Just drove 3 hours to pick up my unicorn…

daddyjt · November 16

treitz3 · November 16

Pffft.....I could have driven 2 miles to the local Wal-Mart to get moving blankets. Man, some people's kids...

Tom

treitz3 · November 16

Oh! I know, I know.....

*Raises hand*

Do I win a prize? 😀

Tom

treitz3 · November 16

You have the most impeccable taste in music.....please allow me to digress....

I know what you have, keep the rest of the forum in suspense....

That doesn't rhyme but roll with it.

It is what it is.

Tom

daddyjt · November 16

Ever since a lowly little pair of NHT 2.5 speakers blew me away about 10 years ago, I’ve been on the hunt for the flagship 3.3. I’ve been running the 2.9 for the past 6 years or so, and I love them so much I picked up a second pair for parts longevity. Prior to last week, the closest pair of 3.3 I’d seen was Portland, which is a good 12 hours each way. This pair popped in Idaho Falls (3hours each way) last week, and I convinced the seller to pull the ad for a $100 PayPal deposit - I pick them up Saturday for his asking price minus the $100 deposit, or he keeps my $100 if I no show. A bit risky, but I was banking on the good nature of most folks. The speakers were listed for $900, which is a bargain. Most pair that go in CA, IL or NY usually sell for $1,500-$2,000. The same math that works AGAINST me living kinda rural and not seeing great gear for sale all that often also works FOR me, in that the lack of potential buyers tends to drive prices down a bit. Super nice guy - we chatted audio for an hour or so, and he pledged to look me up next time he’s in the SLC area.

They need a little cleaning, and yes he had the stabilizing feet and the grills (in flawless shape), but both were removed for transport.

skrol · November 16

Those are interesting. They certainly have a lot of cabinet volume for the woofers. do the woofers fire toward the center rather than to the sides. I've wondered if my LSi15s would be less placement dependent if their woofers were firing toward the center.

F1nut · November 16

Nice!

I've been rocking a pair of modified NHT SB3's in my office rig for years.

daddyjt · November 16

skrol wrote: »

Those are interesting. They certainly have a lot of cabinet volume for the woofers. do the woofers fire toward the center rather than to the sides. I've wondered if my LSi15s would be less placement dependent if their woofers were firing toward the center.

Yes, they fire to the center.

VR3 · November 16

Ah nice! I've always wanted to hear a set of the big boys.

I picked up a pair of the smaller towers for my dad for father's day and they sound excellent, particularly at the used prices!

vader540is · November 16

Awesome! I have owned the 2.9 for over 10+ years, amazing speakers. The 3.3 are legendary.

Tony M · November 17

Congrats.

I've had my NHT 2.5i's whole system for years.

I almost sold the towers a year or two ago but I wanted too much for them.

I love their sound, too. The towers have been on one of my walls for a couple of years now, and I listen to them once in a while. The Triton ones are on speaker A, and the NHTs are on speaker B. What a treat! Believe it or not, the NHTs come close to pleasing just as much as the Triton Ones when switching back and forth. I have to turn the volume up on the NHTs, but when I do, they impress!

I heard some NHTs with the flat fronts in a big pawn shop and they filled that shop for years. They wanted a high price, so they sat there playing a radio station for years. I LOVED their warm crisp sound.

Again,

Congrats on a long wanted fulfilment.

VR3 · November 17

Side note... If you can figure out approximate dimensions I can cut you a felt strip to replace the missing foam strip.

Just send me $5 for shipping

PSOVLSK · November 17

Congrats. Would love to hear a pair.

DaveHo · November 17

Very nice! Congratulations!

daddyjt · November 17

Just got them cleaned-up and in place this afternoon. They are not a lot of fun to move around - they are almost 3’ deep, and weigh 125lbs each.

Initial listening was eye-opening to say the least. I expected deeper bass (these have sealed 12” woofers, as opposed to the 2.9 having a sealed 10”), but other than that I wasn’t expecting much of a difference. Wrong. The highs especially have more clarity and better separation between high-hat, crash and ride cymbals, and tambourines and wood blocks are on a whole new level. These are going to be fun…:-)

daddyjt · November 17

VR3 wrote: »

Side note... If you can figure out approximate dimensions I can cut you a felt strip to replace the missing foam strip.

