Size and Sound

Bass, but what do you expect from this size of a speaker.

I have these set up as my surround speakers. I have the XU version and they mount very nicely on my walls. I have the SuperOnes for the front and center speakers. Well they blend very nicely. They certainly could be used very effectively as fronts also, if you have a Sub. Recently, A friend of mine thought we were getting a surprise thunderstorm while we were playing October Sky. Certainly a subwoofer helps with this illusion, but the 3d effect of the thunder was believable. All of the music is wonderful from Dolby Digital while it fills my home theater. This speaker is a great choice for a budget quality home theater system.

Similar Products Used:

SuperOnes

I bought a pair of SuperZeros along with an SWP2 sub and NAD 705 receiver and NAD 502 CD player 3 years ago. While I enjoyed them, I have to admit at the time that I was a little disapointed. The soundstaging wasn't what I was led to believe and the system was harsh at times.
Two years ago I inserted an NAD 214 amp and used the pre-outs to hook it up to the 705. The dynamics and imaging improved greatly. I guess with my inital setup, running the speaker outs directly to the SWP2 and using the internal crossover to split the signal was a compromise I lived with too long.

8 months ago I swapped out the NAD 502 CD player for a Musical Fidelity A60. Wow! The character of the system changed entirely. Gone was the top end harshness and the overall presentation became more laid back and warm. While the top-end sounds softer, the bottom-end is also less extended, but overall the sound is more natural and all the listening fatigue has gone.

3 months ago I dumped the NAD receiver because of a circuit protection problem and replaced it with a Marantz AV550. Again, wow! The overall sound is bigger and deeper. For certain recordings I've lost some of that in-your-face presentation, but the overall effect is of more spaciousness and air.

I can't wait to add 3 more SuperZeros or even going with 3 SuperOnes to take adventage of the AV550s HT features. I'm also considering adding 3 Marantz MA500s or MA700s and relegating the nice sounding NAD 214 to the surrounds. Retiring the 214 and getting an ATI AT1505 or Parasound HCA1205a multichannel amp is an option too.

I know that this seems to be a review and history of my home system rather than one for the SuperZeros. But my point is that these tiny speakers are fantastic, and are very sensitive to the electronics ahead of them. Ken Kantor said when he designed these little units that he wanted an honest reproduction of the music and not a glossed over interpretation. I've found this to be very true. With bright electronics the SuperZeros can make you cringe, but with more forgiving music sources, the are magic.

If you're on a budget and select your components carefully, I think you will be very happy with these little fellas. But, you'll definitely need a sub.

As i said

As I said

Well...I can see that Gene is now speaking with the liver because every time he post an opinion he blow down the rating...Boy you really hate the Super Zeros!!! What will be next? Shoot them?
I never said that an Onkyo is a bad receiver, but the Super Zeros REALLY sound great with a tube amplifier, and there is nothing to discuss about that...I know what I am hearing, an I can see that that you have never read the Stereophile´s 1994 review (a PROFESSIONAL review). Anyway, this is a place to post reviews, not to discuss about anything. You are happy with the Ensembles, that is OK. We are happy with the Super Zeros, that is OK too. Just stop your "revenge"

Similar Products Used:

As I said

Compact size with incredible depth of sound.

A little flat in the midrange.

Excellent for music listening! Team this up with the NHT SW2P Sub.

Grill is kinda flimsy as stated, the woofer material looks kinda cheap in comparison to other brands in the same catagory, these are cosmetic gripes however and have nothing to do with actual performance

Was in college at the time when i bought these speakers...approx 5 years ago. Wanted to maximize my already low cash funds with some good speakers at a reasonable price point. Was considering some more expensive alternatives, but decided to go the budget route. Almost ended up with some Bose speakers, but they didn't soundgood. They weren't bad...but i figured I could definitely do better. After listening to some of the middle range stuff in terms of price, looked at the high end stuff because I still wasn't happy with what I heard. I was almost going to plunk down $300 each on a pair of good mini speakers when i entered a demo room in one of the local hifi stores. The sound I heard was amazing...sounded like the sound was coming from a set of speakers in front of me and behind. A well balanced transparent sound. I looked at what I thought were the source...a tall pair of NHT 3.3 with a 5K pricetag. However, the salesperson let me know it wasn't the 3.3s playing...rather the superzeros standing next to them, along with a sub one. Well, that practically floored me. I was totally amazed at the sound....and even more stupefied at the price! $110 each...and they looked absolutely great. I decided to get three of them for the fronts, the sub, and a pair of hdp-1s for the surround. That setup by far was the cleanest and most satisfying setup I have heard even till this day. I am still using them, but updated the dipoles to superzeros as well for digital reasons. The clarity is excellent. Imaging is as many people state here, excellent. overall, I am thrilled with the speakers. Not only have they lasted as long as they have, they still look absoultely great, sound just as good if not better with the new hardware to drive them, and for the money are just a damn excellent buy. The sub is quite amazing too, with clean accurate bass that hits as subtle or as hard as needed without distortion...just make sure to secure any items in the room prone to rattling :) I must say the dipoles were superb for prologic as well. I still use them for my lower end room. It is very rare to be as thrilled with anything after 5 years as the first day...and these certainly still deliver thrilling performance. I highly recommend these speakers to anyone wanting accurate clean sound, regardless of price. I still feel they hold their own in comparison to newer speakers on the market. At LEAST listen to them before you finalize your decision...you may be happy you did. I know this review sounds pretty biased and pro super-zeros...but I really do feel this product is unbelieveable.

