperTwos have all garnered praise among audiophiles as transparent, affordable, music-makers, and after a long life, they are scheduled to stand down as the company’s affordable line of audiophile transducers. The new line is the Super Audio series, and a 5.1 system based on the ST4 can be had for $2700.

A super-duper lineup

The custom-made drivers the Super Audio series employs -- with aluminum tweeters and polypropylene cones -- differ from the treated-paper woofers and mylar tweeters of NHT's popular Performance line. In addition, they also offer a unique method of cooling the tweeters. Instead of simply relying on ferrofluid, the SB and ST models utilize a shaft connected from the back of the tweeter to an externally mounted plastic patch. This allows the heat generated by the tweeter’s voice coil to pass outside the enclosure. This clever approach should prove its mettle after several hours of high-level playback, which, NHT claims, affords the tweeter an extended life span.

Starting from the bottom up, the SB series, or "Super Bookshelf," includes the SB3 two-way speakers I used as surrounds. The ST4 three-way towers, a center-channel speaker known as the SC1 and a new 10" ported subwoofer, the SW10, compose the complete series -- one designed to satisfy those wanting either home-theater or stereo use.

I was lucky enough to get all of the above in a 5.1 setup, except for the SW10. In its place came the current SubOne.

"Say what? I thought Mr. Audio guy said that the SW10 was the newer sub?"

Well, yes, that is what I said, but before anyone calls foul, let me elaborate.

The initial documentation I was sent led me to believe that I would be receiving an SW10. When UPS dropped off the SubOne, I sent a quick e-mail to NHT to report what I thought was a mix-up. Instead I was told that the SubOne was the sub I was supposed to receive. According to NHT, the SW10 was designed to integrate better with the SB models, while the increased output of the SubOne offered more bass impact and extension (rated down to 25Hz!) when paired with bass-capable ST4s.

Mmmm...piano lacquer finish

There’s just something about the sheen of a high-gloss black finish. Smooth, rich-looking and deeply reflective, the 16-layer, hand-rubbed paint job that graced all the Super Audio series speakers gave an impression of high quality. Each enclosure was well finished without any imperfections.

NHT thoughtfully includes all the necessary rubber feet and spikes required for a secure and easy setup. Also included, but not documented, were small dimpled metal feet meant to protect fragile flooring from the ST4’s spikes, while contoured finger grips, molded into the recessed binding-post assembly, allowed for easy lifting. The only disappointing aspects of the ST and SB speakers I noticed were run-of-the-mill binding posts that belied the speakers' otherwise solid construction. In addition, the subwoofer lacked any anchoring accessories.

Once everything was accounted for, I installed the included stabilizer bars and spikes on the ST4s. I then placed the speakers about six feet apart and three feet from the front wall and, per the instructions, toed them in slightly. I placed the ST4s' woofers on the speakers' inner walls, so they faced one another. I was quite impressed by the stability of these speakers, which were quite resistant to any lateral force my 18-month-old son Zach applied to them.

The SB3s found ear-level support from a pair of NHT-supplied StandOnes, and were placed approximately four feet to each side of my listening position. Apart from the short cabinet, 8" woofer and acoustic-suspension enclosure, an SB3 was basically the top third of an ST4 tower and employed the same tweeter and mid-woofer.

No matter how well executed a product is, there’s bound to be a portion of the population that finds some shortcoming with its facilities. In my case, it was the adjustable leg supplied with the SC1. Designed to lift the rear of the SC1 so its baffle is flush with the front of a television screen, the leg had just enough length to accommodate the drop off on the rear-cabinet assembly of my Hitachi. Whether my TV is the exception to the rule or not, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea for NHT to offer a couple of plastic legs at varying lengths for added flexibility.

My room isn’t the most forgiving when it comes to subwoofer placement. As it stands, the Cambridge SoundWorks P1000 I currently own resides behind my television because placing it anywhere else causes an undue amount of localization effects. This is through no fault of the sub, since difficult-to-correct room nodes force me to use a 100Hz sub crossover point instead of a potentially more desirable 80Hz. Here’s where having a system comprised of main speakers allegedly capable 31Hz extension and an impressive 39Hz from rear surrounds prove their value. Setting my receiver’s crossover to 40Hz, and tweaking the sub controller, allowed me to place the SubOne in a more convenient position without any localization, while the 5.1 image benefited from the added balance of the SB3’s excellent bass extension.