Just send me $5 for shipping

That is very kind of you - thanks!

Back when I got my first pair of 2.9, the rubber diffraction strips were rotted away (a common problem with the speakers). I called the factory in Benicia CA (NE of the Bay Area) and after a few transfers I ended up talking to one of the engineers. I asked him if the strips really were necessary, and he said they are essential to the design, and that the speakers were “worthless” without the strips. Well - “do you have any spares” I ask? “Nope - the material is no longer made”. Chit. BUT he says, “There is a wool/felt weatherstripping that has virtually identical acoustic properties…”. He refers me to McMaster Carr, and I sourced 10’ of the stuff for around $30. I have made about a half dozen pair of the strips for myself and a few other friends that have the NHTs. As it happens, I had one last pair kicking around…:-)

Joey_V · November 17

Wow
I never seen that one before
It’s very deep of a speaker
Congrats!

agfrost · November 18

Congrats! Big fan of NHT bookies here--Have pairs of 1.3A, SB1, and SuperZeros here.

Enjoy.

Gardenstater · November 18

Nice! I read in stereophile that they need to be all the way back against the front wall for the bass to be properly reinforced.

Milito · November 18

Congrats, glad you're enjoying them.

daddyjt · November 18

Gardenstater wrote: »

Nice! I read in stereophile that they need to be all the way back against the front wall for the bass to be properly reinforced.

I have seen that direction as well in the manual, and I did try them much closer to the back wall initially. However, pulling them out to their current 8” from the back wall resulted in a much better bass sound - punchier and zero boom or bloat. Against the wall was just a bit too much bass, and I’d rather adjust with speaker positioning that resort to signal modification (tone or equalization).

billbillw · November 18

I remember a lot of praise for NHT back in the 80s/90s, but somehow, I've never heard a pair. I guess there weren't many dealers in my area because they don't show up used often.
Glad you found a set that makes you happy.

Jetmaker737 · November 18

Cool speakers. But what I'm really diggin' is the whiskey collection!

Conradicles · November 18

Very nice!

daddyjt · November 18

The mini bottles became a thing on our honeymoon to Vegas 34 years ago because, believe it or not, they are not legal to sell in UT. So we “smuggled” a few back with us, and now it’s a thing whenever we go to Vegas to look for any new ones. I actually need to build a new (bigger) rack for them (maybe a winter project)…

jdjohn · November 18

I see some nice tequilas in there!

msg · November 18

Very nice. Glad you're enjoying them to be a significant improvement.
Are those front baffles angled?

Not enough Gorilla Tape used during transport, imho.

Tony M · 12:16AM

Maybe the bass will improve the more the woofer spiders become more flexible.

I just purchased a set of Infinity RS7s, and there wasn't much bass—odd for an 8" woofer. I left them playing for days (2+), and sure enough, they sound fantastic now.

The midranges on the RS7s have a huge surround, but they don't flex much at all, even after much use. Maybe this surround and the spider on these midranges need 100 hours or more.

treitz3 · 12:24AM

Bey, bud....this is just food for thought.

Let the speakers exercise themself, naturally to your system. Let them get used to the new load and break in....

THEN, get back to us with your observations.

I can tell you with complete confidence that my speakers were not, "flexed" before I got them.

Rock on wid'yo'bad self....

Tom

daddyjt · 12:38AM

msg wrote: »

Very nice. Glad you're enjoying them to be a significant improvement.
Are those front baffles angled?

Not enough Gorilla Tape used during transport, imho.

Best inside joke of the month (if you know, you know) 🤣🤣

Yes, front baffles are angled in at about 30 degrees (guess).

katern387 · 4:41AM

daddyjt wrote: »

The mini bottles became a thing on our honeymoon to Vegas 34 years ago because, believe it or not, they are not legal to sell in UT. So we “smuggled” a few back with us, and now it’s a thing whenever we go to Vegas to look for any new ones. I actually need to build a new (bigger) rack for them (maybe a winter project)…

You could even make it part of the tradition—maybe include little engraved dates or labels for the new bottles you add. It’s the kind of personal touch that makes your collection so much more than just a display

Just drove 3 hours to pick up my unicorn…

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