I see that there is some recent NHT 3.3 reviews; so I thought I'd offer some of my observations.
I recently set up my new pair of 3.3's and was pretty blown away by the performance right out of the box. The character of the sound has not changed very much over a week, so they do not appear to need much of a break-in period. I'm having a great time pulling every good recording out of my disc collection: hard progressive rock, acoustic rock, vocal, jazz, classical - everything. Basically, this speaker sounds great when fed good recordings - it cannot be classified as simply a big-ass rock 'n roll speaker. The mucho-extended bass response is not exaggerated, but linear and detailed; which does as much for revealing the ambient information of the recording space as it does for big electric bass or drum lines. Over the entire frequency range, the 3.3 has the most life-like dynamic range that I have heard, with the exception of a Wilson X-1/Krell system. As an added bonus for those of us with neighbors, it has great detail at low volumes. All of this without ever sounding bright or etched!

Some previous cyber-reviewers had bleeding ears after listening to the 3.3's. All I can say is that these speakers will be EXTREMELY revealing of ancillary components. (What did those guys have them hooked up to, Aragons?) I consider my electronics to be very linear, not bright or dull, and they work extremely well with the 3.3's. And reviewers have said that these speakers are power hungry, but I think that they reward amplifier quality (linearity and speed) over amplifier quantity (power). My little BEL Mk. II amp (50 Watt class A) kicks ass with the 3.3's.

As mentioned in an old Stereophile review, the sound stage can be small on many recordings. But, it's pretty damn big on good ones. (The Ry Cooder / V.M. Bhatt Water Lily Acoustics recording is a stellar example.)

The fact that there are so many similar designs on the market is a testament to the NHT 3.3's five year old design. Some are serious competition, but have their shortcomings: Aerial 8 (rear port = very sensitive to room placement, this speaker also has closed-in treble), Focus Audio (too much $$!, no dealers - think about, have YOU ever heard them??). The rest seem to be pretenders: Mirage, Celestion, etc. I think that the NHT 3.3's give the biggest bang for the buck. Over the last year I considered a LOT of speakers before buying the 3.3's, and I'm glad I did, I'm going to keep these babies for a long, long time.

System: Pioneer PD65 (for now), Krell KRC3, BEL mk. II, BEL interconnects and wire (and bouncing new pair of NHT 3.3's!).

Deep Bass

I have owned these speakers for about 6 months now and I can honestly say that they are great speakers. I also listen to Maggies, but only when I want to listen to Jazz and non rock music.
If I want to listen to music with a strong beat or rhythm, I listen to these. They are very revealing and detailed speakers. If you crave bass this is the speaker for you! Listen to Pnk Floyds' Dark Side of the Moon for a definition of bass and you'll see(hear) what I talking about. By the way when I said they were very detailed speakers I meant it. If you don't believe it get a cd by a Columbian Trio by the name Los Trio and listen to the spanish guitar in any of their cds. The 3.3 does an excellent job of reproducing the guitars.
I can't understand why any one would rate them below average in sound. Take them home and spend some time with them. I think you may be surprised on how good these are and they are truly a bargain when compaired to some of the other speakers in their price range. Great speaker!

Similar Products Used:

Energy 3+2,Magnepan 3.5R, ESS AMT, Magnepan mglr, Snell

Can't belive the imaging is so dead on. This speaker images with uncanny, deadly accuracy with the best there is, including the best studio monitors. I own some pretty mean professional audio equipment and this pair is quite something if accuracy is what you want. Bass needs lots of room to breathe, and dynamics is really wide. Other than that, the rest of the qualities are super.
As with any pair of good speakers, you need capable amps with enough reserves to go down even to 2-ohms.

After owning my 3.3's for almost 2 months now, I've decided to buy a home for them. They beg to be played loud, and they aren't for an apartment dweller. I can't say anything bad about these speakers.
Imaging? YES. Great crossover and driver array, as well as the cabinet design. Ken Kantor is a genius!

