Ears On

Affectionately known as the "Moo," the NHT M-00 has been around since the late nineties. Originally it was a pro product that also appealed to savvy consumers seeking higher quality in desktop audio. Nowadays that secondary mission is more explicit, as the M-00 struts its double zeroes on two different parts of the NHT website: Pro Audio and PC Hi-Fi. And now that everyone and her sister is plugged into an iPod, a third mission beckons. What will this thing do for nearly everyone's favorite portable signal source?

Let's define the M-00. It's a pair of powered monitors measuring seven inches high by 5.5 wide by 7 deep. The enclosure is surprisingly heavy, at 14 pounds, reflecting the cast-metal body, a combination of aluminum and zinc, as well as the internal power amp and supply. Seventy-five watts power each speaker's one-inch textile dome tweeter and 4.5-inch treated paper woofer. Of course, each one requires a separate power connection.

You can hook up only one signal source at a time, though there is a choice of RCA, XLR, and 1/4-inch phone jacks, the latter two for pro applications like mixing boards. If the lack of a volume control is a dealbreaker on your desktop, NHT offers a passive volume control known as the PVC. However, like the M-00, the PVC accepts only one input, so if you're like me—my desktop system runs with PC, CD, iPod, iPod substitute du jour, and occasionally even vinyl—perhaps a larger and more conventional stereo preamp would be a better option.

There's also a S-00 subwoofer with eight-inch paper driver backed by 125 watts RMS, 250 watts peak, that's acquired the inevitable nickname "Sue." Like the speakers, it accepts two-channel RCA, XLR, or 1/4-inch phone inputs. If you want to use the high-pass filter, you'll need to run full-range signals from source to sub to sats with cables terminated in pro-preferred 1/4-inch phone plugs.

Moo and Sue have some adjustment options, in the form of toggle switches, that might seem unusual to consumers. The M-00 can be set for NF (near-field) or MF (mid-field) listening. The NF setting is for desktop use, when the listener is within one meter of the speakers, and gently reduces output above the midrange frequency of 3kHz.

Both speakers and sub have a sensitivity adjustment of +4dB (for use with pro equipment) or -10dB (for use with consumer equipment). I used -4dB for the M-00 and -10dB for the S-00 to get the most volume out of the sub. The sub's crossover is switchable at 95Hz, taking full advantage of the speaker's modest bass response, or 120Hz, which places more of the bass-making burden the sub. You might get better dynamics out of the latter setting, but it also gives the sub more of an impact on vocals, making placement more critical (and possibly more problematic). The sub also has a bypass switch that can be operated by foot pedal via 1/4-inch jack.

For the first several weeks, I settled for Mooing my first-generation iPod nano at my desk. It was a slightly awkward arrangement, with all those power cables, plus a mono interconnect coming out of each speaker, united in a Y-adapter that plugged into the iPod. But I was pleased at the variety of texture the speakers could coax out of the little player. I deliberately misused the NF setting for across-the-room armchair listening because I liked the way it allowed a gentler midrange to play at higher volumes.

By itself, the M-00 was satisfying for background music. But the longer I lived with it, the more I began wanting a more substantial a drum sound—the Moo is rated -2dB down to 98Hz and rolls off more quickly below that point. Then I brought the S-00 into the equation. Running it off the nano's flea amp didn't provide satisfactory results. So I moved it into my surround system, fed by an Integra DPS-10.5 universal player via a Marantz SR8001 surround receiver, in this case serving as a stereo preamp.

The S-00 is one of the more rigorously accurate subs I've ever heard. There is very little upper harmonic inflation surrounding fundamental tones. Pitches are deep and true. This gives the sub a less aggressive character than most. Reticent, even. I never used less than two-thirds of its volume capability, in a room where most subs suffice with one-third. To get enough drums and bass out of Gentle Giant's In a Glass House—an album mixed with generous amounts of rhythm section—I cranked the sub all the way. It sounded extremely musical, though, and tailored beautifully with the speakers. Whether you'd use it with the Moo for 2.1-channel home theater may depend on your attitude toward bass-aggressive action-movie soundtracks. If you want understatement, some relief from all that monotonous pounding, you'll find it here; if you want monstrous thudding impact, Sue is not for you.

The Moos were slightly forward and invariably revealing. They didn't pull punches when I fed them with garbage. But given at least decent recordings, they sounded at least decent, and they exceled with the best-recorded items in my music library. It was a little like having another listener in the room, one with a good ear, urging me on, begging for the best my library had to offer.

One old favorite is the Biddulph CD of the Brahms cello sonatas Op. 38, 99, and on a bonus disc, Op 78. The full range of Karine Georgian's cello, from its deep-voiced open bottom string on up to its warm midrange and bowing detail, was wonderfully well served by the NHTs, never bloating or losing its gentle leading edge. The somewhat distantly miked piano of Pavel Gilelov floated in air, as the engineer must have intended. I discovered this gem at the now-defunct Tower Annex in Lower Manhattan.

For desktop use, the NHT M-00 and S-00 easily outperform most multimedia speakers on the market. And they don't do it at an inflated price. Considering the sheer build quality of the Moo, as well as its scrupulous performance, it's a bargain. The only caveat is cabling—remember, each speaker needs a power connection as well as a line-level input. You'll need to add something for volume control, and maybe an iPod dock. Where I see Moo and Soo exceling is in a small music room, stuffed with LPs and CDs, good source components, and a really nice stereo preamp, perhaps something with tubes for added warmth.

The NHT M-00 and S-200 are sold by selected retailers, both online and brick and mortar. Prices: M-00 monitors, $249/each; S-00 subwoofer, $499; PVC volume control, $100.

Mark Fleischmann is the author of the annually updated book Practical Home Theater and tastemaster of Happy Pig's Hot 100 New York Restaurants.