Similar Products Used:

B&O, KEF, PSB, Mission, Polk, Atlantic, Triad

Grill is kinda flimsy as stated, the woofer material looks kinda cheap in comparison to other brands in the same catagory, these are cosmetic gripes however and have nothing to do with actual performance

Was in college at the time when i bought these speakers...approx 5 years ago. Wanted to maximize my already low cash funds with some good speakers at a reasonable price point. Was considering some more expensive alternatives, but decided to go the budget route. Almost ended up with some Bose speakers, but they didn't soundgood. They weren't bad...but i figured I could definitely do better. After listening to some of the middle range stuff in terms of price, looked at the high end stuff because I still wasn't happy with what I heard. I was almost going to plunk down $300 each on a pair of good mini speakers when i entered a demo room in one of the local hifi stores. The sound I heard was amazing...sounded like the sound was coming from a set of speakers in front of me and behind. A well balanced transparent sound. I looked at what I thought were the source...a tall pair of NHT 3.3 with a 5K pricetag. However, the salesperson let me know it wasn't the 3.3s playing...rather the superzeros standing next to them, along with a sub one. Well, that practically floored me. I was totally amazed at the sound....and even more stupefied at the price! $110 each...and they looked absolutely great. I decided to get three of them for the fronts, the sub, and a pair of hdp-1s for the surround. That setup by far was the cleanest and most satisfying setup I have heard even till this day. I am still using them, but updated the dipoles to superzeros as well for digital reasons. The clarity is excellent. Imaging is as many people state here, excellent. overall, I am thrilled with the speakers. Not only have they lasted as long as they have, they still look absoultely great, sound just as good if not better with the new hardware to drive them, and for the money are just a damn excellent buy. The sub is quite amazing too, with clean accurate bass that hits as subtle or as hard as needed without distortion...just make sure to secure any items in the room prone to rattling :) I must say the dipoles were superb for prologic as well. I still use them for my lower end room. It is very rare to be as thrilled with anything after 5 years as the first day...and these certainly still deliver thrilling performance. I highly recommend these speakers to anyone wanting accurate clean sound, regardless of price. I still feel they hold their own in comparison to newer speakers on the market. At LEAST listen to them before you finalize your decision...you may be happy you did.

Similar Products Used:

B&O, KEF, PSB, Mission, Polk, Atlantic, Triad

Small size, sound quality, build quality

None

I am using six of these for my home theater system joined with the NHT sub-one and the Outlaw 1050 6.1 receiver. These little speakers can handle anything you can throw at them with clarity and punch. I am very impressed and pleased. Movies never sounded so good! Musically, they deliver a tight precise sound that is a joy to listen to. I have never heard the subtleties of the my cd collection so clearly before. Didn't realize how much I was missing. You MUST get a sub to go with these speakers though because they do not reproduce bass (only go down to 85 Hz). You will not be disappointed in your selection if you choose the super zero's.

-

-

I will have to apologist to AudioReview for this but I still can see the repeated reviews from others. For those who think I am an NHT "spy", believe me, I am just another consumer who is happy with a product. The true is that I do not know what more can I say about the Super Zeros...I just like them!

Similar Products Used:

-

build, placement, imaging.

muddy bass

See my review of Cambridge Soundworks New Ensemble speakers for comparison with NHT Super Zero.

Basically, New Ensemble has tighter bass and more detail. It also has very good imaging. Zero is good, but not as good.

$275 I paid for at Crutchfield is a bit too much for these speakers, especially when I can get New Ensemble for just $125 more.

If you like boomy and exaggerated bass, go for Zero. But if you like clean, detailed and accurate sound with tight bass, get New Ensemble (and an accurate subwoofer).

My setup

Velodyne HGS-12 sub
Cambridge Soundworks New Ensemble (My SuperZeros are for sale. If anyone is interested, let me know.)
Onkyo TX-DS 777
Sony DVP-S530D

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge Soundworks New Ensemble, Infinity Renaissance 90 and bookshelf speakers

Accuarcy and transparency

Nothing serious

To say I love these speakers is a understatement. I've been using them for years for several different purposes in my home varying from bedroom to Karaoke and guess what? I just purchased another pair to complete my 7.1 Surround EX as the surround back l/r to accomodate my new B&K Ref30 pre/pro. Otherwise, I second my fellow reviewers as to all of the good things to say about the SuperZero as they're simply SUPER!

Similar Products Used:

NHT-VT2