Sound pressure level? YES, with enough amplification! I'm using a Sunfire for the (sub)woofers, and 2 channels of a Sunfire Cinema Grand for the upper drivers.

Points of interest:
Very revealing, and this speaker is a "tweaker"'s worst nightmare. Even the most subtle differences in placement will make or break the system. This appears to be the only downside. The sweet spot occupies about 3 cubic feet (at least in MY room), and the only listening fatigue I've experienced is a sore neck from holding my head up, with the recliner back.

Cables, source components, and preamp choice seem to be just as important. Associated electronice must be of the upper ranks for optimal performance. I'm using a mediocre H/K Signature 2.0 Dolby Digital preamp, and although great on movies, I'd like to try the system with a tube preamp or a passive solid state unit. I've tried Kimber, Audioquest, Tributaries, and Straightwire i/connects, and prefer the budget-priced Kimber PBJ's from Proceed PCD to preamp, and Straightwire Maestro between preamp and amp. Speaker cables are Tara Labs Space & Time (garden hose) to the mids/highs, and Straightwire Silver Surfers (garden hose, also) to the woofers.

Needless to say, my system makes a bit of a visual impact before the power is even turned on. The speakers sound great, and I'd recommend a serious audition to anyone who is looking to spend between $2500 and $10,000 for new speakers. A large room is a MUST. Don't try stuffing these beasts in a small home theater or living room. I wouldn't want them in a room less than 12 x 20 x 8. (well, I'd WANT them, but somewhere else).

And lastly, don't demo with inferior associated electronics! All the negative you've heard is true with lesser components. I've tried it at home, and the results were disappointing, to say the least. This speaker is so revealing, that you'll want to take a few of your favorite recordings along. Listen closely, and you'll be blown away by the details you've never heard before (even your FAVORITE material!!).

Gotta give'em 5!

f'in awesome.
i finally bought these after wantinh them for several years. always wanted b&w 801's till i heard these.

i'm still working on placement and room accoustics but they sound incredible most of the time.

the one thing i have notices is they do sound lean in the soundstaging & imaging arena sometimes and any suggestions as to why or what to do would be appreciated.

i still give these 6 stars on a five star rating.

Seeing the following reviews surprises me a little, yet at the same time I can understand. You either love or hate these speakers, and alot of your reaction depends upon the electronics they're paired with. The NHT 3.3s aren't for everyone, but for me they're about as close to Nirvana as you can get without spending $80,000 for Wilson Grand Slams or JMLab Grande Utopias. The 3.3 is the best all-around speaker I have ever heard, and I've heard top models from Thiel, B&W, Hales, Dynaudio, Martin Logan, Aerial Acoustics, Kef, PSB, Totem, Linn, and Vienna Acoustics.. The 3.3 does ALL types of music well: classical, jazz, rock, even rap if you are so inclined. Its highs and mids exceed the finest minimonitors, while its bass trounces all but the best of subwoofers (all of which cost more than a pair of 3.3s!). They are extremely neutral and transparent speakers, with probably the deepest, most accurate bass you have heard from a loudspeaker. The midrange is smooth and lovely, and the highs are accurate and sweet. (The 3.3 can sound slightly bright when matched with certain amps and cable.) Because of the 3.3's accuracy, it may not be as "musical" as some speakers. This just shows what a great speaker the 3.3 is: completely transparent. This is a double-edged sword, however, because while it exalts well-recorded music, it makes poorly recorded music sound worse than on other speakers that try to "improve" the sound. This speaker is also VERY sensitive to amplification. Cable and source also makes a huge difference. In general, I would look for warmer sounding amps, pre-amps and sources, and mellow cables. I searched for months trying to find a suitable amp. Mark Levinson's No. 331 at 135 watts just didn't have the necessary punch to drive the NHTs, and their more powerful models were a little out of my pricerange. The Krell FPB200, although a great amp in its own right, didn't fit well with the NHT. It had a great low end which complemented the NHTs bass, but the mids and highs were too cold with the already transparent speaker. Of the high-end solid states, Classe' seemed to work best. The CA200 and CA300 didn't have the low end punch of the Krell, but it was much smoother, almost tubelike, and it was very musical. That's what the 3.3 needs: a smooth, musical amp to offset its transparency. Don't even think of mid-fi stuff to go with this speaker. (The hideously bright Rotel gear made the 3.3 sound so bright that I nearly had to flee the room.) And this is why I believe that many people begin to dislike the 3.3 or NHT in general. They hear it paired with inferior componentry that brings out the worst in the speaker. I ended up with Classe's CA-200, CP-50, CD.5 for amp, pre-amp, and source. I bi-wired (highly recommended) the 3.3s with MIT and used their interconnects. This is a steller, albeit expensive, combination. In closing, I recommend this speaker to all who like their music loud and who place value on accuracy, not musicality. This is not an LP lover's speaker, and the 3.3 is much too large for a small room. Even though the 3.3 is only $4300, expect to spend at least twice that for amp, pre-amp, source, and cable and interconnects. This speaker is easily worth 5 times its mere $4300 price tag. Ah, if only there were more than 5 speakers.

