NHT system
April 20, 2006
I'm contemplating purchasing a used NHT VT-3 five-channel
speaker system. These were manufactured, I believe, in 2000 or 2001, to the tune of $9000
USD. Can you tell me about them?
Tod Debord
I’m not specifically familiar with VT-3 speaker,
although if memory recalls it was a later version of the 3.3 flagship, only more suited to
home theater. I’m sure it is a fine system based purely on its heritage. Before I
plunked down a large sum of money on the VT-3 system, however, I would listen to the new
Classic series. We have a review of the Two coming on GoodSound! I think a more
even comparison with the VT-3 would be the new Four, a large floorstander that
incorporates NHT’s newest technology. We will have a review of the Four on our sister
site, Home Theater &
Sound. You may find the newer speakers worth waiting for.
Crossover question
April 17, 2006
If my subwoofer has a default crossover setting of 80Hz, do
I need to set the crossover on my Panasonic receiver to 80Hz as well? I’m confused. I
can also bypass my subwoofer crossover. Should I use the sub crossover and the receiver
crossover?
Mike Parker
Set your subwoofer’s crossover to the bypass
position and use your receiver to cross over your subwoofer. What you don’t want to
happen is an arrangement where you are using two crossovers, which is what you’ll
have unless you disable one or the other. You would only need the subwoofer’s
crossover control, in your setup, if sending a full-range signal from a set of preamp
output connections. In your case, you’re using the receiver’s subwoofer output,
which sends a crossed-over LFE signal when watching movies and a sub-80Hz signal for
sources such as CD. The Panasonic is doing the work, so no need to have the
subwoofer’s crossover engaged as well.
Speaker toe-in: part two
April 12, 2006
In your April 3rd letter, you state "…just move
the speakers slightly outward and listen, noting how the high frequencies, in particular,
change with each position." Are you saying to move the entire speaker outward, or
just change the toe-in?
David
I should have made that more clear. In most rooms you
should start with an equilateral triangle: the speakers’ distance apart will be the
same as the distance from each speaker’s tweeter to the listener’s head. Your
room and its décor might not allow exactly this configuration, but it’s a good rule
of thumb for providing a starting point. What I was actually referring to in my
above-referenced letter was the actual toe-in once the speakers are placed in the triangle
configuration. The toe-in adjustment will change the high-frequency sound you hear at the
listening position because you are transitioning from listening on axis to off axis as you
move the speaker outward. This affects the direct sound you hear as well as how the
speaker interacts with the walls around them. Additionally, you can move the entire
triangle farther into the room, or farther toward the front wall, to change bass
performance: as a general rule, closer to the front wall will provide more bass, whereas
the opposite will lighten the bass.
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