Simply the best speakers I ever had. Very acurate. Requires large room. Once well positionned, they will take you to heaven !!

Laminate is cheap, easy to chip.

Bass, Imaging, Transparency.

Heavy.

WOW!!!!! Exceptional value for the price you can find them now. Bass, Bass, Bass! Hard to believe the negative reviews.

Similar Products Used:

NHT 1.5's, 2.5i's, 2.9's, various B & W's

- incredible midrange -superb bass -the focus at the sweetspot can be intoxicating, if u position them right -a bargain at today's used price - looks are unmatched

- may sound a little bright on the upper end, but you can solve it with the right cables and amp - cabinet laminate is poor. My left one cracked and the right one is peeled off. But none of these affect the sound.

This is my second review, after using these for three years. I am writing this to specifically commend NHT for its fantastic customer care. Firstly, these speakers - at todays prices on Audiogon - cannot be matched. For under $2000 you can get yourself a pair for speakers that will make you happy at heart for years to come. I doubt if any other speakers can come close to these in terms of transparency, midrange quality, bass and soundstage. The pair I bought unfortunately developed a laminate crack on the right speaker that began at the side-mounted subwoofer and went all the way upto the top of the speakers. Now typically speaker companies will disown cabinet problems. But when I called NHT on the issue, I was amazed at their support, concern, and flexibility. Because the model is discontinued (the biggest mistake NHT could make), they offered me a free pair of new T6s. However I knew the T6s are too "home-theaterish" and did not want to part with my 3.3s because they sounded beautiful. NHT was generous and agreed to let me keep the 3.3s, and gave me a pair of T6s at a real low price. This way I could keep my favourite speakers and yet had the option to either use the T6s in my separate HT system or sell them and get back my investment. Overall, I was extremely saisfied with the way the people at NHT handled my problem. It is rare to find this type of customer focus today, irrespective of industry. I do believe NHT is an excellent company, whether owned by Ken Cantor or Rockford Technologies. And I know that I will not get rid of my 3.3s unless one day I can afford a pair of Wilson Watt Puppies. It is a pity that NHT (along with many other companies) is increasingly focusing on 5.1 systems, but if you can lay your hands on a good pair of 3.3s, dont make the mistake of not owning them. It is obvious that I did not like the "bassy" T6s as much as I like my 3.3s.

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logans, Thiel, several others

Everything, especially bass.

None.

After own it for several months, even my wife could tell the difference between my 3.3 and other under $3000 speakers. Buy them if you can find them as NHT discontinued them, you can find them at extreme low price which makes them a steal.

Similar Products Used:

NHT 1.5/2.5i/2.9, PSB stratus silver, paradigm reference 100, JBL studio S series.

very pure sound, great bass, great detail. if you like loud music, this is your baby. I like electronica and the 3.3s never seem to fall short of expectations.

none, no matter how hard i think. well, for these speakers, garbage in = garbage out, you know what i mean.

These are phenomenal speakers. They sound pure divine, they look plain awsome, and they are BIG. I have the room for them, and they deliver all that I expected and more. And at the price that I got them, well, there is something called luck after all :) Gear: Adcom GFA 5800, Adcom GFP 750, Marantz CC9100 player. Still hunting for the right tuner...

Similar Products Used:

auditioned a whole range, but owned plain vanilla Bose and Onkyo before, so there''s no comparision.

Bass,Bass,Bass. They can play as loud and clear as about any spearker out there. Clean, Excellent sound stage. 1st rate imaging.

Very picky about placement. Not for limited spaced rooms.
Hard to hold and move around.

I am giving an updated review of the 3.3's. It is almost the 1yr mark I'm about 1 month early. During this time my system has changed and I have had a chance to listen to a number of other excellent high end speakers.

I'll start by saying all high end speakers, quality ones anyway, do something well. It is our personal taste that makes us pick one over the other and of course budget.

