Representing almost two years of design refinements, the SB-3''s 6.5" woofer employs a massive motor structure which delivers bass down to 39Hz, setting a new standard for affordable bookshelf loudspeakers.
Summary: This is my first pair of high end loudspeakers. I did alot of research when buying them and decided on them because of their looks and price. I had only heard the super zero from NHT before this purchase. They sounded great so I decided to try the SB-3. I kind of jumped into this hobby backward. I started with the speakers and found them to sound good. Since I bought them I was bitten by "the bug" and since then I have added A Jolida tube amplifier, audioquest cables and learned everything about speaker placement. I have heard these NHT speakers go from sounding just good, or what I thought wast good at the time, to sounding absolutely unbelievable. Since I have added my other components these speakers have shown me their true colors. They now have a very warm and sweet sound and a holographic soundstage. When I play Jazz I feel like I can point to where every musician is standing. They also look great in my listening room. I cannot believe that I missed out on listening to music like this for so many years. These are the speakers that opened my eyes to hi fidelity and I look forward to a lifetime of enjoying it. Thanks NHT.
Strengths: Beautiful speaker for the price.
deep holographic soundstage with grilles off and when properly positioned. Very warm and sweet sounding especially playing jazz.
Weaknesses: None, but since tweeter is positioned under midbass, I recommend using 26" or higher stands. Or placing 24" stands on 2, 1" thick stone tiles (stacked) to raise them to ear level.
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Summary: I checked out many brands before going with the nht sb-3's.for the price i paid i cant think of a better speaker.Plenty of bass unless you are a basshead like me,then a sub will fill in the lower octaves.These speakers are very even handed.i went into TWEETERS and listened to their $1,200.00/pr SONUS FABER and literally laughed at the sound quality of the Faber's.In fact,not 1 bookshelf speaker they carried in the store held a candle to the NHT SB-3's. If you have a sub,BUY THESE with CONFIDENCE !!!
Strengths: very even handed
great bass response from a speaker this size
excellent for movies AND music
lush vocals (both men and womens)
Weaknesses: Are you kidding? NONE for this price
Similar Products Used: Auditioned Paradigm,B&W
Klipsch,Bose,Sonus Faber,Mirage,
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Summary: These bookshelves do indeed go very low, far lower than any other bookshelves I have heard. In a modest sized room, I used them as my mains without a sub. Amazing sound coming from a pair of bookshelves, kudos to NHT for their amazing engineering.
Strengths: Unheard of bass coming from a pair of bookshelves.
Weaknesses: But one thing you have keep in mind is, there is only so much you can get out of a 6.5 inch woofer. At high volumes (85db or louder) I did notice the sound started to lose coherence. But this is to be expected from any bookshelf speakers.
Summary: I have been wanting to write a reivew about these speakers for a while now, but I just haven't had the time to do so. I previously had the SB2 speakers for a while, but I was always intrigued by the low end capabilities of the SB3s.
So, a few months ago, I came into some bonus money, so I bought a pair. These are great speakers. For the price I paid, I do not know if you would be able to find a pair that can probably replace a lot of floorstanding pairs out there that cost a lot more. The kicker is that they look gorgeous, too.
Strengths: Neutral sound, great soundstage, non-straining, beautiful finish, and not too stylish or trendy.
Weaknesses: Accoustic suspension design makes the speakers highly inefficient, but are not a problem if you have a good power supply in your amp.
Similar Products Used: NHT SB2, NHT Super One XU, Infinity RS5, Infinity RS3, Infinity Reference Series Tower
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Summary: This is a great bookshelf speaker. I listened to NHT models years ago and found them to be overly bright to the point of sterility. After reading several reviews of the SB3s I thought I'd give them a try. What an improvement over earlier models. The SB3s have an inviting warmth while maintaining the detail required to hear into the recording. I am hearing things on some favorite CDs that escaped me before. Considering the size of these speakers the bass is outstanding. These were purchased for a small (12X11) listening room left to me when my daughter went off to college. I am one of those people who change equipment frequently -- more so now with on line buying -- but the SB3s will stay in the room for awhile. Considering the price, five stars are in order.
Strengths: Wonderful detail partnered with extended but tight bass. Excellent gloss black finish.
Weaknesses: none
Similar Products Used: Thiel 1.5, Acoustic Energy Aegis One, PSB Alpha
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5 of 5
