NHT Loudspeakers (Now Hear This), often colloquially referred to as NHT Audio, is an American loudspeaker and audio component company based in
Benicia, California
Benicia ( , ) is a city in Solano County, California, located on the north bank of the Carquinez Strait in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the List of capitals in the United S ...
. The company was founded by Chris Byrne and
Ken Kantor in December 1986.
NHT
home theater
A home cinema, also called home theater, is a home entertainment audio-visual system that seeks to reproduce a movie theater experience and mood using consumer grade electronic video and audio equipment and is set up in a private home. In t ...
products have historically included
loudspeaker
A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or, more fully, a speaker system) is a combination of one or more speaker drivers, an enclosure, and electrical connections (possibly including a crossover network). The speaker driver is an ...
s, A/V processors, and
amplifiers
An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It is a two-port electronic circuit that uses electric power from a power suppl ...
. NHT professional processors and speakers are used in recording and production studios. The current NHT lineup consists solely of
acoustic suspension
Acoustic suspension is a loudspeaker cabinet design that uses one or more loudspeaker drivers mounted in a sealed box. Acoustic suspension systems reduce bass distortion which can be caused by stiff suspensions required on drivers used for open ...
loudspeakers and in-wall/in-ceiling speakers.
History
Byrne primarily handled sales and marketing, while Kantor (introduced to Byrne by Michael Riggs, then at ''High Fidelity'' magazine) was responsible for design and engineering.
In 1987, NHT shipped its first product, the Model 1 loudspeaker.
In 2004, NHT unveiled its XdS line of speakers and supporting processors. XdS speakers are
DSP corrected
active speakers with
digital amplifiers. The XdS line has since been discontinued.
In 2007, NHT introduced the Classic Three Bookshelf Speaker, which received critical acclaim. Theo Nicolakis of Audioholics wrote that "what the Classic Threes do have is a total sonic package that’s nothing short of amazing".
In 2016, NHT released its C Series line of speakers to replace the Classic Series. Secrets of Home Theater Hi-Fi praised the C 3 Bookshelf, saying the speakers "look great, sound great, and measure superbly. And in true NHT tradition, they accomplish all that at a very reasonable price."
Products
Traditional Loudspeakers
As of May 2018, NHT currently has 3 series of loudspeaker products: the C Series, Media Series, and Super Series.
In-ceiling & In-wall speakers
NHT utilizes Anti-Resonant Casting for their in-ceiling and in-wall speakers.
NHT uses a patented three-way tweeter array design for their in-ceiling speaker line-up.
References
{{More citations needed, date=May 2018
External links
NHT home pageAudioholics - Review
Loudspeaker manufacturers
Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States