great sound with good equipment

harsh sound with cheap equipment

I have been an NHT fan for over a decade. I bought a set of 2.3a's and a 1.1c for part of a Dolby Prologic system in the early 90's. I loved the sound. I eventually moved to Dolby Digital with some NHT super Ones. When I saw the 1.5s on ebay I decided to use them with a second system I was putting up in the house. When I hooked them up with my secondary receiver and listened I was surprised and disappointed. They sounded harsh and unpleasant. I thought "these won an award?" I read that these speakers don't do well with cheap electronics and that's what they were connected to...a low price Sony. I later purchased a Yamaha vsx-3300 on ebay along with 3 nht s1.4 and a Cambridge P-1000 subwoofer. The 1.5's now sound excellent. The 1.4's aren't a perfect match for the 1.5s but the system works well together. I use the system for movies and listen to music on the 1.5s in stereo. I eventually will pickup a few more 1.5s to replace the 1.4s

Similar Products Used:

nht 1.1c, 2.3a, 1.3a, super one, 1.4s onkyo, yamaha, sony, pioneer

Calrity, sound stage, definition. The balc finish is a plus.

Lack of bottom end; a sub-woofer helps.

Bought these, along with a NHT SP-2 subwoofer for a home theater set-up based on a friend's recommendation (as well as the postings on these boards)off EBay. Glad I did. Although the set-up is excellent for movies, these small speakers really shine with music. They are clear with a very good sound stage. They may not have a "big" bottom end, but the well-matched sub takes care of that. A wonderful speaker that seems to go far beyond its' small size.

Similar Products Used:

Mangnepans, Ohms.

• Excellent build quality for the money • Beautiful finish • Will reveal EVERYTHING on your discs or vinyl (from about 80Hz on up)

• "Tiresome" timbral quality • Very, very picky about music selection, electronics and room • Compresses easily • Have heard better soundstaging

I purchased these NHT 1.5s about a month ago after reading the reviews on this site (and other sites) and finding a reasonably good deal on them online. I do not have an NHT dealer in my area, so this is the only way I could hear them. At the same time, I decided to audition other "good" bookshelf speakers (had to get rid of my Maggies due to cat issues). I'll cut to the chase and tell you that I settled on a pair of Sonus Faber Concertinos and ended up selling the NHTs. The NHTs were beautiful--the finish was perfect (not nearly up to the level of the Sonus Fabers, but also not as expensive). The sound, however, was something else entirely. I let the NHTs burn in for about a week (perhaps they needed even longer), but they always, ALWAYS sounded thin and quite tipped-up in the highs (and yes, I DO have a sub). My equipment isn't bad, so I don't think the problems are upstream. Granted, the extra "detail" revealed things I had never hear before, but I found that the Sonus Fabers (and the B&Ws and Paradigms I listened to) revealed ALL of the same details, but in a much more approachable, and musically convincing way. In fact, both my girlfriend and I started avoiding playing certain types of music (rock and anything with complex passages) because it become too grating and uncomfortable. And I'm not just talking about "poorly recorded" discs either... some very well recorded material that I recently heard on a $20k Martin Logan set-up was not pleasant either. That's not music to MY ears. I'm writing this review not because I don't like NHT, but because I want people to understand what they're getting with these speakers. If you have "soft" electronics (tube, NAD) or a soft room, these might just work out for you. But if you have Japanese electronics (Denon, etc.), you'll suddenly be changing what you listen to. I have a feeling these speakers might be well served by upgraded crossover components. I've read that people have good results with that. However, it's no surprise in my mind that this particular speaker was not one of NHT's best sellers. I've heard worse, but as always, I would urge anyone to audition these and other speakers before making your purchase decision.

Similar Products Used:

Associated equipment: Musical Fidelity A3 Integrated Musical Fidelity A3 CD Parasound HCA-1000 HSU Research Sub Kimber 4VS and PBJ Similar products owned or auditioned recently: B&W

Jaw-dropping transparency,huge soundstage,incredible imaging, and that special "you are there" live sound Tight,puchy, muscical bass

Paired with AV receivers they sound a bit bright...but what decent speaker wouldn't... Bass can sound limited in a large room

I first encountered these little gems in '98 and at their price point of $600 they were one of a handful of speakers to consider which included monitor ,PSb,and B&W. Although not as rich or "lush" sounding as the English brands they offered a very natural, nuetral, and convincing "live" sound; with decent equipment and a good recording such as Chris Isaak's "Forever Blue" they had that "involving magic" that few speakers in this range possess. They also sound a hell of a lot bigger than they look when placed in a small to medium room and with ample space to perform. While most speakers at this level tend to sound the same, the 1.5s were very, very, transparent with amazing soundstage depth and jaw-dropping detail. Bass response, although a bit limited, is very tight and musical due to the sealed design. The only real drawback is that when placed with cheap A/V receivers they can sound a bright...go figure...these are audiophile speakers which easily rival those at twice the price including PSB Minis and Monitor studio 2s. THey still sound better than the SB-3 model which replaced these. All in all, a fine musical monitor that has that "you are there" transparency. TOO bad NHT was bought out several years ago...and their Chief Designer left as well...with the 1.5s and the rest of their discontinued musical line being his crowning glory...NHT has focused more intently on HT...if you can find a used pair buy them!