To see people rate a speaker like the 3.3 as a 1 or 2 really makes me wonder what kind of a chance they gave this speaker. 1 and 2 ratings are reserved for crap!

Here is my current system:

CD: Cal Audio Labs Cl-5
Amps: Bryston 7B-ST mono blocks
Pre amp: Bryston BP-25
Cables and Interconects: Transparent Musicwave Plus and NBS balanced and standard.

For me the 3.3's are top shelf. I listen to music from Metallica to The piano sonatas Bach, Motzart, Ludwig Van, and jazz from the Dave Brubek Quartet.

The 3.3's shine when it comes to deep bass. Good test CD's are Eagles Hell Freezes Over. Check out live Hotel California intro.

1812 overture with digital cannons is also fantastic. If you are not experiencing bass from these speakers you are not using good up stream equipment or you set them up wrong. I did move my speakers one day and was horrified at the dive the sound took. (My fault not the speakers. PLACEMENT IS IMPORTANT!)

There are things I like more about the top of the line Maggies, and The Watt Puppies, but there are things I like more about the 3.3's. It's all in the sound you are looking for.

To sum it up. The 3.3's have incredible bass, outstanding imaging, and excellent soundstage. (hard to beat the depth of the Maggies though)The sound is clean and true. This is not an item to make bad recordings sound better. They play what you feed them as acurately as any speaker I have heard.

If you can shell out $4300 for a pair, then you should also be ready to have quality up stream as well. They are not bright speakers. If you think that's the case check the recording or your equipment up stream. I would never knock somebody who didn't like this speaker for their system. Its the people who rate 1&2's that make me wonder.

Enough of my babble. This is a five star speaker. Not the only five star speaker, but 5 none the less.

Similar Products Used:

NHT 2.9's.

True full-range, bang for the buck.

A tad bright.

I bought these used in mint condition and couldn't be happier. I think the first thing that stands out, as with all NHT's, is the cabinet. These cabinets are rock-solid and they must be to tame the drivers within. Unlike the other NHT black gloss finish, these have a black satin finish which is beautiful and ranks higher on the wife's list.
They are big and very heavy and are somewhat sensitive to placement, although compared to the M-L's they are easy to place. I use mine about 70/30, stereo/HT, and when I use them in HT I normally rotate them out a few degrees for a better impact. You'll have to experiment.
I've heard people comparing these and the 2.9's and as an experienced user of both, I respectfully disagree. It's hard for me to believe that all the drivers are the same except for the woofer. I owned both at the same time for a few weeks and did numerous A/B tests using the same equipment and the 3.3's performed better IMHO throughout the entire frequency range. Obviously, it was the bass that provided the biggest difference, but even the higher ranges were discernibly better. The only thing I can attribute it to is the cabinet dimension.
You'll need a decently powerful amp to get the full performance out of these. NHT's are notoriously inefficient and trying to power these with a receiver would be futile. I use an Enlightened Audio Design (EAD) Powermaster 500 5-channel amp to power these. I have them bi-amped using 4 of the 5 channels of the amp.
Overall, I think these are a great buy even at retail. A great overall speaker.

Similar Products Used:

