Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: NHT - Now Hear This 3.3 Speakers by Justin Doring

The NHT 3.3s might not be for everyone, but for me they're about as close to Nirvana as you can get without spending at least $70,000 for Wilson Grand SLAMM Series II, JMLab Grande Utopias, or Martin Logan Statements. The NHT 3.3 is the best all-around speaker I have ever heard (except for the above three). My speaker budget was $15,000 and I heard the top models from Thiel, B&W, Dynaudio, Martin Logan, Aerial Acoustics, KEF, PSB, Energy, Linn, Legacy, and Vienna Acoustics (the $15,000 Revel Salon was not out yet, so I don't know how that compares). The finalists were the NHT 3.3, the Martin Logan reQuest, and the Dynaudio Contour 3.3.

I chose the NHT for many reasons. The 3.3 does ALL types of music well: classical, jazz, rock, even rap if you are so inclined. The highs and mids exceed the finest minimonitors, while its bass trounces all but the best subwoofers. The 3.3 is extremely neutral, accurate, and transparent. It also has the deepest, tightest, fastest, most accurate bass you have heard from a loudspeaker. Because of the 3.3's accuracy, it may not be as "musical" as some speakers. This just shows what a great speaker the 3.3 is: completely transparent. This is a double-edged sword, however, because while it exalts well-recorded music, it makes poorly recorded music sound worse than on other speakers that try to "improve" the sound. This speaker is also VERY sensitive to the compoenents it is mated with. Whatever the sonic characteristic of the component, the 3.3 will reveal it.

I searched for months trying to find a suitable amp. I quickly found out that upper mid-fi amplifiers like the Adcom, Parasound, B&K, McCormick, Aragon, Proceed, and Bryston either didn't mate well and/or compromised the 3.3's performance. On to the high-end solid states. The Mark Levinson No. 331, although excellent, was too sterile for the 3.3. The Krell FPB200 was excellent as well, but was too cold sounding. (The KAV-250a was horrid for the price, and sonically rates with the upper mid-fi amps above.) Of the high-end solid states, Classe' seemed to work best. The CA-200 didn't quite have the low-end punch of the Levinson or Krell, but it was smoother, richer, and more musical than any of the amps I auditioned. It was also half the price of the Krell and Levinson, making it an excellent value. The NHT 3.3 needs a smooth, musical, and powerful amplifier; one that "doubles down" is preferable. Mid-fi stuff will not work well with this speaker. (The hideously bright Rotel gear made the 3.3 sound so bright that I nearly had to flee the room.) This is, perhaps, why many people begin think the 3.3 or NHT in general sounds "bright." They hear NHTs paired with inferior componentry that brings out the worst in the speaker.

Finally, after 6 months of searching, I ended up with Classe's CA-200, CP-50, CD.5 for amp, pre-amp, and source. I decided on Nordost Red Dawn for the cables and balanced interconnects. This is a steller, albeit expensive, combination. I recommend this speaker to all who like to play their music at lifelike levels, and who place value on accuracy. The only downside I found with the 3.3 is that it didn't cast as wide a soundstage as the other speakers on my short list (especially the Martin Logan). I think this has to do with the "Focused Image Geometry." The listening sweetspot is also much smaller. However, soundstage, imaging, depth, and tonal balance are superb (I have my 3.3s exactly 6.5 feet apart). You'll also need a large room for the 3.3.

Even though the NHT 3.3 is only $4500, expect to spend at least twice that for amp, pre-amp, source, and cables and interconnects. This speaker is easily worth 5 times its mere $4500 price tag, in my opinion. Just because NHT makes lower-priced speakers (and is now owned by Recoton), don't think the NHT 3.3 is inferior to more presigious brands. It is, perhaps, the best bargain high-end speakers.

REVIEW: NHT - Now Hear This 3.3 Speakers Review by Justin Doring at Audio Asylum