NHT Bookshelf Speaker manual Now hear this, Acoustic suspension Form follows function

now hear this...

acoustic suspension form follows function bass without boundaries

NHT bookshelf speakers are acoustic suspension designs that use nature’s perfect spring force… air… to control the cone motion instead of a heavy, unpredictable mechanical suspension. It takes a little more development time and amplifier power to do an acoustic suspension design justice, but the greatly decreased distortion, deeper bass response, and increased detail are well worth it.

Fig 1. The advantage of acoustic suspension design is clearly demonstrated in the “impulse response” test where a speaker is sent a momentary pulse and then observing the resulting “ringing”.

a better center

While the Classic series of products are certainly beautiful, their shape is all about the business of making great sound. The graceful cabinets place every driver into a consistent, predictable acoustical environment. For example, variable radius edges on the cabinet sides randomize diffraction from the midrange and tweeter drivers, aiding the speakers’ dispersion of midrange and high frequency sounds, while careful placement of the Four’s built-in subwoofer guarantees tremendous deep bass response in almost any room.

conservatively dressed

A subwoofer is the most difficult speaker in your system to find a home for. Subwoofers are often placed where they look best in the room, not where they sound best. Placement in a corner can make the bass boom while moving it away from the walls can rob your system of the deepest bass. With NHT’s exclusive Boundary EQ control placement and performance can finally coexist.

smarter parts

NHT, since its inception, has held to the belief that what makes a speaker high-end is real, but what makes it expensive is not. No matter what model is right for you, be assured it was designed with one goal... to recreate in your home the performance the artist

intended, without editorializing. After all, it is the music that matters. Enjoy.

Fig 2. Notice how the midrange is cut sharply as the listener moves farther off-axis.

While small, 2-way three-driver center speakers are very popular, this design is really more about creating a low profile speaker than one that’s suited for center channel use. A traditional center’s frequency response changes hugely as the listener moves away from the cabinet’s center. This dramatic dip in the critical midrange is clearly visible in Figure 2. NHT’s 3-way design, detailed in Figure 3 below, eliminates this huge dip, ensuring that every seat in your home

theater is the best seat in the house.

Fig 3. NHT’s three way design maintains smooth response over a much wider listening area.

Our cabinets are made with MDF, a board manufactured primarily of wood residues from the production of lumber and plywood with a low percentage of virgin tree wood. We finish them with 7 coats of hand-finished polyurethane applied in a “solid particle” method that’s safe for the environment. This finish is then sealed with 2 coats of automotive grade clear-coat to protect the finish for years. By avoiding exotic wood veneers, and using materials such as MDF in the construction of our cabinets, we’re not sacrificing scarce natural resources to make acoustically sound, furniture grade cabinets.

By using two low distortion drivers mounted close together on a single plate, we are able to produce a speaker with a larger listening area, lower distortion, and higher power handling than previous 2-way designs.

All of the 5.25” and 6.5” woofers in the Classic line feature frames made from BMC (Bulk Molding Compound). Usually a designer has to choose between inexpensive, mechanically sound materials such as ABS plastic and stamped steel, or expensive materials such as cast aluminum or magnesium that are ideal acoustically and mechanically. BMC gives us the best of both worlds: a cost effective material that is immensely stiff, and easily shaped into acoustically ideal shapes.

Chris Byrne, Co-Founder