NHT Xd Loudspeaker System Review

[romanesq]

Clarifying Xd vs. Bookshelves

Sorry Romanesq if my last post came across as offensive.

It's just that your description of that Grand Prix Audio Monaco stand with scientifically demonstrable noise isolation/lowering kind of reminded me of that "faster than speed of light" power cable that I read about a while ago.

I know in audiophile circles every little bit helps. But does that stand really help reduce the noise floor?

And thank you for giving me that comparison of the Xd to the B&W 803's. The one thing I have always been worried about with bookshelves is that during passages where a lot of air needs to be moved, almost all the bookshelves I've heard strain to some extent. It's a good point you bring up about clarity versus sheer volume. I guess with the traditional stereo thinking, most of us have grown to accept muddiness (relative to the Xd sound) as a given when play large speakers at concert volumes.

But just how loud can you play the Xd before you notice any strain? What is the size of your listening room?

Thanks for all the helpful info.

Perhaps I can help clear up the question of bookshelves by commenting on the secondary speakers I had in another room: the Paradigm Reference 20s. These were rated very high in their own right and they are really a great bang for the buck. But the fact of the matter is that as fine as they are, there is no comparison to NHT's Xd. I must emphasize that your reference point of bookshelf speakers is not applicable here.

To illustrate. I've had friends over for a listening session with the Xd system. With the previous system, 95db was really the max it could go before it was sounding too rough. With the NHT Xds in a room 11 feet wide (with a hallway next to it of another few feet) 10 foot ceiling and 29 feet in length you can crank up Xd to a higher volume but it doesn't break up the way a traditional system does. The reason is that the sound is so clear with so little distortion the human ear hears it and doesn't feel the roughness attributed at the lower levels. In this case, we reached 107dbs but all I can say is it just didn't feel like it. In fact it didn't feel worse than the 95db levels of the Nautilus 803s. That's how smooth the technology employed by Xd is and how easy on the human ear.

As for the Grand Prix Monaco stand, I had spoken at length with the company founder who is a fine man who worked in auto racing to isolate engine vibration. He took that science and decided to apply it to audio. From what I know, no one has done the work of issuing white papers on their measurements for their product.

And no, it isn't hyperbole to say that when employed, the Grand Prix Audio Monaco stand will make your system not only sound clearer but it will sound louder at the exact same listening level. When I bought the stand, I did with a full refund it I didn't like it. It does cost significant coin. But I was blown away with the results and now recognize the reality of scientific isolation being a factor in a system. It was a shock trust me. With all the voodoo out there, the Grand Prix Monaco can stand the true test of the individual in their own setup over and over. True measureable isolation is in no way part of the cable hype world. Those who dare can probably contact Alvin Lloyd and get the same offer. But be prepared to part with the money cause I don't think he's gotten many of these stands back.

 

[MrClean]

I heard the 803s in another room and was very underwhelmed. Without saying a word about my impression, the dealer started making excuses for the sound, blaming it on the preamp/amp, which included either Plinius or McCormack (it's been a while). I heard a pair of 800Ds in virtually the same location as the Xds and walked out of the store with the Xds. Money was not the determining factor, as I was replacing over $20K in gear from Genesis and Pass Labs. The money saved was icing on the cake. The weird thing is, many dealers seem to be going out of their way to hide this product - I got a great deal on the demo as the dealer seemed happy to get them out of the store.

Another great attribute that Romanesq brought up is the ease of setup, and the absence of a sweet spot. These things sound very good with little fuss - of course, they would sound even better in an optimized room, but sometimes that isn't practical. When I moved from Houston to LA, my listening environment changed drastically, and the old stuff did not work at all. Not only does the new system sound way better in the room, I have never encountered speakers that don't force you to sit in that one perfect spot to enjoy them. You can get up and walk around the room, and the image pretty much stays intact.

I must come off sounding like a dealer or something - I assure you, I am not. I'm just a very satisfied customer. NHT has developed a great product. When you look at it closely, you can only marvel at the level of thoughtfulness and detail that went into it. Is it perfect? No, but at this price point, it is extraordinary.

 

[romanesq]

So if you throw away the NHT Xd speaker cable....

The XD spealer cabling is regular 12G zip. You can use any brand you want with pin connectors, NHT will sell you 100' rolls of the stuff. (Remember you'll need 4 sets of cable!).

... then you're saying you can figure out a way to rig up some pin connectors so you can then go out and get almost half a dozen of the hyper expensive cable?

