Nht C Series C-3 Premium Sealed Box 3-Way Bookshelf Speaker, Single, High Gloss Black

I purchased a pair of the NHT C-3 bookshelf speakers at the remarkable price of $536, plus sales tax, and this might be the best value I've ever encountered in new equipment. The fit & finish is terrific, easily competitive with much more expensive speakers, and the cosmetic change from the rounded top & bottom of the earlier Classic Three makes for a simpler, more-refined appearance. The finish is prone to acquiring fingerprints, so you'll want to wear cotton gloves to remove the speakers from their packing. Sonically, the C-3 has all of the attributes you'd expect in a high-quality standmount, with excellent stereo imaging and soundstage presentation, but this system also has a remarkable continuity that - especially in a larger room - makes the transition from one driver to the next nearly seamless in this 3-way design, with the overall effect more closely suggesting a flat panel-type loudspeaker than a small-box dynamic. The sealed acoustic suspension design also permits the 6.5" woofer of the C-3 to perform well into the lower frequencies found in most unamplified music recorded with limited processing; this comes at a decrease in system efficiency, but makes for a speaker that is commendably balanced throughout its range. If there's a limitation, it's in the maximum spl that the speaker can attain - it's not going to blast you out of the room - which is not much of a sacrifice to make in favor of the natural response and musicality provided by the C-3 under normal listening conditions. The C-3 will play reasonably loudly, but put these speakers safely away for parties, and drag out some garage sale Cerwin Vega boxes for rocking the house. Note: this evaluation is based upon the C-3 speakers in a fairly large room - 23'x18' with a 16' ceiling, where the music has a chance to breathe a little bit, and from a listening position far enough back as to allow for 2nd and 3rd reflections. The speakers were also driven by a 200 watt/channel McIntosh integrated amplifier, a very stable power source for this low impedance (4 ohm, minimum) load. Although the Mac might be a much more expensive design than what one might normally expect to be connected to sub-$1000 speakers, it demonstrates the truly fine performance that can be had with the C-3, and that utilizing higher end equipment with these speakers would not be money wasted. A Google search will show the NHT C-3 review from Home Theater HiFi, which provides an excellent summation with measurements & specs. To sum up, these are very attractive speakers with an enjoyable, natural musical presentation that's in line with much more expensive designs; the C-3 could be one of the best hi-fi bargains around!

I use these for near-field listening on a desktop setup, the piano black finish makes them look much more premium than similarly priced bookshelf speakers, which use fake wood veneer. They are powered by a Fosi V3 amp (Opa2604 op-amps) and a Topping Dx7s dac. To my ears, these sound great, and the sound signature is overall pretty neutral. The sealed design of these speakers greatly reduces the bass quantity, and songs known for their bass will sound flat in comparison to ported speakers. However, when paired with a subwoofer, these will beat most of the similarly priced bookshelf speakers, whether they are paired with or without a subwoofer. This is probably because of the advantages of the sealed design, which sacrifices bass amount but enhances the overall performance of other frequencies. Overall, I would only recommend you buy these if you plan on adding a subwoofer or if you aren't big on bass anyway.

Using this as a left and right pair, Stand Mounted, upright position. Pretty much offers neutral sounding with pretty wide and deep soundstage with height that's just about right. Not as organic or revealing as the higher end Esoteric MG-20 pair that I have on the reference system but this will do for the price of 500 dollars a pair. This pair will put something like an LS3/5a to shame as the NHT has better bass extension and more resolving highs without being fatiguing to the ear. I dare to say, for 500 dollars a pair, this is one of the best kept secret in the industry. Cabinet is piano black finished, very

The reason I chose to buy the NHT c-3 speaker was after reading various reviews and opinions these might have the sound characteristics I like and would work well in the small 10ft square room I would be using then in. I’m happy to say that I made a good choice with these speakers and they sound great powered by my 150 watt rms into 4ohm integrated amplifier. The build quality for a this budget bookshelf speaker is way better than I expected at this price point, pleasingly solid with a flawless finish. The Sound To me the treble midrange sounds smooth with plenty of detail that’s non fatigue for long listening sessions. Being a sealed design with no port, the bass is tight and controlled and can go quite low but does not sound overblown, this makes placement in a small area less of an issue. Overall I really enjoy listening to my music with these speakers and that this keeps me listening longer, which is what it’s all about.

These things sound very very good. No regrets, I won't feel the need to upgrade for a long time, if ever