NHT was founded in Benicia, California, in 1986 by Chris Byrne and engineer Ken Kantor, and the name stands for Now Hear This. We carry NHT bookshelf speakers, towers, centre channels and subwoofers. We’ve had more than 40 NHT listings so far, covering more than 25 different models. Every used NHT here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Don’t see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we’ll email you when one arrives.
The NHT models we’ve sold most often include the Three and SuperOne bookshelf speakers, the SW2 and Ten subwoofers and the 2.9 tower.
The NHT story
Chris Byrne, who had been Pioneer Electronics’ vice-president of marketing, and engineer Ken Kantor, whose career had taken in Acoustic Research, Boston Acoustics and NAD, founded NHT in Benicia, California, in 1986. Its speakers were known for front baffles angled at 21 degrees, which NHT called Focused Image Geometry.
Jensen and Rockford. In 1990 NHT was sold to International Jensen, which also owned AR and Advent and let NHT keep its design independence. The four-way 3.3 flagship followed in the early 1990s, Kantor left in 1997 after designing the 2.9 tower, and by 2004 NHT was part of Rockford Corporation.
Today. Secrets of Home Theater calls the Classic Three of the mid-2000s NHT’s best-selling model, and the C Series followed it. NHT is still based in Benicia, making acoustic-suspension and in-ceiling speakers. Chris Byrne died in December 2025.
Which NHT is which?
Original Model line (late 1980s to early 1990s): from the Model 1 to the four-way 3.3, with slim baffles angled at 21 degrees.
2.9 tower (by 1997): Ken Kantor’s last NHT design, with separate terminals for bi-amplifying its woofers.
Super series: the SuperZero, SuperOne and SuperTwo, often paired with the SW2 subwoofer.
Subwoofers: the SW2 with its MA-1A amplifier, and the Classic Ten and Classic Twelve.
VT home theatre towers: such as the VT-1 and VT-3.
Classic Series (mid-2000s to 2016) and C Series: including the Classic Three.
Buying used NHT: what to check
Stabilizer bars and spikes. NHT towers such as the VT-3 and SuperTwo rely on stabilizer bars or spikes, so check they come with the pair.
Amplifier match. NHT says underpowered amplifiers are the most common cause of speaker damage, so check the tweeters on any pair that ran on a small receiver.
Subwoofer amps. If an MA-1A’s front light doesn’t come on, an internal fuse may have blown. On a Classic Ten or Twelve, check that the line-voltage setting is 120 V.
Baffle foam. The original angled models have anti-diffraction foam strips on the baffle, so check they are there.
Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.
Showing all 11 resultsSorted by price: high to low
Great Sounding NHT 3-Driver Slim Towers VT-1
Two 4.5-inch high-compliance woofers and a 1-inch fabric dome per column, crossed at 2.8 kHz — 90 dB, 120 watts at 8 ohms, 40 inches tall on a 5.5-inch footprint at 21 lbs each. High gloss piano black, rear ported, gold-plated 5-way posts and removable metal carpet spikes. These come without grilles, which is why they are $345 rather than the usual $395.
NHT Model 1C Bookshelf Speakers, Pair – Gloss Black, Re-Foamed
A pair of NHT Model 1C bookshelf speakers in gloss black, dated 1992, in very good condition and freshly re-foamed by us.
✔️ Very good condition — free of significant marks; grilles included
✔️ Freshly re-foamed by us — new woofer surrounds
✔️ Sealed and magnetically shielded — made in the USA in 1992
✔️ Covered by Radique Warranty
✔️ Includes Perpetual Trade-Back Program eligibility
✔️ Expertly packed for safe shipping
Beautifully engineered NHT Center speaker VS-1.2a
Two 4.5-inch woofers and a 1-inch fluid-cooled soft dome on a single integrated baffle — NHT's Coherent Array, which keeps the response even as you move off centre. Crossed at 2.2 kHz at 12 dB an octave, 86 dB into a nominal 8 ohms, 80 Hz to 21 kHz. Video-shielded, high-gloss black, 13.5 lbs, with an adjustable foot for aiming. Stood on end it works as a satellite instead.
NHT Evolution T5 Tower System – M5 + B5, A1 Amps, X1 Crossover
- ✔️ Complete NHT Evolution T5 system — 2× M5 three-way monitors, 2× B5 powered bass modules, 2× A1 250W monoblocks, 1× X1 active crossover
- ✔️ Four-way tower, 26Hz–30kHz (±3dB), >114dB SPL peak, side-firing 12″ aluminum woofers — no separate subwoofer needed
- ✔️ Made in the USA · 43″ tall, 72 lb per channel · includes NHT's full configuration manual
- ⚠️ Highly configurable, not plug-and-play — best suited to someone who enjoys tuning a system to their room
- 🚚 Too large for standard courier — personal delivery in the Windsor–Québec City corridor, or skid freight Canada-wide
NHT SuperOne 6.5″ 2-Way Sealed Bookshelf Speakers — Gloss Black
Sealed, not ported — a 6.5-inch long-throw woofer and a 1-inch fluid-cooled soft dome, both video shielded, reaching 57 Hz in room without a port to smear the bottom end. 86 dB sensitivity and 25 to 150 watts, so they want a real amplifier. Radique high-density felt pads in magenta fitted under each cabinet. Very good condition.