But how many people are going to be so retarded as to throw out the excellent speaker cable already included with Xd?

It looks like NHT is offering varying lengths of cable. That's a long way from pushing some other insanely priced stuff. Nuff said.

 

[MarkS]

Hello,
I've been interested in the NHT Xd for a long time. The system was introduced in the end of 2004 and although the system fitters have been modified, it is a shame they did not keep their promise to enable full room correction option. The boundary-compensation EQ has no affect on the frequencies below 200Hz - in the old NHT web site they claimed they" will fix those later ", but 3 years later the only option they offer is buying their multi channel " Controller " and not using the Xda microphone input . It sounds strange also because DEQX themselves have offered such an option long ago.It seems to me like they missed a chance to make a system that would sound perfect in any room - even one with bass problems. In other aspects, the system looks like a remarkable achievement. Mark Sunfilipo, did you feel the speaker boundary compensation enabled you to place the Xds near walls or corners with no effect on sound quality?
Thanks![/QUOTE

Hello GiantSteps

The boundary-compensation feature found in the
NHT XdA is useful, but necesarily limited, in its
ability to compensate for changes in the
system's frequency response owing to
changes in placement.

I say "necesarily" because there is no microphone
feeding the XdA's processors the time/frequency
domain information ordinarily needed to calculate
an appropriate, specific EQ solution. So essentially,
in engaging the XdA's boundary-compensation
feature, you're applying NHT's hard-coded,
estimated solution.

In practice I found that the effectiveness of the
boundary-compensation feature could be
overwhelmed by placing the system in positions
(or combinations of positions) I would ordinarily
not use. On the other hand, the feature did allow
for a degree of flexibility where it came to
system placement in positions I would use.

Whenever I get a new 2-channel system in,
I figure out placement by having an assistant
walk the room, reading from a book, while I
listen, seated at the main listening position,
for changes in their voice. This approach can
fairly quickly narrow down suitable locations.
By "suitable" I mean those positions in the
room where the sound (as percieved by me
at the listening position) sounds the least
effected by the room's acoustics. This, of
course, is a compromise solution.

Once I've found the best exact spot to place the
speakers within the zones previously determined
by walking the room, my experience has been
that's pretty much where the speakers have to stay.
However, the XdA's boundary-compensation feature
allows some flexibility in manuevering the speakers
away from those single best spots in a way that you
couldn't do with a lesser speaker. I imagine that
flexibility will come in quite handy for some folks.

In summary, the boundary-compensation feature
is effective, but it definitely has its limits. Used within
those limits you gain a degree of placement flexibility,
but its certainly not a cure-all.

 

[tim916]

How does this setup compared to the more traditional 2 tower speaker setup?

I've always felt that tower speakers can handle much more volume without straining than bookshelf speakers.

From a volume stand point, it's best to picture the Xd system as a pair of towers with a 1" tweeter, 5" midrange, and a 10" woofer. The mid crosses over at 110hz to the woofer, which is fairly low, but the bass going to it is rolled off at a steep 48db/octave. This means that while they may not play quite as loud as a traditional floorstander with a similar driver complement (think Revel Studio), they will play louder and cleaner than a pair of mini-monitors crossed over to a sub at 80-100hz with a 12 or 24db/octave bass rolloff. Adding a second XdW subwoofer allows the user to upload a filter into the XdA amp/processor that will raise the crossover point between the subs and midrange to 135hz. This allows the system to play a bit louder without straining.

Also keep in mind that when you consider that passive crossovers typically sap 3db of efficiency from a speaker, the 4 150w amps in the Xd system are delivering 600w to each XdS monitor.

 

[psv]

Can anyone help by listing a dealer that has these available to demo-preferably in the eastern US(NE) ? Thanks.

 

[Sridhar C]

Similar in nature to Phase Tech dARTS

On paper, these xD's sound very similar to the Phase Tech dARTS (I'm considering a 5.1 dARTS system for my HT but have only read reviews so far):

1. Digital amp and speakers sold in combination.
2. Installer uses a mic/test tones/Audyssey software from 14-32 points in the room for room calibration.
3. Sweet spot eliminated.
4. "Diminutive" in size only compared to typical floorstanders.

But, on paper, the dARTS seem like the NHT's on steroids:

1. 16 channels x 250 wpc of amplification. Sub(s) with separate power source.
2. Completely customizable: in-wall, on-wall, behind wall. Company says performance is the same.
3. Double the price (but it is 5.1). You can also do 5.2/7.1/7.2 for more money.

Anyone have first hand experience with both?

