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Neat Acoustics launches floor standing Ultimatum XLi

Steve — Thu, 19 May 2011 08:30:51 +0000

In a surprise move Neat Acoustics launches a floor standing loudspeaker based on the already revered Ultimatum XLS model. The XLi will be available in July.

The Ultimatum XLi is a new floor standing loudspeaker of compact proportions, It is engineered to deliver greater performance than the Ultimatum XLS by using a floor standing cabinet to deliver separate volumes for mass loading and crossover isolation. This follows a significant number of requests from retailers and distributors around the world who found that the performance of the XLS was ideally suited to potential owners needs but a ‘floorstander’ would have been more domestically acceptable.

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New Neat Ultimatum XLS

Steve — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:30:07 +0000

Sound and Vision Show, Bristol. Feb 2011. Neat Acoustics announced that the second model in the Ultimatum XL range, the Ultimatum XLS, would be shipping from April 2011.

The Ultimatum XLS is a stand mounting loudspeaker of compact proportions, delivering the bass weight, scale and dynamics of a significantly sized floorstander. The mid/bass drivers in the XLS are mounted isobarically which when aligned correctly, as in the XLS, gives deep clean bass delivery. Combining this authority with the superb sounding Sonomex domed XL high-frequency unit is the art of the Ultimatum range.

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Neat’s latest Ultimatum

Steve — Thu, 06 May 2010 08:58:00 +0000

Munich High End Show 6 May 2010. Neat Acoustics announces their first new Ultimatum model in eight years. The Ultimatum XL6 will be available in September 2010.

The ULTIMATUM XL6 is a multi-chamber, multi-facet loudspeaker system incorporating six drive units per enclosure. The visible drive units are mounted on sub-baffles, attached to the main enclosure via a polyethylene damping membrane.

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Neat delivers new Motive SE2 Loudspeaker

Steve — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:56:58 +0000

Munich High End Show 6 May 2010. Neat announced that the Motive SE2 loudspeaker — which was received so favourably when in prototype form at the Bristol Hi-fi Show in February 2010 — will be in full production in June 2010.

The SE2 is based on the Motive 2 from the award-winning Motive series that has been in production for five very successful years.

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New Neat PETITE SX Loudspeaker

Steve — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:48:57 +0000

Neat Acoustics, Barnard Castle November 25, 2009. Neat Acoustics is pleased to announce the launch of the PETITE SX. The PETITE SX is the fourth generation of the PETITE — a loudspeaker that has been delivering a thoroughly insightful musical performance for 20 years. The PETITE will be available from December 2009.

In common with its larger ‘brother’ the ELITE SX — and unlike traditional bass reflex designs — the PETITE SX incorporates an innovative staggered port-tuning design. A 32mm diameter port on the rear of the cabinet has a narrow operating band centred on 40Hz. An additional 50mm diameter port, also mounted on the rear of the cabinet, is tuned higher over a wider operating band.

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DacMagic – Added the power, what about the glory?

Steve — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:35:16 +0000

The 225VA transformer has been terminated with a suitable mains lead and power in plug for the Cambridge. It”s been plugged in and blown a one and a two amp fuse with its switch on surge so it’s running with a 3amp fuse.

This by the way is not the way to do something for long-term use. This is just as a quick test to see if it’s worth experimenting further and if the results are good the tranny will be mounted in a decent case suitably fused. This is not the type of experiment I suggest for anyone outside of a lab. The mains is dangerous.

The listening results today are different to those at Malcolm’s last evening. There it was pretty conclusive that the new supply confused the balance and lost some integration. It wasn’t bad at all, just not quite as well balanced as the original supply. Shows that Cambridge put some time and effort into the whole package.

Today and in my system the results aren’t quite so clear cut. There are elements of the same as last night but at the same time the system with the experimental tranny has more drive, is a bit more dramatic on the dynamics front and makes my foot tap more.

It’s really very track dependant: a couple of Paul Simon tracks definitely favoured the larger supply, a Springsteen just showed off the slight forwardness the supply delivered and sounded harsh. Another Springsteen – I’m on Fire – worked.

Would I recommend trying a supply if it were available on some try before buy deal – yes – but only if it were a no strings try before buy deal. I’m sure that with the, very justified, success of the Cambridge DacMagic there will quite a few companies offering upgrade power supplies.

Finally it might be worth noting that the cost of the transformer delivered was around £35 so it might easily be a £100++ power supply if sold online and all neatly packaged. Quite a investment for a budget DAC even if it’s a great budget DAC.

The Neats have been moved and moved

Steve — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:25:58 +0000

Now that the MF9s have run in and stabilised it was time to spend some time moving them a few centimeters at a time to find a more ideal position.

As they ran in they had become a bit bloated in the mid-bass, reducing clarity and general intelligibility as well as reducing the speed that they are normally so good at.

My room has a tendency to thickness rather than leanness so careful positioning is always needed, but the Neats have required more effort than most. They are a true full-range loudspeaker so are capable of exciting most room modes and resonances.

The effort has been rewarded with a far better insight into music, the recordings and, most importantly, the performances.

I think there is still more to come with even more fine tuning but that will come with time and patience.

Interestingly, as the perfornce has improved from CD, Hard Disc and Vinyl, it has exposed the shortcomings on internet radio. It’s not going to stop me listening to Radio Paradise as their choice of music is so good, but if only they had a 320k AAC feed…

The Neats have arrived

Steve — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:58:33 +0000

After much heavy breathing, carrying the Neat Acoustics MF9s up two flights of stairs, they are now in place and running in.
They seem to work pretty well in roughly the same position as the ES30s, which is about 15cm closer to the back wall and about 20cm closer to the side walls than the MF7s.
The bass in this spot is really detailed and surprisingly dry: when the music doesn’t deliver bass there isn’t any. I must have hit just the right spot in the room.
It’s probably going to take a couple of weeks for everything to truly settle before I can do the final moving around but so far very pleased.

I’m really enjoying listening to music on these and that’s only after a few hours of running in.

Just sold my Epos ES30s

Steve — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:45:53 +0000

Sort of sad to see a pair of loudspeakers go that I have been listening to and enjoying for around 10 years. Strangely, looking back, it seems I change speakers around every decade.
The Epos’ have a wonderful way of communicating music but having recently had the Neat MF7s here for a month or so the ES30s just had to go.
Next week, hopefully, a pair of MF9s will be arriving – In fact Bob Surgeoner the man behind Neat Acoustics is bringing them and maybe I can persuade him to help carry then up the two flights of stairs. I’ll report on the Neats as soon as they have had a few days to run in.
At the moment I’m using a pair of stand-mounting ALR Note 3s on Slate stands. Rather missing the scale and weight of the Neat MF7s but the ALRs aren’t too shabby as they say.
The Note’s have mass adjustable Auxilliary Bass Radiators (ABRs) and setting the right tuning point for the bass has given me a speaker with a good bass entension but far more importantly excellent timing.

More Images

Steve — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:33:19 +0000

I’ve added some images for Chord, Keith Monks, Thorens and Neat Acoustics.

This is still very much work in progress. Sort of learning on the job really; except I’m trying to learn how to get the best out of WordPress and all the plugins, widgets etc late in the evenings.