Threes—or maybe the smaller
Classic Twos, Absolute Zeros, or
possibly NHT’s in-wall or in-ceiling
speakers. Did you notice I have
not mentioned a subwoofer? NHT
apparently thinks the Classic Four
system doesn’t need one. I’ve heard
that claim before, but this time it
may be for real.
Look Ma, No Buttons!
The Controller’s front panel is
free of the usual parade of pro-
cessing logos—and there’s not a
single hard button or protruding
knob. The large, easy-to-read LED
display imparts information about
source selection, surround mode,
setup, and so on. To the right,
you’ll find a touch-wheel volume
and navigation control. Six touch-
select buttons frame the display
and provide a variety of functions,
depending on the display’s status.
HDMI 1.1 switching is available
for two sources, and kudos go
out to NHT for being one of the
very few manufacturers commit-
ted to offering an upgrade to
HDMI 1.3 when it’s available.
The built-in AM/FM tuner is a
nice touch that many surround
processors do without.
The Controller has a unique fea-
ture that NHT has dubbed the
Speaker Wizard. It’s in the pre/pro’s
setup menu, and it automatically
provides preset bass management,
equalization, phase settings, and
low- and high-pass crossover filters
for a wide range of NHT speakers.
It will eventually have the soft-
ware to accommodate every NHT
speaker ever made. It’s a remark-
ably comprehensive system, and it’s
wonderfully easy to use. But don’t
for a second think the Controller
and Power5 are so NHT-centric
that you cannot use them with
great success with other brands’
speakers—they’re not.
The Controller’s remote con-
trol took me by surprise; the little
silver and black plastic thing looks
like a refugee from a cheap HTIB.
Its ergonomics aren’t so hot, the
vol ume and source buttons are
awkwardly placed, and it’s not
backlit. And did I mention that it
feels cheap? I guess NHT assumes
most buyers will ditch it and buy a
programmable remote. I would, but
> L/R Sensitivity:
87 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz
> Center Sensitivity:
89.5 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz
> Surround Sensitivity:
85.5 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz
This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing
close-miking of all woofers) frequency response of the
Four L/R (purple trace), Three C center channel (green
trace), and Three surround (red trace). All passive
loudspeakers were measured at a distance of 1 meter
with a 2.83-volt input and scaled for display purposes.
The Four’s listening-window response (a five-
point average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal
and vertical responses) me0.75/–2.67 deci-
bels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. The –3-dB point is
at 42 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 35 Hz. Impedance
reaches a minimum of 5.24 ohms at 145 Hz and a
phase angle of –69.50 degrees at 61 Hz.
The Three C’s listening-window response measures
+0.96/–1.98 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. An average of
axial and +/–15-degree horizontal responses measures
+1.26/–1.86 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3-dB point
is at 76 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 63 Hz. Impedance
reaches a minimum of 4.57 ohms at 14.8 kHz and a
phase angle of –42.20 degrees at 92 Hz.
The Three’s listening-window response measures
+1.05/–3.68 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3-dB point
is at 69 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 55 Hz. Impedance
reaches a minimum of 4.77 ohms at 143 Hz and a
phase angle of –48.61 degrees at 76 Hz.
—MJP
C
NHT CLASSIC FOUR SPEAKER SYSTEM
AT A GLANCE
HT Labs Measures: NHT Classic Four Speaker System
SPEAKER:
CLASSIC THREE C
CLASSIC THREE
Type:
Three-way, center
Three-way, monitor
Tweeter (size in inches, type):
0.75, aluminum dome
0.75, aluminum dome
Midrange (size in inches, type):
2, aluminum dome
2, aluminum dome
Woofer (size in inches, type):
6.5, aluminum cone (2)
6.5, aluminum cone
Nominal Impedance (ohms):
8
8
Recommended Amp Power:
Up to 200 watts
Up to 150 watts
Available Finishes:
Black Gloss, Special Dark
Black Gloss, Special Dark
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches):
7 x 21.875 x 8.25
13.75 x 7.5 x 10.375
Weight ( pounds):
23
17
Price: $600/each
$400/each
>
SPEAKER: CLASSIC FOUR
Type: Four-way,
tower
Tweeter (size in inches, type):
0.75, aluminum dome
Midrange (size in inches, type):
2, aluminum dome
Woofer (size in inches, type):
6.5, aluminum cone
Subwoofer (size in inches, type): 10, aluminum cone
Nominal Impedance (ohms):
6
Recommended Amp Power:
Up to 250 watts
Available Finishes:
Black Gloss, Special Dark
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches):
41 x 7.7 x 16
Weight ( pounds):
64.3
Price: $900/each
These listings are based on the manu-
facturer’s stated specs; the HT Labs box
below indicates the gear’s performance
on our test bench.
[
H I G H L I G H T S
Classic Four Speaker System:
Love the new curvy look
Best-ever sound I’ve heard
from NHT
NUVISION NVX32HDU LCD HD MONITR
from the
test bench
NHT CLASSIC FOUR SPEAKER SYSTEM, CONTROLLER
PRE/PRO, AND POWER5 AMPLIFIER