NHT Monitor Loudspeakers SB-3; pair in gloss black with factory boxes, packing and manual

A fine sounding example of NHT’s well-deserved reputation, the SB3 was NHT’s best monitor loudspeaker during the years of its’ production. The sound is dynamic and natural to a fault without the usual glare and excessive brightness usually found in smaller speakers. The driver compliment consists of a 6.5” long throw polypropylene mid-bass driver and a 1” metal dome tweeter. They are fairly massive for a monitor speaker weighing in at 16 lbs. each and they measure 13”H x8”W x10"D. The cabinets are finished in 7 layers of gloss black finish and the appearance is nothing short of stunning. They perform without fault. The cabinets are sealed, rated at 8 ohms and 86db with a power handling capacity of 175 watts. Minimum input is 15WPC but they can be comfortably driven with a 40-50 watt amplifier. They were driven with an Audio Research 100 WPC power amp with great satisfaction. I was often surprised at the level of detail, soundstage articulation and dynamic impact of the SB3s.The midrange is rich and very natural and resolves details with agility and accuracy rarely found in a loudspeaker in this price range. The highs are smooth and clear without brightness and the low frequencies are solid and precise with excellent impact. It’s not hard to see why they were so well reviewed by the industry trade magazines and held in such high regard. Reviewers often compared the SB3s’ to loudspeakers in the $1,000+ price range and often bested their performance. Absolute Sound magazine says…

“… the detail, resolution, ambience retrieval, and soundstaging of the SB-3s were the best I've heard from a speaker in this price range. I had never been as impressed with a bookshelf speaker as I was with the NHT SB-3. It has an appealing tonal balance, does very little wrong, and, at its price, sets a new standard for bookshelf designs in the areas of detail resolution, bass extension, and dynamic articulation. Moreover, it looks gorgeous and should fit in with most décors…”

The speakers and grilles are in very good condition (8 of 10); with exception to very minor marring in a couple of small areas of the speakers (a condition that is somewhat unavoidable with any gloss black lacquer-type finish), two very small chips on the bottom of one of the cabinets, a couple minor surface scratches where they were attached to the stands and 1 tiny pin-hole in one of the grilles. I expect I’m being overly expressive in the explanation of the flaws but it’s my nature to be overly particular and it’s fair to say that you have to be within a foot or so of the cabinet to notice them. The loudspeakers are provided with the original factory boxes and packing inserts and the original owners’ manual as well. Shipping will be $40 to the ConUS, $70 to Canada. They will be double-boxed for shipping security. Paypal accepted.

The asking price on the SB3s’ is below current BlueBook; which incidentally keeps going up, not down on these. They have greater intrinsic value than the loudspeakers the NHT replaced them with. Most people think they sound better, too.