Similar Products Used:

PSB mini-nice laidback sound,surprisingly low bass Monitor 2-with vocals this was way ahead of the pack...no bass however... B&W 602-Unattractive and bulky but very listenable and enough bass for mo

Precise imaging, balanced tonality, appearance

None for product in this class

I've has these for a couple of years now and continue to find them accurate, easy to listen to speakers. They provide a detailed and precisely placed soundfield that provides good 3 dimensional placement of sound between and outside of the speakers. They can be placement sensitive but in most rooms a good location is quickly found. As a 6" sealed box 2-way speaker they provide better than expected bass response that stays clean down the unit's limits even at volume. I suspect those reviewers who have complained about the complete lack of bass might benefit from experimenting with placement.

Lastly, regarding the reviewer a few reviews down, I seriously doubt that he owns a pair of these. The grill frame is molded plastic covered by cloth and given the packing materials I don't really see how it could have been "bent" during shipment or straightened over his knee. Also, the finish of these speakers is the same as other NHT products, a high density laminate that is heat/pressure applied to both the inside and outside of the cabinet and is unlikely to "flake off" during any kind of normal use. He also refers to a mid-range driver which is suspiciously absent in every 1.5 I have seen nor have I seen "cabinets weaken" whatever that is supposed to mean. A troll is a troll, buy speakers with your ears.

Similar Products Used:

Spica, Snell, NHT

clarity, neutrality, soundstage

bass, sensitivity

Had these speakers for awhile and was very dissatisfied. They sounded forward and harsh no matter what I did. Finally tried crossing them over at 110 and swithched to MIT cable and they came alive. Also tried them full-range with a 150 watt amp which gave a better sound too. In short, filter out the bass or use an amp with ALOT of power and you'll be happy. ps... not good with Kimber PBJ
AMC cd8
Rotel Pre-Amp
Parasound HCA-750a
MIT Terminator 3 Interconnects and cable
NHT Sub-ONE

Similar Products Used:

Snell, DefTech bp10's, Paradigm Phantom,

Exceptionaly accurate

For the price and size...none.

For about $600, very few can compare. Do not expect a lot of bass response, however the 1.5's can handle a whole lot of bass boost from the preamp. Not designed for rock and alternative, especially for poorly recorded material. There is no such thing as reference Rock'n'Roll.
Drawback...you have to use high level "expensive" cable to achieve best performance. I recommend Kimber Kable 4TC and if you can afford it the 8TC...try not to go over 15ft.

My System....
HK Signature 2.0
HK Signature 2.1
HK FL8550HD
Cable...
Kimber Kable KCAG
Kimber Kable 4TC

An excellent speaker choice for use with a quality amp. Currently have 1.3A as left/right in a Dolby pro logic system with 1.1 as center and surrounds. Combined with a powered subwoofer and a Harmon Kardon AVR-20 reciever, they create a huge soundfield with excellent sound. Greatly recommended.

Just had it a couple days ago. Spent whole weekend on my favourate chair-----listenning------ really enjoy the life at that moment.
System setup:

Passonic DVD 110 ---> McCormack TLC pre-amp ---->
Rotel RB 956AX power-amp ----> NHT 1.5.

Rotel amp is an 6-channel 45wpc amp. Bridged into 3-channel amp as 90wpc.
Speaker stands are 16" high.

Review:

Truely amazing! the speaker are transparent to the music! Many times i feel the string is vibrating inside the speaker.... someone must be in there playing, i bet............High is clear, sweet. imaging is very good. vocal and violin sound BEAUTIFUL. Piano needs some help on those bass keys. Gutiar is very orginally recovered. very natural and give u a close-feeling with the intrument. One BAD point -------- short of depth, which makes my favourate Quartet sounds more like a 4-people sitting in a row. still, u could tell who is who though.

Lack of bass is NOT entirely true as someone complained. If u move the speaker close to the rear-wall, about 40 ~50cm in my apt, the bass was tight and strong enough for u to feel it (maybe my apt's building quality is not that good. when i put my feet on the carpet, i did feel the air-shake from the bass notes). but of course, bass is not its STRONG point.

Power hungry is one thing u may want to keep in mind. my pre-am knob was about 2/3 way when it really sings, which is about 2/3 * 90 = 60w. but surely it handles all the power very well, no harshness, no strains at high or low. sweet and clear as usual.

For the price, strongly recommend to everyone who likes music. Once u add a decent sub.... oh, my GOD..............

enjoy!

The quality of audio equipment is usually directly related to its price, usually. Once in a while, a product comes along which is a terrific value, i.e. the quality of the product exceeds the price. I spent a long time evaluating speakers in the $500 to $800 range and I purchased the 1.5's because they sound the best for the music (acoustic jazz combos), the space (apartment living room), and the money. No, they don't have bass the rattles the dishes, if you live in an apartment, you can't have that anyway. But for the money, the tonal quality is excellent. And, you couldn't ask for any better focus or imaging for a $600 set of speakers. In the world of reasonably priced equipment, I believe these speakers to be at the top of their class.