 

[Boerd]

My 2c about NHT Xd

I heard the 803s in another room and was very underwhelmed. Without saying a word about my impression, the dealer started making excuses for the sound, blaming it on the preamp/amp, which included either Plinius or McCormack (it's been a while). I heard a pair of 800Ds in virtually the same location as the Xds and walked out of the store with the Xds. Money was not the determining factor, as I was replacing over $20K in gear from Genesis and Pass Labs. The money saved was icing on the cake. The weird thing is, many dealers seem to be going out of their way to hide this product - I got a great deal on the demo as the dealer seemed happy to get them out of the store.

Another great attribute that Romanesq brought up is the ease of setup, and the absence of a sweet spot. These things sound very good with little fuss - of course, they would sound even better in an optimized room, but sometimes that isn't practical. When I moved from Houston to LA, my listening environment changed drastically, and the old stuff did not work at all. Not only does the new system sound way better in the room, I have never encountered speakers that don't force you to sit in that one perfect spot to enjoy them. You can get up and walk around the room, and the image pretty much stays intact.

I must come off sounding like a dealer or something - I assure you, I am not. I'm just a very satisfied customer. NHT has developed a great product. When you look at it closely, you can only marvel at the level of thoughtfulness and detail that went into it. Is it perfect? No, but at this price point, it is extraordinary.

Same here.

My system is/was Vienna Acoustics Baby Beethoven speakers , REL R 505 sub, Primare integrated amp (I21) and the Classic SqueezeBox 3. Cables are made by Cobalt for speakers; audioquest for the RCA link between SB3 and the integrated amp. I bought my system in 2005 (except the SB3 which I bought in 2006).
All my music is lossless stored on a computer (more than 700 CDs that now sit in the garage) and played wireless through SB3; this way there is no mechanical noise from the player (like a CD/SACD player would have). Of course the computer that stores the music is in a different room - all those noisy computer fans I can't stand...
The MSRP cost of the VA/Primare/REL system is 3995$ (VA) + 1995$ (REL) + 1495 (I21) + 130$ (10 AWG Cobalt cables) + 8.25% CA taxes = 8.243$
I am as happy as I can be with my system BUT (here I go) I am always reading reviews and listening to (too) many speakers (including some I couldn't afford) at many dealers.
Long story short, I heard about the NHT XDa an active crossover system with DEQX crossovers and Power Physics amplifier(s) in 2006 but it was just a few months after I bought my system so I wasn't very interested. Plus, at that time "digital" amplifier was a bad word, a profanity in the boutique oriented audiophile world and NHT is not quite an exotique brand - they are down to earth guys.
Here we are today in 2009 with the economy in the toilet and NHT slashes prices - XD* Active 2.2 is down to 2999$.
In the meantime I read quite a bit about class D amplifiers and learned they are (or at least could be) actually pretty good. So I order the NHT XD* Active 2.2 in special dark, factory-direct.
Here I am, I got the Beethovens/Primare/REL + the NHT XD* Active 2.2.
I also had to order a preamp and I chose the Parasound Halo P3 – I heard it many times and I like it. That set me back another 850$ (tax included).
*I was thinking - if a don't like the NHT I will sell them on Audiogon (yes I will loose some money but there is no place that let's me audition them). If I like them better than my current setup (I thought that was unlikely) I might keep both. After all, the VA/Primare/REL combination is as good as I can afford.
Or so I thought. The only speakers I like better than my Beethovens and under 15k$ are the Martin Logan Summit X. Now that is way above budget and my wife wouldn't approve either way (don't you bring those UFOs in our house, OK?). Speakers more expensive than that make no sense to me. A lot of doubtful (pseudo) technology go in such esoteric and expensive speakers - my 2c. Also - do not try justifying me k$ cables - it makes me laugh.
See this
http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/top-ten-signs-an-audio-cable-vendor-is-selling-you-snake-oil
on one of my preferred websites.

So, how do 8243$ spent at Magnolia HiFi stack up against 4100$ ( 3247$ is 3k$ + taxes then add 850$ for the Halo P3) spent buying factory direct gear from NHT + the Parasound P3 preamp?
Looks and appearance first:

The VA are some gorgeous lookers - the kind of finish you rarely see. If you look at the binding posts in the back then it'll be clear for you - the Austrians from VA mean quality. And that is not only outside, to be seen; read up on their website about their crossovers... Unless you are willing to spend a lot more I'd say the VA Beethovens are as good as it gets for a mortal's audio system.
The Primare amplifier is also a beautiful amplifier, simple, elegant and classy.
The RELL sub is also very nicely finished - a true black piano high gloss - really nice.

