pinchechris

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I have been astonished by these speakers ever since bringing them home ($10 on CL). I don't even feel like I have to start this review with "they're great for their size". They're simply amazing even when compared to larger speakers. I have to add that I cannot fathom running these without a quality sub but I feel the same way about any bookshelf speaker and even many floor standing. When paired with a GOOD sub and crossed over at about 120hz these speaker emit some of the clearest, most transparent sound I have ever heard. The midrange and highs blend perfectly and cause the speaker to disappear from the room, leaving only the recording as it was meant to be heard.

Granted they'll sound like crap if you power them with crap gear........and power they need, not the most efficient little speaker but you shouldn't be allowed to post reviews on these forums if you don't have an amp powerful enough to run these. Speaking of power, they can handle a ton of it. With the subwoofer handling the deep bass I can turn up the volume much louder than any sane person would listen to music, with not a hint of distortion.

Can you tell I'm pleased? There's a reason these things sell for almost their MSRP on ebay. $230 was an absolute steal for these gems.

dude8370

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $125.00 from Crutchfield

Summary:
These Speakers are some of the best made, for clarity. Did I mention the price of these babies! They sound like they should be $300 a speaker but i got it for $125, but today you should find it $100 easy. They are the perfect Center speaker but their bass is not very good. They need to be partnered up with a sub, then they are flawless. If your looking for rear speakers, they would be suitable if you have a high quality amp/reciver, but if you have something old or weak get something else like the Paradigm Atom, but I would definatly recommend these!.

Strengths:
Clarity, listen to an acoustic guitar from them, and it will blow you away!

Weaknesses:
Bass responce, but once partnered with a sub, they are flawless!

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm 7se mk3
Paradigm Atom (v.3)

schreibf

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $200.00 from NYC mail order house

Summary:
I purchased these speakers ~8+ years ago for serious (2 channel) listening (based upon a magazine rave review) but was unsatisfied. They had absolutely no base and a slightly hollow sound which (eventually) made me cringe. After a few months I sold them to a friend who had them up to ~1 year ago. At that time I bought them back planning on giving them to my daughter. When I listemed to them they sounded different - not hollow and had a little bass - enough to satisfy my (now) casual listening. Was I surprised. I still have them and occasionally fire up my Velodyne 10 inch subwoofer for a "full" sounding experience.

Strengths:
Small, lightweight, capable of being placed or hung on the wall conveniently if desired. "Neutral" sounding - good detail. The black piano finish is nice looking and durable.

Weaknesses:
None I've noticed

Similar Products Used:
Over the years I've had numerous speaker systems from KLH 6's to Dahlquist 20s and carefully listened to dozens of others. These speaker fall in the high middle area.

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Onecall.com

Summary:
NHT says they designed the SuperZeros for accurate treble and midrange at the expense of extended bass response, and it seems they nailed it. The little speakers (9" tall, 6" wide, 6" deep) demonstrate terrific imaging, a very wide soundstage and excellent sound. It's hard to believe such little speakers can sound so good. Match these with an accurate powered subwoofer and you'll have an excellent two channel system. The speakers are magnetically shielded so you can pick up three pairs to use as part of a reasonably priced, high-performing 6.1 system with the right powered subwoofer.

Strengths:
Small size, accurate treble and midrange, attractive glossy black finish

Weaknesses:
Not much bass response

Similar Products Used:
Not similar but also used JBL SC135 5.1 system, Definitive Technology ProTower 400s, B&W 2003 speakers

Price Paid:  $80.00 from onecall.com

Summary:
My feelings toward the Super Zeros are mixed. On the one hand, my initial use of them led to thousands of dollars in “upgrades” because of overall dissatisfaction with their sound in the systems I had been using them with. On the other hand, when I sit down and listen to them critically, as I did last week in preparation to finally write something about them, they actually sound quite fantastic. I had initially planned to write a somewhat lukewarm review of these speakers, with an emphasis on my perceived “finding” that you can’t get full-sized sound out of a small sat/sub combination, despite knowing how big they sound on movies. However, after sitting down and really listening to them again, even in the less-than-ideal conditions of their present system (a dresser-top surround system in my bedroom), I am again amazed by their musicality and their ability to throw a huge soundstage. I do believe it is true that you can get a much more “full” sound from a large floor standing speaker. However, my simple (and presently quite cheap) setup of Super Zeros and a Super Sub comes quite close, and might even surpass my floor standers (NHT 2.5i’s) in certain areas – imaging, to be precise. They do have limitations, however – they will sound hard and unpleasant on very densely orchestrated crescendos, and can sound dry and unsatisfying on a lot of rock CDs, although perhaps a lot of this has to do with recording quality. They do not smooth over imperfections – but this is how NHT claims they were designed to perform. The Super Zeros are surprisingly good home theater speakers. I guess it has something to do with their ability to throw such a huge soundstage. In a larger room they won’t play super loud without beginning to sound “hard”, but definitely loud enough to meet most user’s expectations, especially with a good powered subwoofer. In smaller rooms I don’t think they will disappoint. They are also not good as “party” speakers – they can be damaged, but hey, they can be replaced for $80 each, as long as they are still available. (perhaps the Super Ones would be a better choice for the mains if this is part of your plans) At $80 a piece right now (at onecall.com – just bought another pair), plus their purpose-built Super Sub at $258 (also at Onecall), these speakers are a great bargain for someone looking at a lower-budget, small system having the abil

Strengths:
Very transparent midrange, great illusion of “vanishing” once properly set up with a subwoofer.

Weaknesses:
Revealing of poor recordings and cheap electronics. Not a party speaker.

Similar Products Used:
NHT 2.5i towers. Plenty of two-way bookshelf speaker/sub combos, including NHT 1.5s with NHT Super Subs, Acoustic Energy Aegis One, Polk Audio RT35i.