Are NHT VT2.4's harsh, or is it just me?


I am using a Rotel RMB 1095 (200X5). I am switching from Genesis Genre 1's because I didn't think they were "dynamic enough". After listening to the NHT VT2.4's out of the box, I am about ready to switch back. They hurt my ears. Maybe they will smooth out with break in, but the tweeters sound very metallic and harsh to me. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
carlabarla

Showing 7 responses by carlabarla

After a full evening of listening, they do sound better. The bass has become much tighter and more full.

The tweeters are very revealing of the source material. They sound excellent with some CD's and metallic or "tinny" with others. I compared them with my old Genesis speakers and I generally prefer the NHT's for their dynamics and that "you are there" feeling. Amplified highs don't necessarily sound perfect when you are at a live performance (with blaring horn tweeters) either. It seems that the more I listen to them, the smoother they get (or else I am going deaf from listening too loud and can't hear the high notes anymore). I hope the trend continues.

If there are any shortcomings on music, they certainly don't exist in the home theater realm. I put in the Pearl Harbor DVD and WOW! I've never heard the air raid like that before. (Using NHT VS2.4 center channel, NHT Super One in wall surrounds and M&K push/pull 12" powered sub).
Thank you for the advice. I plan to give them time and I definitely will not harm my ears. I can't listen too loud with everyone asleep! (Can't wait to finish dedicated music/home theater room in the basement).

I sounds as if you think these speakers may be satisfying after some substantial break in?

P.S. You asked about the switch. The switch on this speaker is to activate rear midrange and tweeter for a bipole effect on movie soundtracks. I flip the switch off for music listening.
According to NHT's website, the 2.4 has the same 1" aluminum dome tweeter as the venerable 3.3 and the favorably reviewed (by SGHT) VT 3 system. They SHOULD sound good after break in.
I wonder why they would switch to the alumninum dome tweeter if it doesn't sound as good? Maybe just a personal taste of the designer thing?
I have lived with these speakers for a while now. Let me preface my remarks by saying that my source for CD listening is a moderately priced Sony DVD player/CD recorder/player. Since one of my speakers arrived slightly damaged, I had to wait a few days to get a replacement. In the meantime, I switched back to my old Genesis speakers. I immediately felt that I was missing something. The Genesis speakers weren't nearly as detailed as the NHT's. When I got the NHT's hooked back up, my wife said "I can hear a lot of things I never heard before".

All of this sounds positive, but I still do not love the sound. My ears seem to fatigue even after listening at low volumes. But when I listen to other speakers, I do not feel like I am hearing everything. I have very mixed feelings about these speakers for music.

For movies, these speakers are incredible. The dynamics and audio intelligibility make these speakers rate an A++++ on movie soundtracks. I have never heard movies sound so good before. I just wish I could have the same experience with music. Maybe I will try SACD or DVD Audio.

At any rate, I will allow these speakers some more time to break in, tweak their positioning a bit and will then try to write a more complete review.
The tweeters on the VT 2.4' are definitely not too low. A little high for my seating area actually. Also, no angles baffles on these speakers. The soundstage is huge and you always think the center channel is playing the vocals unless you put your ear up to it and realize it's not. These speakers do alot of things very well and are definitely starting to smooth out, but bad recordings sound awful, almost unlistenable. Worse speakers are better for some things.