Stunning looks, stunning sound

You know the feeling when the hairs stand up on the back of your neck; chills run down your spine and a smile threatens to gape from ear to ear. I felt that way a lot while auditioning the ST4-based Super Audio system. My family room was literally awash with the environment of Jurassic Park as Sam Neil and his two pint-sized companions made their way to the "perimeter fence" in chapter 15. I could hear the breeze, the enveloping sounds of wildlife, and the scuff of Neil’s boots against the fence’s concrete footing with sublime clarity. Bass was taut and subterranean in chapter 11 as the (now clichéd) water ripples gave away the T-Rex as it approached the stranded caravan. Making use of the sub controller’s video contour simply added more oomph and drama to the dinosaur’s roar and footsteps -- and without an undue amount of boom-boom.

Dropping in X-Files - Fight the Future continued to illustrate the NHT’s ability to deliver sparkling detail and tight bass control. Literally thousands of bees seemed to envelop me during the bee-dome sequence (chapter 11), while the climactic helicopter chase showed truly dramatic bass response and imaging across every speaker within the 5.0 array. Yet another feature of the bass controller that proved its value during this portion of the audition was the +10dB boost switch. Unlike many DTS-equipped receivers, my H/K didn’t include facilities for +10dB of DTS gain, so having the added versatility was a welcomed benefit.

As revealing as the NHTs were, I soon realized how relatively unforgiving they could be. Had I reviewed Unbreakable with the NHTs, I might have downgraded the film’s sound-quality rating. The SC1 didn’t waste any time illustrating vocal sibilance within the film’s dialogue track. The most extreme example involved the newborn Elijah crying out in pain within the opening chapter. Despite this, the subtlety and power of Unbreakable’s bass and ambient effects managed to instill a profound sense of menace -- a mood I continued to wallow in by watching Seven.

Seven’s reference-quality DTS mix makes my skin crawl every time I watch the movie. But the feeling I got listening to it through the NHTs made me creep-out even more. This film has ambient sound effects to spare! Howard Shore’s music in particular was very apparent during chapters 16, 17, and 22, while the intense finale seemed to transpire within the confines of my living room.

Music followed much the same path. The ST4s and SB3s rewarded the listener with well-recorded material, but it allowed artifacts of poorly produced recordings to pass without editorializing. The NHTs communicated every wart of Marc Almond’s Tenement Symphony [Sire/Reprise 9 26764-2], while the crisp pop of The Ocean Blue’s Davy Jones’ Locker [March Records MAR068] was open, airy and energetic. Magic didn’t happen, though, until I spun Mapleshade’s Music Festival [Unapix Entertainment UPX 72032]. A variety of pristinely recorded acoustic and vocal sounds were brought forth with warmth, ambience and dynamics, with imaging that was dense, yet well organized. Like the X-Files and Seven, this recording charmed me well into the evening and morning hours.

Dare to compare

A fair comparison would’ve been tower speaker against tower speaker, but regrettably I didn’t have a second set of such speakers at the time of this review. Still, Cambridge SoundWorks' Newton MC300 system did present a comparison in terms of subwoofer and overall sonic performance. In the case of subwoofers, I found the P1000 to have a more round, more musical tonality when compared to the punchier, more analytical personality of the SubOne. NHT’s bass controller got the nod for more conservative looks and its 10dB DTS boost switch, while the CSW’s RJ11 hook-up utilized an easier-to-conceal wire when compared to NHT’s bulkier directional coax. The built-in latching of the RJ11 connector also made the connection less prone to being pulled by my ever-curious son.

It was apparent after only a few minutes that the NHT towers and satellites bettered the CSW Newtons in high-frequency extension and detail. I heard more ambient information, better imaging and crisper dialogue in every CD and film I listened to -- and in some cases, the added resolution revealed shortcomings in many of my older recordings. Not surprising, the NHTs also seemed to like wire that was several cuts above the twenty-cents-a-foot Home Depot brand I was using. The 14-gauge in-wall wire caused a bit of hash in the treble and midrange on even good recordings, while hooking up BetterCable’s Ultra speaker wire cleaned things up quite nicely.

Attitude yields success

NHT’s mission statement clearly asserts that they’re in the business of making sports cars and not softly sprung luxury vehicles -- and the Super Audio series represents this philosophy perfectly. Configure your system correctly and you will get out what is piped into it. Cut corners on wire and electronics and you will most definitely lose out on the resolving capabilities of these well-engineered speakers. While some may see this approach and attitude as inflexible, those who have had the pleasure of experiencing the NHT sound know it as the reason for the company's enduring success.

Manufacturer contact information:

Website: www.nhthifi.com

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