NHt SuperTwo's, NHT 2.9's, Martin-Logan Aerius

Incredible sound..truly amazing at ANY price

Placement affects sound dramatically

These speakers are truly amazing. I do not own a pair myself, but DO own a pair of NHT 2.5's. Have had them for years and sill never tire of them. I've heard, (and lusted after) a pair of 3.3's for a while now. Like any NHT product, placement is crucial, however, as the shape of the cabinets define the soundstage so precisely. The 2.5's are the only 'manufactured' speakers I currently own, though I have five pair of other types at the moment. I'm a speaker-builder hobbyist, all of my other speakers are of my own design. Some are better than others, they get better as I learn more. Another reviewer remarked how much of a mark-up there was in loudspeakers, well, if you're handy with tools and are willing to experiment, you can save 80-90%. Truly. EXAMPLE: The bass drivers for these incredible NHT 3.3's are available mail-order (or internet) for $150.00 each. Yes, you read that right, $150.00. Astonishing. These are incredible drivers, highly regarded in the hobby, and for good reason. Incredible power handling capability, great extension, highest of build quality. You can buy more expensive components, certainly, but you can also buy more expensive assembled speakers than the 3.3. You can buy all the speakers and crossover components, selecting the highest quality capacitors and windings, (higher than in all but the most expensive of speakers) for around $600.00. You can even have the crossover assembled for a minimal fee. You can buy the VERY SAME DRIVERS that are in you favorite $12,000 a pair speakers for $1200.00. Are there down-sides to building? Certainly. Cabinet design and building is most crucial to the success of the design, then quality of crossover components, then, LASTLY, quality of the drivers. Amazing, how CHEAP the drivers are. Sometimes your best calculation's and years of experience fail you...and the effort falls short of expectations. Speaker design is still a bit of a 'black art'...any acousticl engineer will tell you...wether it's a loudspeaker design or a concert hall...you make your best guesses, backed up with calcuations and theory and computer modeling...and you wait for the first live performance to see if you design is a success or failure. YIKES! Such is the thrill, too, as the rewards can be remarkable. The NHT 3.3 is an example. Years of experience, an innovative design, and viola! Look at BOSE...a great company because they are willing to experiment. They have had commercial failures, but many successes. Like the venerable 901's...they go on and on. So how does NHT do it? Great components, good design, and a bit of tweaking. I've ordered a pair of the NHT 1259's...the drivers used in the 3.3, and will be building "my own" 3.3's this summer. I'll be driving them through a pair of B&K monoblocks...older, but killer amps. 800 watts, high current on reserve, awaiting the NHT's... Will I simply try to duplicate the NHT design? No, because I'm curious, and have ideas of my OWN! Like two cabinets, sand-filled between them to isolate the drivers, etc. Yes, there are LOTs of cool things you can do...if you're willing! check out www.madisound.com and www.speakerbuilding.com. ENJOY!

Similar Products Used:

NHT 2.5

Clear highs; accurate/holographic soundstage; sweet mids; incredible bass.

None.

I listened to many speakers under $4k retail before getting my 2.9s. Then I found the 3.3s used locally in mint condition for $2000---no brainer, I now have my dream speakers. I'll be brief as Mr. Justin Doring below already gave a fantastic, thorough review.

James,

The 3.3s only need 200 solid watts to perform well. Any of the following 200x2 amps is $800 new, $600 used: Parasound 1500A, Rotel 991, NAD 218, Acurus A200, Marantz MA700 monos. Interestingly, the 3.3s (min 4 ohms) are an easier load than 2.9s (min 3.1 ohms). Are you gonna tell me a weakness of the 3.3s is the need for an $800 amp??? Tell me, how many owners of $2500+ speakers are not going to spend a mere $800 on an amp? Be lucky these aren't 2 ohm Maggies that need a Bryston.

I would have kept my Parasound 1500A had my dealer not closed out my Citation 5.1 300x2 at $750.

Adcom GDC700 >> Nak AV10 >> Citation 5.1 >> NHT 3.3

Future upgrades: MSB link dac and creek passive preamp (or Adcom GFP750 preamp with unity gain).

5 Stars all the way for the 3.3s!

Similar Products Used:

NHT 2.9, Hales Revelation 3, B&W Nautilus 802, 805, Kef Reference 3, Wilson Watt 5.1, Sonus Faber Amanti

NHT 3.3's. IF you want to hear a great combination try the 3.3's, BAT VK-500 Amplifier, BAT VK-30 Pre-amp., Theta Miles CD, Cardas Cross Cables.
If this combo was a character on Dances with Wolves it would be called "Hair Standing On Back Of Neck". Nice.