NHT SuperPower (With PVC-PC)

NHT, the high-end audio manufacturer, has made an excellent consumer-level stereo PC speaker set, but like many offerings from hi-fi companies, the speakers are sold ??la carte. The NHT SuperPower (With PVC-PC) consists of two speakers you must buy individually, along with the PVC-PC (Passive Volume Controller for PCs), which is also sold separately. It's easy to buy these things all at once on the company's site, however. For a grand total of $497 (direct), you get an excellent stereo speaker pair for listening to your computer's music. It also doubles quite competently as a monitor system for home studios. Audiophiles in search of a near flat-response stereo speaker pair for their PCs and mobile devices should read on.

Configurations and Design
A full-blown package deal does exist if you want to buy the SuperPower subwoofer and the speakers?the PVC-PC and speaker stands are part of it, and that total comes to $749 (direct). Since the speakers don't really need the sub in order to deliver quality audio, however, we'll focus on the more affordable stereo pair, which, without the PVC, will cost you $398. Here, we chose to review the speakers with the PVC, as the box acts as an easy volume control. Without it, you rely on your computer or mobile device to control the volume at the source. This is obviously not hard to do, but the box makes it easier to adjust the volume more quickly and precisely, with excellent interchannel accuracy, so you can be sure both speakers are outputting the same decibel level.

Measuring 9 by 5.5 by 6.8-inches (HWD), the NHT SuperPower's glossy black finish is simple and sleek?and recalls the original, passive SuperZero NHT debuted in the 1990s. The SuperPower looks equally at home on a desktop as a PC speaker set or next to a flat-panel television as a modern home theater system. The black cloth speaker grilles feature the NHT logo at the bottom, and are removable, revealing the 4.5-inch midrange driver and 1-inch silk dome tweeter. Each speaker is self-powered and thus requires its own power cable and an outlet nearby. The connection for the cable on the back panel is next to the Power switch, which again, each speaker has. The only other connection on the back is an RCA line input. The speakers ship with a 3.5mm-to-RCA split cable, so you can plug your computer or mobile device directly into the speakers?or the PVC-PC. The PVC-PC has RCA inputs for the left and right channel, as well as a 3.5mm input for each channel. The outputs are also RCA and 3.5mm for the same channels.

Performance
Even without the subwoofer, the NHT SuperPower packs some low-end presence. The bass response is definitely of the tighter, less booming variety, so if you do want the sub-bass thunder as well, you'll want to add on the subwoofer. Without it, the speakers sound crystal clear, with a powerful mid-range and low frequency response that stays very clean even at extremely high volumes.

On deep bass tracks like The Knife's "Silent Shout" and Thom Yorke's "Cymbal Rush," distortion does eventually creep into the equation at top volumes, but this is almost insignificant, as the SuperPower's 90 watts per channel allow it to get much louder than a typical computer speaker pair.?Listening at comfortable or even very loud volume levels, the speakers remain distortion-free. It is only at top-volume, louder than you'll likely ever need them to be, that the SuperPowers start to rumble a little bit on deep bass.

Classical music, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," sounds fantastic on the speakers, with a lovely, subtle resonance imparted to the lower register strings. The percussion on this track, as well as Bernard Herrmann's castanet-laden score for the Vertigo nightmare sequence, sounds pristine and beautiful without ever becoming overly bright.

The speakers are great for all genres, in fact?hip hop, rock, electronic music, jazz, classical, and folk all sound wonderful on the SuperPower. What's great about a no-frills system like this is the focus is purely on sound itself, not a wireless streaming feature or built-in docking station. The sound delivered is audiophile worthy, nearly-flat response, with a nice subtle low-end boost. This clean delivery of sound makes the SuperPower not only ideal for musical listening, but also music creation?these would make an excellent pair of home studio monitors.

Conclusions
For all of its sound quality, it's understandable if the SuperPower's need to be cobbled together is a minor annoyance. For almost the exact same price, another high-end audio manufacturer has made a PC speaker pair that has everything you need right in one package?the Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 ($499.95, 4 stars). However, the Audioengine 5+ ($399, 4.5 stars) is our current Editors' Choice for this price range, and while it's quite comparable to the NHT SuperPower, its sound signature is even more audiophile-friendly, with few embellishments in any part of the frequency range.

If the price of the above systems is holding you back, consider one of our favorite PC speaker systems, the Editors' Choice Harman Kardon SoundSticks III ($169.95, 4.5 stars)?at less than half the price, this 2.1 system offers compelling audio perfomance, but, like the MM-1, it's less suitable for home studio use.

Also in this lower price range is the excellent Antec SoundscienceRockus 3D 2.1 Speaker System ($199.99, 4.5 stars), another 2.1 system (and Editors' Choice) that delivers great value and exciting audio. NHT's SuperPower speakers, however, are fantastic as well. Any audiophile seeking a no-nonsense system will likely be happy with the two speakers and the Passive Volume Control?and if you seek a little more thunder and are comfortable breaking the $700 price barrier, the SuperPower subwoofer lives up to its name.

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