NEUTRAL, clean, and Very articulate even at extremely low volume, handles extreme volume with ease, tweeter not harsh

Not as good a match with the NHT 3.3 or 2.9 as with the 1.5 and 2.5i

Even though I gave a rating of 4 stars overall, it is a borderline 5 star. I only give a 5 star to the ABSOLUTE BEST like the B&W Nautilus HTM-1 and 2 ( at $2000.00 and $1000.00 respectively ). NEVER underestimate the importance of a good center speaker! This one works well at both volume extremes, disperses very well across the audience, and you never have to use "re-eq" as the tweeter never "ice-picks" your ears even on laser disc. Also, it uses the same VIFA tweeter as the $4500.oo NHT 3.3's. Mid-woofers are spun carbon fiber composite marked "made in Denmark" (maybe Vifa or Dynaudio). Unit has adjustable leg in rear.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm CC-350, Boston VR-12, B&W CC-6

Bought the AC-1 to match my sacred NHT 3.3s for some home theatre. Not the best match in tonal quality, but already I consider US$450 too much for a centre speaker, much less the $700 of the AC-2.
Overall, the AC-1s exude clear, clean sounds that border on brightness with my DSP-A1, but a little Centre EQ adjustment fixed that well. Male voices are not chesty when I place them on top of my 29" monitor, but I still can hear the cabinet at certain frequencies -- not quite the same 21-degree slanted baffle of the 1.5/2.5/2.9/3.3 and not quite the cabinet bracing or subenclosure design.

Beware of the foam pads that control hf dispersion below the tweeter: in certain climates (like mine in Asia) they rot after a few years, and replacement pads are incredibly tough to come by!

Overall a fairly expensive centre speaker even if it is among the more neutral and better designed models in the market.

I'm using this speaker to match my 2.5i's. I was using a superone as a center before and thought it sounded good. but now i know how it is suspose to sound great product

neutrality. close your eyes and you'd think a real person is there.

none

This is the most natural sounding speaker I ever heard. It even sounds better than my 2.5is. I was at my local dealer "just browsing" when I heard a lady talking behind me, I do not remember the exact conversation, but out of curiosity I turned around to "join" the conversation only to find that I was listening to a movie dialogue coming out of the NHT speaker- I bought it on the spot. There maybe a better Center speaker out there but I have not heard it yet.

Similar Products Used:

polk, mirage, infinity b&w

Use this Center channel in a mixed array of speakers, because I had difficulty with clarity of dialog at reasonable volumes of other effects that, could not be corrected by reciever adjustments. In short this is a superb driver array with just the right tone coloration , not too bright at the highs to start to catch the background sounds and with enough authority in the mid and upper lows to anchor the dialog to the screen, with no obvious effects on the soundstage dimensions. Clearly a good example of NHT's philosophy. For those who underestimate the value of the center channel in Home theater it would be an awakening demo!

Gloss black doesn't match any of my other gear. Trivial, huh?

Extremely clear vocals make soundtrack comprehension easy. No audible sizzle or other distortion in the treble and sibilants are under nicely controlled. Celestion A3s used as mains sound slightly smoother and more real across the range, but matching is acceptably close. That's high praise given the $4K price range and outstanding sound of the Celestions.

Rear speakers are ancient JBL L-100s with Vifa tweeters, custom crossovers, and upgraded internal wiring installed by Audio Ventures. The tweeter in the NHTs looks and sounds the same, while the NHT's midrange is clearly better than the JBL's yet not quite up to the Celestions.

No real bottom end, but unfortunately that's expected from a center channel. Such as it has is crisp, detailed, and without 'boom'. To check this, I had to tell my receiver that the NHT was 'large' and the other 4 speakers were 'small'. Thought the poor thing was gonna explode trying to handle the bass from all 5 channels, but it came through fine. Two of these wouldn't be a bad set of mains for a small room, although the price might be steep for what you'd get.

Cabinet finish is gloss black. Finish and construction quality look good, but I would have preferred flat black since it would match the TV and other gear better. What were they thinking - ever see a gloss black TV?

Adjustable leg on the back of the cabinet is a nice touch. Top of my Sony TV is slightly rounded both left to right and front to back, so the leg and supplied feet proved essential in getting the thing to sit solid.

I'm mostly into music, so I wasn't about to spend the grand or more required for an 'audiophile' center channel, like the Celestion A-series that would have matched my mains. I'm quite pleased with the sound of the NHT - it does a superb job on vocals, and that's what it's there for. I listened to stuff in higher price ranges than the NHT and think that some of the $1000 centers would have been only a marginal improvement. Compared to 'mid-fi' rigs I've heard using center channels from Polk, Advent, Infinity, etc. in the $200 range, well, there's no real comparison - the NHT is far superior in terms of tonal balance, distortion, and realism in general.

On the other hand, the NHT lists for $450. While I got it for less, this is still an awful lot of bucks for a tweeter and a couple of 5.25" midranges, even though they sure seem to be good ones.

I went with a purpose-built center channel since it looks more 'normal' on top of the TV (see Vicki's forthcoming obscenity-laced diatribe entitled 'Decorating With Speaker Cabinets') and avoids the placement hassle of trying to put two small speakers on top of a curved TV. While a single mini-monitor would have been easy to place, power handling and obsolesence concerns convinced me the options were the center channel or a pair of mini-monitors.

Before buying a dedicated center channel speaker you should seriously consider buying a small pair of quality 'normal' speakers since:
1) It's cheaper. Seems like every brand actually charges you more for a center channel than for a pair of mini-monitors with the same components. A pair of NHT Super Zeros or even Super Ones would have cost less, and the Super Ones would actually supply some bottom end. If needed, this might give you improved dispersion since you'd be able to 'toe-out' the individual speakers .
2) Avoid obsolescence. A single center channel speaker is only good for center channel purposes unless you want to buy another that matches, and how well are they likely to match if they get purchased a couple years apart? Home theater seems to be evolving rapidly - my receiver has 7.1 capabilities even though I've never seen a 7.1 source. Yet. What if next year they go to two front 'center' channels? You'll have to toss your dedicated center channel speaker, while a pair of mini-monitors would work just fine. Likewise if you upgrade there's always a use for a decent pair of small speakers but the single center channel is an albatross unless you listen to something mono.

While I've seen reviews stating that the dedicated center channel speakers work better in this role than mini-monitors, few if any seem to have tried a pair of mini-monitors (depending on impedance, you better know the difference between series and parallel hookups). Likewise, if manufacturers can sell you less stuff (usually 1 less box and tweeter) for more money in the form of a dedicated center channel, you can bet this is what they'll promote. I'm unconvinced....

I've given it 4 stars overall, reserving 5 stars for the best there is. As someone else noted, 'the best' costs a couple grand. For value, also 4 stars. While the NHT seemed to be a better deal than the other stuff I looked at, I've still got a problem with $400+ for a tweeter and a couple of 5.25" drivers, even if they are good ones. In this price range, it's gonna take a real wood cabinet and/or drivers with some bottom end to get 5 stars.

Similar Products Used:

Never had a center channel before. Listened to Polk, Advent, Infinity at friends, Snell, KEF, other hi-end at dealers.

Clarity, Sonic matching with my main speakers

none

I got these because they are a good match with my NHT 2.5i main speakers. They provide seamless timbre matching across the board and are great for both HT and 5 Channel Stereo music.

Gear:
NHT 2.5i Main Speakers
NHT 1.5 Rear Speakers
NHT AudioCenter 1 Center Speaker
ARS-500 Subwoofer
Marantz SR-7000 Receiver

Similar Products Used:

CSW Centerstage