NHT 4's & acoustic suspension [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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pkats
10-24-2006, 08:10 AM
Hello everyone, had a chance to listen to some NHT 4 speakers and was pretty impressed but I haven't seen any reviews on them. I can get floor models for under $1500 US. Is this a good price? Have read that acoustic suspension uses more power. I will be using an ADCOM GFA 555 II - will it be enough? I listen to mostly rock and jazz with some classical and metal, occasionally at loud volumes. Finally, can anyone give me a brief description on what exactly acoustic suspension is and its benefits or drawbacks.
Thanks

JoeE SP9
10-24-2006, 09:25 AM
Hello everyone, had a chance to listen to some NHT 4 speakers and was pretty impressed but I haven't seen any reviews on them. I can get floor models for under $1500 US. Is this a good price? Have read that acoustic suspension uses more power. I will be using an ADCOM GFA 555 II - will it be enough? I listen to mostly rock and jazz with some classical and metal, occasionally at loud volumes. Finally, can anyone give me a brief description on what exactly acoustic suspension is and its benefits or drawbacks.
Thanks

This is a description of acoustic suspension from Wikipedia
acoustic suspension

The closed-box or 'acoustic suspension' enclosure, rather than using a large enclosure to avoid the effect of the internal air pressure, uses a smaller, sealed enclosure. The enclosure is typically designed with a very small rate of leakage so that internal and external pressures can slowly equalise over time, allowing the speaker to adjust to changes in barometric pressure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometric_pressure) or altitude. The "spring" suspension that restores the cone to the neutral position is a combination of a relatively flimsy mechanical suspension and the air inside the enclosure. At audible frequencies, the air is the dominant suspension. Damping materials such as fiberglass are typically added to the enclosure to damp the resonance and absorb the midrange from the rear of the diaphragm. An important advantage of acoustic suspension design is that air is a more linear spring, as opposed to practical mechanical suspensions which are inherently non-linear. This linearity gives acoustic suspension designs lower distortion than infinite baffle designs, particularly at lower frequencies and higher volumes where cone excursion is great. The drawback of these speakers is their low efficiency, due to the loss of the power absorbed inside the cabinet.

I have heard the NHT 3.3's. I was impressed. They have EXCELLENT bass. The mids and treble are not bad! The 4's should have the same type of sound as the 3.3's which at one time were NHT's flagship speaker. An Adcom GFA-555 has more than enough power to push the 4's to any level you might want to listen. If the price you mentioned is for a new pair it's pretty good.:cool:

pkats
10-24-2006, 10:29 AM
Thanks JoeE, great description. I often forget about wikipedia.
They are floor models.
Anyone else listened to them or have any info on them?

JoeE SP9
10-24-2006, 10:52 AM
The 3.3's I heard are the predecessors of the 4's. They are floor standers with 12" woofers. They look almost exactly like the 4's. They had KILLER bass.:ihih: