NHT Xd - among the best speakers at ANY price

[MrClean]

K2,

They are used primarily for 2 channel music, but they also pull double-duty in a 6.1 HT system.

Prior to buying the Xds, I had a pair of Genesis Vs for LR, a Genesis G750 for center, and a Pass Labs X250 for LR amplification.

We recently moved from a big house in Houston to a smaller one in SoCal, and my listening room shrank considerably - the Gens just did not work in the new room at all. I posted on A-gon and A-asylum trying to get suggestions on what to do, as I really did not want to part with the Vs, which sounded amazing in my old room. It became clear that there really wasn't going to be a good solution, so I sold them. In the process, however, a dealer in NM saw my posts, and he was the first one that mentioned the Xds.

I was skeptical, of course, particularly when I read those awful buzzwords - digital filtering, class D amplification, DSP, etc. When I finally tracked down a pair to listen to, I have to say any doubt evaporated within the first minute I heard them. They were positioned right in front of a new pair of B&W 800Ds, which was unfortunate. I don't know if the owner of the store was trying to steer me toward the B&Ws, but if he was, it didn't work...

I have listened to a lot of ultra high end speakers over the years, from companies like Genesis, Wilson, Apogee, B&W, Kef, Martin Logan, Magnat, Magnepan, Aerial, Vienna, etc., etc. The Xds do not leave me yearning for the others. Great imaging, huge soundstage, very detailed without sounding "etched in glass", dynamic, accurate, smooth. They are incredibly cohesive - you don't ever get the sense you're listening to separate drivers. They do some things better than anybody - the lack of a "sweet spot" is astonishing. The Xds have just about eliminated all beaming/lobing. The only thing that some of the big boys have over them is the extreme bass (below 25 Hz or so) and extreme volume. Don't get me wrong - the Xds will play *very* loudly, but they don't do it with the ease of my old system. Bear in mind, however, that the Xds are about 550 watts/side, and my Gens had the potential to crank close to 900 watts/side...

I recently had a party for a colleague of mine who is retiring (Los Angeles Philharmonic). About midway through the party, someone noticed the speakers and asked to hear them. Well, that was pretty much the end of Rob's party and the beginning of NHT's party. One by one, people peeled off from outside to come in and listen. Jaws hit the floor. People sat and listened to track after track. Musicians, mind you, who often want to do anything BUT listen to music when they're not working.

Regarding HT - they image so well that I eliminated the center channel, and am getting much better results since I don't have the problem of off-axis tweeters, etc. If you like to really crank your HT, then I would suggest going with two subs (another $1200), which will pretty much remedy the two caveats listed above.

I hope this answers your questions and whets your appetite.

Jim

[Kam]

K2,

They are used primarily for 2 channel music, but they also pull double-duty in a 6.1 HT system.

Prior to buying the Xds, I had a pair of Genesis Vs for LR, a Genesis G750 for center, and a Pass Labs X250 for LR amplification.

We recently moved from a big house in Houston to a smaller one in SoCal, and my listening room shrank considerably - the Gens just did not work in the new room at all. I posted on A-gon and A-asylum trying to get suggestions on what to do, as I really did not want to part with the Vs, which sounded amazing in my old room. It became clear that there really wasn't going to be a good solution, so I sold them. In the process, however, a dealer in NM saw my posts, and he was the first one that mentioned the Xds.

I was skeptical, of course, particularly when I read those awful buzzwords - digital filtering, class D amplification, DSP, etc. When I finally tracked down a pair to listen to, I have to say any doubt evaporated within the first minute I heard them. They were positioned right in front of a new pair of B&W 8000Ds, which was unfortunate. I don't know if the owner of the store was trying to steer me toward the B&Ws, but if he was, it didn't work...

I have listened to a lot of ultra high end speakers over the years, from companies like Genesis, Wilson, Apogee, B&W, Kef, Martin Logan, Magnat, Magnepan, Aerial, Vienna, etc., etc. The Xds do not leave me yearning for the others. Great imaging, huge soundstage, very detailed without sounding "etched in glass", dynamic, accurate, smooth. They are incredibly cohesive - you don't ever get the sense you're listening to separate drivers. They do some things better than anybody - the lack of a "sweet spot" is astonishing. The Xds have just about eliminated all beaming/lobing. The only thing that some of the big boys have over them is the extreme bass (below 25 Hz or so) and extreme volume. Don't get me wrong - the Xds will play *very* loudly, but they don't do it with the ease of my old system. Bear in mind, however, that the Xds are about 550 watts/side, and my Gens had the potential to crank close to 900 watts/side...

I recently had a party for a colleague of mine who is retiring (Los Angeles Philharmonic). About midway through the party, someone noticed the speakers and asked to hear them. Well, that was pretty much the end of Rob's party and the beginning of NHT's party. One by one, people peeled off from outside to come in and listen. Jaws hit the floor. People sat and listened to track after track. Musicians, mind you, who often want to do anything BUT listen to music when they're not working.

Regarding HT - they image so well that I eliminated the center channel, and am getting much better results since I don't have the problem of off-axis tweeters, etc. If you like to really crank your HT, then I would suggest going with two subs (another $1200), which will pretty much remedy the two caveats listed above.

I hope this answers your questions and whets your appetite.

Jim

DROOOOOOOLING!!!!!!!!! YUM!
argh. i own a full nht setup right now, (2.5 mains, ac2 center and superzero's for the surrounds: no sub yet) and have heard the 3.3's which i loved. i didnt quite care for the nht homevideo tower speakers (VT#?) with that weird switch thing that was supposed to 'switch' from music to home theater. i loved the evolution series (the T5's at least) and now am absolutely dying to hear the XD's... found one dealer by me (NYC) that carries them... will be visiting soon!
thanks again for the review!!
peace
k2