NHT 3.3

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When I got my AR-9’s, I stumbled upon threads on CSP comparing them to other speakers and the NHT 3.3 particularly. I’ve had my eyes open for a pair for a couple of years. A pair finally came up within a day’s drive of me and quite a bit below market value. I spent yesterday in the car and brought back a pair in overall good condition. 

The acoustic foam on the front has deteriorated and the badges and foot spikes are missing. But everything is functional and the laminate is in very nice condition. Apparently these were in a vacation house setup and received only moderate use. 

I set them up in my main listening room according to the manual. Unfortunately because the room is so small there isn’t much space between the speakers. My maximum distance from my listening position to the front plane of the speakers is 82”, so I spaced the outer edges of the speakers 55” apart. I measured the outside, opposite edges to ensure that the speakers are parallel. 

I only have a couple of hours of listening in at this point, but the bass is indeed quite prodigious. It’s probably the best bass reproducer I’ve heard. Tight, present, and accurate. 

The highs really sparkled in the seller’s house when he demo’d them for me. I don’t quite have that same effect in my listening room, but I know these speakers are finicky with their “micro positioning.” I suppose I need to experiment more with positioning, but does anyone have any experience with placing these in a smaller room? Any suggestions?

Also, opinions on recapping these now that they’re 30+ years old? I assume these caps are more reliable than caps I usually find in 60s-80s era vintage speakers, but is it time?

[meta_noia_fot]

I went with macro experimentation. I noticed that when the 3.3’s were positioned as above, I got better sound by leaning in a foot or so. I decided to reposition much closer to the walls, about 5” from the side walls. This opened up the sound significantly. The position makes the relationship between the speakers and listening position quite a bit different than the triangular ratios provided in the manual. Maybe it’s the small space or my low, pitched ceiling, but this position makes the soundstage sound much more open. Now I’ll try making micro adjustments, but I’m much closer to the demo sound with this wider spacing.