Digital Trends

NHT SB-2, SC-1, SW10

March 7th, 2003 | by Yongki Go

Listening Impressions

After broken-in, I evaluated the loudspeakers in both stereo and home theater applications. The SB-2s were put on the Last Stands and used as the main and surround loudspeakers. For placement, I pretty much followed the NHT recommendation. The distance of the front SB-2s from my listening position was about 1.5 times the distance from each other. The SC-1 was put on top of my 32” Sony Wega TV, while the SW10 subwoofer was placed on the front right corner of the room.

The SB-2s are solid all around performer; very clean and accurate. Although relatively small, these loudspeakers can play loud without strain.  Its soundstage and depth renditions are excellent. These loudspeakers can just easily disappear and leave us in the musical stage. The bass is tight and tuneful. In small to medium size listening rooms, you probably won't feel the need for a subwoofer in most musical applications, unless maybe if you are into pipe-organ music. Should you feel the need for bass enhancement; the SW10 subwoofer can complement the SB-2 nicely. I was able to achieve a seamless transition between the SB-2 and SW10 in the crossover frequency range.

OK, enough talking about the SB-2's strengths. Any weaknesses? There are, of course (nothing in this world is perfect), but they are relatively minor, especially when you consider the price. I felt that the SB-2s lacked the last bit of transparency and resolution. Also, their imaging could use some sharpening. But when you consider that in this evaluation I used loudspeakers that cost about 6 times of the SB-2's price as a reference, my comments above are really nitpicky.

In home theater application, this loudspeaker system leaves little to desire. Whether it is drama or action movie, this system does not disappoint me. Front-to-back and side-to-side sound transitions are nicely conveyed by this system. The off-axis response of the system is pretty admirable. Except for slight surround imbalance when sitting off-axis, I did not notice dialogs or front-effects degradation. Initially I had some doubt on the SC-1 center channel loudspeaker due to its small size, but it turned out to be a capable performer. It delivers the dialogs in the movies with good clarity. However, I found that the vertical dispersion of the SC-1 is rather narrow. So to achieve the optimum result, the SC-1 should be aimed at the ear level of the listeners. If you do not do so, the resulting dialog intelligibility might suffer.
The SW10 subwoofer does not go very low, but it does provide the necessary impacts that will enhance your movie experience. In my room, the SW10 is capable of producing bass extension down to 30 Hz. When the video contour switch is engaged, bass response is enhanced. However, personally, I felt that it was a bit boomy for my taste, so I prefer to use audio contour setting even in movie applications.

Final Words

I really enjoy the performance of the NHT SB-2, SC-1, and SW10 loudspeaker system. If you are in the market for a below-$2000 home theater loudspeaker system, I strongly recommend you to give this system a spin. And if you are looking for a nice pair of bookshelf stereo loudspeakers, you should take a close look and listen to the SB-2. These loudspeakers produce high quality sound with a price that won't break your bank.

Associated Equipment for Review

CD playback: Yamaha CDC-755 (used as transport), MSB Link II DAC
DVD player: Toshiba SD2109
Pre-amplification: Adcom GFP-750, B&K Reference 20
Power amplifier: ATI AT1505
Loudspeakers: NHT 2.9, NHT Audio Center 1, Paradigm Atoms, KEF AV1
Cables: MIT Terminator 2 speaker cables, MIT Terminator 4 interconnects
Accessories: Parasound SCAMP, Monster Power surge suppressor