Whatever happened to NXT Loudspeakers

[Macca]

Ten or so years ago they were supposed to be the next big thing. Electrostatic levels of clarity without the cost or the deadly voltage. After hearing QUAD ESL 57s I had a crazy idea about putting together a system using NXT satelites and twin subs but searching for NXT reveals nothing except some out of date ads for a Mission home cinema system.

Way back when I recall HFW reviewing a TDK system with a small sub and two little NXT panels and heaping great praise on it. I also recall Mission doing a big panel speaker with a conventional bass driver. Well they never show up used so either they never sold any or they are so good everyone keeps them forever.

Seems strange to me that this promising 'speaker technology sems to have died a death. Anyone got any insights into this?

[synsei]

Didn't Wharfedale produce an NXT speaker and sub system too?

I've heard NXT speakers and they impressed me mightily. The panels were disguised as framed paintings and with the sub hidden away in a corner and the system hidden away in a rather nice oak cabinet with doors, you'd have been hard pressed to tell whether there was a system in the room at all. It was certainly a WAF friendly setup. Even though the kit wasn't top flight (Mostly mid-range Sony gear IIRC) it did sound impressive.

[Mr Kipling]

For the last few weeks I've been wondering if Teac's minis could be cut down for headphone use similar to Jecklin Floats.

[Macca]

For the last few weeks I've been wondering if Teac's minis could be cut down for headphone use similar to Jecklin Floats.

well that is going off on a tangent but intersting nonetheless. They would look ridiculous - but then so do the Jecklins

[Mr Kipling]

Well, it is still being used in some pc speaker and surround sound products. But, like yourself, I too thought more would have come of it.

It was Mission's Stan Curtis who spotted it's potetial when being used in a military application and brought it to the marketplace.

[StanleyB]

Seems strange to me that this promising 'speaker technology sems to have died a death. Anyone got any insights into this?

I have a pair of original prototypes in the loft somewhere. They came from a company called Artchief in Hong Kong, with whom I had done various R&D projects on wireless headphones and video senders that could meet UK approvals. Artchief were in discussion with Mission about further R&D and sales, but I have no idea what happened with those discussions. What I do know is that the guy from Artchief in charge of the project left the company after talks with Mission failed.
A small wireless version of the speakers were developed for this product line. The looks have changed over time, and the NXT speakers seem to have been removed. The external looks of the original wireless NXT range was designed by a work colleague of mine who later left to set up his own design house in Peterborough.

I'll see if I can dig up the prototypes from Artchief. I haven't set eyes on them for some seven years. I did have a wireless version of them as well, but I lent it to someone and forgot over time who it was.

[hal55]

Still have my Jecklin Model 2s (non electrostatic version). Curtailed at the extremes but a midrange that's glorious, and NOTHING says your a hopeless hifi nutter more than wearing a pair of Jecklins. Still, in their day, they were several country miles ahead in the quality and comfort stakes.

Hal55

[walpurgis]

I have a TDK S60 NXT system rigged up to my computer. It sounds great with DVDs and far better than you'd anticipate on music.

The model reviewed in HFW was I believe the slightly larger S80. Both systems comprise small NXT satellite panels and a tubular moving coil driven sub-woofer.

On one occasion I had the S60 sats on top of my largish Tannoy main speakers with the little sub in between and totally fooled several listeners who thought they were hearing the main speakers. They just could not believe these little things were what they'd heard.

[Stratmangler]

NXT are probably still making a bundle fitting out fighter aircraft with anti-noise panels (cockpit noise is played back as near to real time as is possible at 180 degrees out of phase to the original sound, and at the same volume - the result is that cockpit noise is very low compared to no panel).

The audio market would be small potatoes to them.

[YNWaN]

The problem with NXT is that it doesn't better current technology. At the end of the day you can't get bass out of a vibrating rigid panel unless the panel is huge. If you only use it as a tweeter - well, existing tweeters have lower distortion.