NHT Xd - among the best speakers at ANY price

[nightflier]

I'm not too familiar with NHT, so this is just an outsider's perspective, but my guess is that the reason these didn't get the "respect they were due," is the high price. From a company known for it's more down-to-earth pricing (think the T6 complete system), seeing a $6-10K bookshelf appear, even with all the press accolades, just didn't go over well. That price-point is usually reserved not just for drool-inducing performance, but also drool-inducing brand recognition.

In the end, NHT has an image problem that does not permit them to play in the big leagues. They certainly provide value and performance that's comparable, but they just don't have the pedigree. It is essentially the same problem that Pioneer, Fujitsu, Onkyo and several other companies have - they also tried their hand at that market segment and essentially failed.

Personally everything NHT I've ever heard, from the T6 system all the way down to the current classic series was a fantastic value and sounded well above its class. The one gripe I have about the current fare is the lack of choice in cabinet finishes. Piano black is gorgeous, but a pain for those of us who swap gear regularly, who have kids, or who are never satisfied with placement. I know this is a cost-saving design choice, something that certainly seems to trickle down to the consumer, but there's a lot of competition out there and this doesn't help them.

[bobsticks]

Everything I've heard about the NHT xd has been positive and I'm intrigued...but I'm inclined to agree with 'flier. You mark it at 2k and I'd buy one today.

[Boer]

Everything I've heard about the NHT xd has been positive and I'm intrigued...but I'm inclined to agree with 'flier. You mark it at 2k and I'd buy one today.

You can have a 2.2 system for 2999$ TODAY factory direct, special dark finish. I bought mine exactly 8 days ago.
You get:
Active crossover
2 speakers
2 subs each having 2 10" drivers and 500W amp
600W (4 x 150W) amplification for the speakers

A total of 1600W amplification and active crossover + beautiful finish.
Check out their website.

In my opinion this system beats Mahler from Vienna Acoustics, Amati Homage from Sonus Faber, B&W 801 and 802 and Martin Logan Summit X. Now the cheapest from this list is 13k$ and the most expensive is 28k$. All these were my preferred until 8 days ago. Now NHT Xd is IT.

[Boer]

I'm not too familiar with NHT, so this is just an outsider's perspective, but my guess is that the reason these didn't get the "respect they were due," is the high price. From a company known for it's more down-to-earth pricing (think the T6 complete system), seeing a $6-10K bookshelf appear, even with all the press accolades, just didn't go over well. That price-point is usually reserved not just for drool-inducing performance, but also drool-inducing brand recognition.

In the end, NHT has an image problem that does not permit them to play in the big leagues. They certainly provide value and performance that's comparable, but they just don't have the pedigree. It is essentially the same problem that Pioneer, Fujitsu, Onkyo and several other companies have - they also tried their hand at that market segment and essentially failed.

Personally everything NHT I've ever heard, from the T6 system all the way down to the current classic series was a fantastic value and sounded well above its class. The one gripe I have about the current fare is the lack of choice in cabinet finishes. Piano black is gorgeous, but a pain for those of us who swap gear regularly, who have kids, or who are never satisfied with placement. I know this is a cost-saving design choice, something that certainly seems to trickle down to the consumer, but there's a lot of competition out there and this doesn't help them.

T6 has passive crossover and a class G amplifier.
Now class G amplifier is OK by me; passive crossover is a class below the active one (Xd). T6 was 4k$ if I remember correctly (I may be wrong) and Xd 2.2 (2 subs) is right now 3k$.