The NHT XDs speakers are very nicely finished - on par with the VA. I even consider the dark red chocolate/black piano high gloss finish better than the VA/RELL. The spikes that come with the stand are in a beautiful metallic gun color (and no, I don't like guns) - nicest spikes I've seen in a long time. Now there are two things I am not really thrilled in the looks of the NHT XDs:
*a) the cable that comes standard is not that cool looking
*b) there is a sticker on the back of the speakers with their serial #. Nicer/better finish and look than the VA yet a piece of sticker on their back!

Now the XDa (XD's amplifier) is not very nice looking - plastic front plate. Nowhere close to the Primare look.
The XDw are very nice looking - better looking than the RELL.

I like listening to baroque (I love organ) music and all king of fast, ear blasting punk/heavy metal. This (strange) combination music I like makes me hard to please when it comes to sound reproduction.

Sound comparison:

The VAs sound very relaxed with good imaging and clear mids while the highs sound silky smooth and mellow. They almost sound like they are meant to play Baroque music (even organ - with the REL subs) and Jazz. There is a sense of calm and precision (made in Vienna/Austria, remember?) in the sound of these speakers that gives you years of enjoyment listening to them.
The bass integration with the RELL is pretty good and the RELL never rattles and never booms - a sealed subwoofer, the only type of sub I like.
I could go on and on about their sound qualities but I'd rather skip to the critique part.
The high bass - low mids sounds a bit lifeless even with the RELL - almost missing a bit of energy/speed. At low levels there is plenty of details but when turned on a bit too loud the speakers distort a bit and the sound is not so relaxed anymore and no, it is not the amp; the knob is around 30 out of 75 when this is noticeable (there is some decent reserve in the amp). During my 4 years with this setup I noticed the piano sounds a bit boxy at times, especially in the low mids. As good as they are these speakers will not rock the house - they just don't play that clear at (acceptably) loud volume.

NHT.
On par with the best I ever listened to then some. I have listened to a lot of gear in the 10-15K$ range and even above - Mahler from VA 13k$, Amati from SF 28K$, Summit and Summit X from ML 10 respective 14 k$, the 801/802 from B&W, old/new Tannoys, etc.
NHT is nothing less. If anything the NHT are better.
The XD system can rock very LOUD and can play jazz very relaxed. With the 2.2 and the filter that sets the system to go down to 20Hz you can listen to organ music and it sounds real. You put the filter for high SPL and you can rock the house and still have plenty of bass down to 25Hz.
The best part - these speakers do not distort at (very) loud volume. One day I asked a friend of mine who is a motocross enthusiast: What kind of cars do you like? The answer came without a blink: The kind of car you can drive at 120Mph and makes you think you're driving 60 Mph, well controlled, balanced cars with sharp steering.
That's how I feel about the NHT Xds - they can rock and sound effortless. They can play organ effortlessly and have all the detail. And this comes from somebody who went to many concerts and operas. Many.
The mids are very fast - I dare to say on par with the best electrostats - don't take my word for it, try them out.
The bass is fast, never boomy and never rattles. The highs are crisp, detailed never too harsh but never mellow.
And the speakers, both bass and monitors are sealed.
Again - unbelievable sound, hard to describe. Precise, effortless and fast.
Instruments like piano and the organ never sounded more life like, ever. Large orchestras, rock bands never sounded so crisp.


After listening to the NHT I decided I have to part with the VA Beethovens/Primare/REL (Audiogon anybody?) - they make no makes no sense to me anymore; they were dwarfed by the NHT XD.

Now, in all fairness below are the things I don't like in the NHT XD active setup:
There is a the setting for the XDa that allows you to start the XDa with a music signal. During quiet passages the amp shuts down - annoying. The easy way I fixed that was to use the external trigger input on the XDa: I plugged wires from my preamp's trigger output to the XDa trigger input. It takes 1 minute and a simple wire to do that. Read your preamp manual to locate the 12V trigger output and send that to the trigger input in the XDa. Ok - this was easy.
Another thing is that whenever XDa starts there is a small sound pop in the tweeters.

 

[Boerd]

The XD spealer cabling is regular 12G zip. You can use any brand you want with pin connectors, NHT will sell you 100' rolls of the stuff. (Remember you'll need 4 sets of cable!).

I own a Xd 2.2 - the cable is a 2.5 mm = 10 AWG (4 wires each 10G)