I have listened to NHT's 2.5a, 2.9 and 3.3 and agree entirely with Mr. Doring below. Also, I sincerely congratulate him for an exemplary review. Compared to the majority of reviews here, Mr. Doring sets a mature and, I believe, objective benchmark. I hope others will follow. Lest I forget, remember that the future is probably digital or something as exact which we have yet to consider. Anachronistic viewpoints that contrast NHT's 3.3 will probably end up with the dodo. :)

Anyone who slams the NHT 3.3s is out of his or her mind. Set em up with some real equipment, dammit! I have been listening to speakers for years and years and there's nothing that beats the accuracy of these guys. NHT's lower-end models are also worth a listen as their sound is remeniscent of big brother's. CRAZINESS!!!!

I recently heard these at a specialty store. They were in a very live room and they were paired with a suite of Parasound electronics. This is not a good
combination. They definitely tended toward sibilance on female vocals. However, the midrange and mid-bass were incredible sounding. The bass was
phenomenal. Hyperballad (on Bjork's Post) shook the room with authority. The
sound was very cohesive and the sound stage excellent. As other reviewers have
posted, they need to be paired with an amp on the warmer side (I have always found the Parasound stuff bright enough to take your ear off). All in all, an
excellent speaker at an appropriate price. Listen to them if you get a chance.

I have owned a pair of 3.3's for two years now and I am extremely happy with them. The sound is unbelievable. After making several changes, my current system seems to bring out the best in them: Power Amplifier: McCormack DNA-1, Pre-Amplifier: Sonic Frontiers Line 1, DAC & Transport: Rotel RDD 980 & RCD 980, Inter-connects: Audiotruth Lapis, Cables: Straight Wire Silver Surfer. A word of caution though: Make sure you use a warm amplifier with enough power and a neutral Pre-amplifier. High volumes bring out the best in the speaker. The Mc-Cormack does a particularly good job, it ensures that the NHT's 12 inch woofer does its job well. At the two-third level on the Sonic Frontiers (Volume level 66.5 to 67.5 depending on the recording) the volume level is loud enough to ensure that the speakers disappear and the instruments and the vocalists are suspended in space. However, you sometimes have to close your eyes to realize this, the NHT's large odd shape intimidates you into thinking that the sound stage is only as big as the area between the speakers. Despite this: 5 stars to the NHT 3.3. It makes you want to listen to your entire cd collection again to see how it will sound on this speaker and what other details the 3.3 will bring out. The weak point in my system are the Rotels and I am thinking of getting the Meridian 508-24 CD player. Would appreciate some input.