NHT Classic Four and Absolute Tower Loudspeaker Preview

Located in sunny Benicia, California, NHT (Now Hear This) has a simple mission: since the debut of the Model 1 in 1987, their aim has been to challenge the notion that the very best sound reproduction must come at a premium price. A quick glance at NHT’s lineup indicates that this is still a fundamental goal, with their flagship Classic Four tower speaker’s MSRP running a decidedly non-stratospheric $2,700/pair, while the Absolute Tower boasts an MSRP of $1,260/pair. Of course, the market has no shortage of companies claiming superior sound for relatively few dollars. What sets NHT apart from the rest of the pack? Keep reading to find out.

NHT Classic Four Floorstanding Tower Speaker

The lead performer in NHT’s lineup, the Classic Four is a relatively large albeit slim four-way loudspeaker sporting all aluminum drivers including a 0.75” dome tweeter, 2” dome midrange, 6.5” mid/woofer (in an acoustic suspension sub-enclosure), and a 10” side-firing woofer (in a bass reflex sub-enclosure with a tuning-point of 26Hz). The cabinet to which the drivers are mated should be quite solid thanks to multiple braces, an extra thick 30mm front baffle (1.2 inches), 18mm (0.7 inches) sides and rear, and further reinforcement of the woofer compartment courtesy of a 1.5mm aluminum plate. In addition, the cabinet is also quite aesthetically appealing, featuring a high gloss piano black finish as well as a few graceful curves around the tweeter and midrange which also happen to minimize diffraction effects.

In terms of performance, we have high expectations for the Classic Four. The 0.75” tweeter and 2” midrange drivers should contribute to a fairly wide dispersion pattern without any holes that can result from pushing a relatively large mid/woofer to the point of beaming. As noted above, the inclusion of low diffraction cabinetry is a nice plus, and the heavy enclosure (weighing in at 64.3 pounds) should keep resonances to a minimum. So what do the numbers say? In terms of frequency response, the Classic Four is rated from 27Hz-20kHz (+/- 3dB per NHT’s engineering staff), which means that it should be largely capable of full range music reproduction. It’s also worth noting that the Classic Four is a 6 ohm nominal speaker with a minimum impedance of ~4 ohms, and combined with a somewhat low sensitivity rating of 86dB with 2.83V at 1 meter, will likely require a relatively powerful amplifier capable of driving low impedance loads in order to deliver high SPL's.

Beauty shot of the NHT Classic Four, showing off its driver complement, including the side firing 10" woofer.

NHT Absolute Tower

While the Classic Four is the big daddy of NHT’s lineup, for those who have a bit less to spend and can get away with a little less low end capability (read: you have a subwoofer), the Absolute Tower is may be the speaker for you. A true three-way design, the Absolute tower utilizes a 1” aluminum dome tweeter with a trio of polypropylene 5.25” woofers in an acoustic suspension alignment; one of the woofers operates from 2.2kHz-450Hz, while the other two handle the frequencies from 450Hz on down. Like the Classic Four, the cabinet comes in an attractive gloss black finish, and boasts the same diffraction reducing curves around the tweeter and midrange driver.

In terms of performance, the biggest difference between the Absolute Tower and its big brother will be low end extension. While a pair of Absolute Towers brings a quartet of 5.25” drivers to the table, the low end extension of the system is only rated down to 58Hz; in other words, the Absolute Towers do require a subwoofer for full range performance. Other than that, the Absolute Tower appears to be a very capable loudspeaker.  The crossover frequency selected for the tweeter / mid/woofer handoff shouldn’t represent any troubles in terms of beaming, again promising wide relatively dispersion through the audio band. Also like the Classic Four, the Absolute Tower boasts a lowish sensitivity rating of 86dB with 2.83V at 1 meter, and while the average impedance is listed at 8 ohms, the minimum of 4 ohms combined with the low sensitivity still suggests respectable amplification be used to achieve high output levels. 

Editorial Note About Loudspeaker Sensitivity

It's important to note that some loudspeaker companies tend to inflate sensitivity ratings by not bandwidth limiting the measurement (300Hz to 3kHz per ITU standard) or using a 4 ohm tweeter in an 8 ohm system to artificially raise sensitivity.  We don't believe this is the case with NHT speakers and currently have a few models in for testing to confirm.

For more information on this topic see:  Loudspeaker Sensitivity Measurements

The NHT Absolute Tower's trio of 5.25" woofers adds to the visual stimulation of the overall design.

Summary

Frankly, we like what we’re seeing from NHT’s product line. True to their original mission, they appear to be delivering high quality sound (not to mention good looks) for a modest price. We can’t find any significant flaws at a glance, though if we had our way, we would make some changes in terms of how specifications are reported. Nonetheless, the Classic Four and Absolute Tower are two sets of loudspeakers we plan on doing full featured reviews on in the near future. Even with a quick peek, we’d reckon that they’re definitely worth a listen if you’re on the hunt for a new set of speakers.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.