The NHT 2.5i speaker is a great speaker for the dollar if you want a capable performer in music and home theater.

Nuts and Bolts
The speakers are a near full-range design, featuring a side mounted, vented 8” woofer, a sealed 6.5” midrange, and a 1” aluminum tweeter. They are unimposing in size at 38” tall and 15” deep, with a slim 7” width (due to the side firing woofer). As such, they will fit in most any room larger than a college dorm room. The most striking feature of these speakers is the slanted front baffles of the speakers, which give you a built in toe-in of the midrange and tweeter to your listening position when the sides of the speakers are parallel to your side walls. The speakers are bi-amplifiable, meaning that you can amplify the woofers separately from the midrange and tweeters. This adds flexibility to the speakers if you use the NHT SA-2 or SA-3 amplifiers, as this allows you to boost or cut bass without affecting the midrange and highs. Additionally, the use of the extra amplifier gives you more power at your disposal, and so increases the ability to play at a high volume with less chance of clipping your amps.

The Setup
I set these speakers up 6 feet apart, 9 feet away from the listening position along the long axis of a 12x15 foot room with a 12-foot ceiling. The room is fully carpeted. I set them parallel to one another, choosing to use the built-in toe in of the speaker design. The backs of the speakers are 20” from the back walls, and 3 feet from the side walls. Amplification to the mids and highs is provided by a Harman/Kardon AVR75 and an NHT SA-2 powering the woofers. The source is a Harman/Kardon FL8550, using Kimber Kable PBJ interconnects and Synergistic Research Alpha speaker wires. Using a test disc and Radioshack SPL meter, I calibrated the SA-2 amplifier to yield an average of +4 dB boost in the bass (the human ear is less sensitive to bass frequencies than midrange, so if the frequency response is truly flat, the music sounds slightly lean). Because the designers place the midranges above the tweeters, at my seated listening position, the midranges were at ear height rather than the tweeters. This actually turned out to benefit the sound, as it de-emphasized the sharpness of the treble a bit.

The Performance
The sound of these speakers is clear and dynamic. The speakers image well and give the listener a good idea of what the recording really sounds like. You can pinpoint exactly where every instrument is, and where the separate sounds appear to come from. The sound is well balanced for the most part, occasionally revealing themselves to be on the bright side. If you tend to like speakers that have an emphasis on treble, these speakers will suit you perfectly. On most recordings this is not bothersome, but on others, it is readily apparent. The midrange is a little underemphasized when the volume levels are low, but as the speakers are fed more power, it picks up steam. When these speakers are played between 85 and 90 decibels, they sound fantastic. Bass is excellent for a speaker that has an 8” woofer. It is tight and clean, only drawing attention to itself when the bass grows in volume and speed. At extreme levels, the speakers lose some of the composure that they have at moderate to loud volumes. The highs get edgy and the lows show some loss of control. However, you may only encounter this if you try to recreate rock concert sound levels in your living room. Overall, the sound is superb, and to expect much more at this price point would be unrealistic. For movies, a speaker of this caliber is probably overkill. They handle everything in stride, and with a subwoofer, center and surrounds added in the mix, will complete a very capable home theater system.

Conclusion
The speakers are very good for the price range. The pinpoint imaging, clarity, and bass output are the greatest strengths of the speaker. The weaknesses include the tendency towards brightness and the relative inefficiency of the speaker (you need a good amplifier if you want to hear the speakers to their potential). Others you might consider are the Paradigm Reference Studio 60, PSB Stratus Bronze, or Dynaudio Audience 62. It might be advisable to take into consideration what kind of room you have before buying the speakers. For example, if you have hardwood floors with no rugs or other dampening in the room, I couldn’t recommend the 2.5i’s. However, if you are willing to add some room treatments, or if you have a room that is more damped, then these may be the ticket.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 700