If you are going to demo the NHT's, you might also consider demoing the Outlaw Bookshelves. Especially if you are not going to get a sub.

Can someone give me advice if the 2150 receiver and Paradigm monitor 7 speakers would make a good marriage. Starting with the impedance and other important data is this a good combination or is one too much for the other?

Thanks....(in the learning phase)

The 2150 would have no issue driving Monitor 7's. Mine drove some Studio 60's for a while (until I sold them), and the RR2150 has no problem with them.

thanks bruin. do you have outlaw speakers? i wondered why no one recommended them. how to they compare with the nht's. i have heard neither. i really like the commitment these guys have to putting out a superior product but.......

I got my NHTs before Outlaw Audio got into the speaker business, but I've always been a tad curious about the Outlaw bookshelves. However, besides the fact that I own Classic Threes, I also recommended them for cosmetic (read: wife-centric) reasons, given that the Orbs were also a consideration. Not to disparage the Outlaw bookshelves at all, but they have a more traditional box design. The folks around here who own them seem to think pretty highly of them, though.

I've had my bookshelves paired with a RR2150 and Paradigm APDR-12 sub for about6 weeks now. I love the them. Amazingly big sound packed in a small container. I also own Outlaw LCR's, but have to admit that I like the warmth of the bookshelves for music better than the LCR's.

cetb: Actually, I have NHT's myself (my RR2150 is paired with NHT SB2's and and Outlaw Compact sub) and I have not heard the Outlaw bookshelves. It was my impression that the Outlaw Compact sub, provided the kick that really brought the system to life. Without the sub, I thought they were lacking. Given the good reviews by others, I would certainly listen to them, if I was going without a sub.

Interesting, 73Bruin…I've never heard much about the SB-2, but the SB-3, its big brother in the NHT line at that time (both were discontinued a few years ago), always came highly recommended. I've never matched either against the Classic Three, but I've read in more than one place that the Classic Three represented a fairly significant step beyond the SB-3. I'm currently using a sub with my Classic Threes, but the truth is that they'd be just fine without it. Just $.02…

Tru blu - I noticed the difference a sub makes when playing piano recordings. I am not sure that these are the right words but it seemed to provided a lot of presence and substance that was otherwise missing. But speaker evaluation more than anything else seems to be a highly personalized experience.

Speaking for myself only, if I was buying speakers for $500 or more, I would want to compare several brands and not just go by reviews, especially for speakers for a system that will be primarily used for audio. I would also advise cebt to look at B stock especially for the evaluation. My rational is the sound should be the same as would the return shipping, if he decides not to keep them, but if the cosmetics are good and he decides to keep them, he would have saved up to $150 between the discount and shipping. So far all of the items that I have purchased from Outlaw as B stock have been flawless.

You're absolutely right, 73Bruin…comparison-shopping is an imperative in audio, and e-commerce is making that soooo much easier. I entered the forum nearly four years ago on a speaker hunt in anticipation of my new RR2150, but even then mail-order wasn't as smooth and easy as it is now. I had to make the rounds of more audio stores than I wanted to, with a stack of CDs at the ready. My biggest concern at the time was getting adequate bass from bookshelf speakers, and I was astonished at how well the Classic Threes delivered. At the time, I had no intention of getting a sub, and if I'm completely honest, the only reason I have one now is that I got bit by the audio bug and became a tweak-asaurus. Thankfully, my wife still puts up with it.