Are NHT VT2.4's harsh, or is it just me?

I think NHT wanted to try and get a little more extension. Actually, some people complained about the original soft dome being a little rolled off(hum) Maybe they felt since everyone was going to metal dome, they had too. The metal dome actually measures pretty flat(so much for measurements)
They are a touch forward so maybe this compounds the problem a touch. I heard a pair of 2.5i's with a YBA Integra DT and they really sounded good. I guess you must consider equipment matching in the mix.

I have lived with these speakers for a while now. Let me preface my remarks by saying that my source for CD listening is a moderately priced Sony DVD player/CD recorder/player. Since one of my speakers arrived slightly damaged, I had to wait a few days to get a replacement. In the meantime, I switched back to my old Genesis speakers. I immediately felt that I was missing something. The Genesis speakers weren't nearly as detailed as the NHT's. When I got the NHT's hooked back up, my wife said "I can hear a lot of things I never heard before".

All of this sounds positive, but I still do not love the sound. My ears seem to fatigue even after listening at low volumes. But when I listen to other speakers, I do not feel like I am hearing everything. I have very mixed feelings about these speakers for music.

For movies, these speakers are incredible. The dynamics and audio intelligibility make these speakers rate an A++++ on movie soundtracks. I have never heard movies sound so good before. I just wish I could have the same experience with music. Maybe I will try SACD or DVD Audio.

At any rate, I will allow these speakers some more time to break in, tweak their positioning a bit and will then try to write a more complete review.

It's often a balancing act between detail and fatigue-free sound. I understand it's possible to get it all, but it hasn't yet happened for me.

Carlabara

I lived with the 2.5i for a few years and while they were quite accomodating to better gear, I still had a difficult time really getting into the music with them on a long term basis. They require good amplification and lots of it and of course good source material. The problem long term was that there is an upper midrange/low treble emphasis that after time becomes more apparent and fatiguing. The midrange performance also appeared recessed with that emphasis. I've heard this much more apparent with other designs but the NHT's are not flat in this area. They aren't bad speakers and for home theater as you note, work quite well. For music they take a mite of effort and at the end of the day, I feel there are better choices. Your ears are your ultimate guide. On the other hand I never found them to be harsh, just a tad bright for my taste.

I have a more modest home theater with NHT SuperOnes, SubOne and a Rotel receiver, and I'm very happy with it, although I have a separate 2 channel system (5 channel vs. 2 channel is another thread). Since you like the immediacy and dynamics of the 2.4's, my advice is to tweak it. First, put the grills back on, then put that Sony on a pneumatic base like a Brightstar Airmass and put some cones between the player and the base. You'll be shocked. A nice mellow, copper interconnect is also mandatory. Also, acoustic treatment of the first reflection points can be very effective in taming harshness. Even if none of this is really satisfactory, it will improve the sound of any other speaker you may buy to replace the NHT's, and it's pretty cheap.