Neat Petites/Gravitas...

I'm due to hear the Elites next week (very difficult to set up a demo), & will try to hear the Petites too. Probably a Gravitas won't be available.

One thing puzzles me - Neat speakers allow for biwiring/biamping, but presumably if this is to be the case with this combo, there couldn't be a crossover link between them - i.e. the lower frequencies of the Petite would double up with the upper frequencies of the Gravitas. If there is a crossover, there can't be biamping (??).

John

Is your comment directed at something wrong with using RELs and Petites, or something particularly good about the Gravitas subwoofer?

I've never actually seen how big a Gravitas is - the RELs are quite big, but don't vibrate much even at high SPLs, so they can be used as occasional coffee tables (don't laugh)...

So, Zob, are you going to give me some tips about P/G combinations?

John

On the other hand, maybe I'll sell one of the Stentors for around the five to six hundred quid mark - should be snapped up as they cost around two grand new... hmmm... the choices.

So, OK, what about the sound of the Petite's, people? Help me out here, as there are no Scottish dealers, so I'm trying to decide whether to include it or exclude it from consideration based upon the general consensus of this and t'other forum...

John

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Can anyone who uses Neat Petites either with or without the Gravitas subwoofer let me know what they think of it.

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OK, I'll oblige ya. I had a pair of Neat Petites and their recommended Kodus S50 stands (filled with kitty litter -- fine clumping, unscented, 9 pounds a side) on extended home dem last year.

The Petites are certainly one of the best speakers I've heard and clearly among the best of the monitor variety. They're extremely capable in the following areas --

* reasonably full range (enough to satisfy most people except those that need powered spuds
* responsive (I hesitate to say 'fast' since that implies they can't be slow when the music is slow),
* tuneful (good pitch definition),
* dynamic (quite punchy for a small speaker),
* communicative (oh, so that's why the musicians bothered to book time in a studio), and
* fun (sit back and enjoy factor).

I had a hard time siting them because my room layout didn't allow for proper positioning, which for Petites is close to the rear wall. That alone is the reason why I didn't buy a pair. I could tell that they are very good speakers, but they don't work in my room. Oddly, the floor-standing Mystiques work admirably, but overall I didn't see much point in switching from my Sorcerers. The Mystiques are very good but at this point I'm interested only in jaw-dropping, life-altering kinds of upgrades.

I think you'd like them but a home dem is strongly recommended.

Joe

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The Gravitas will blow the Rels into the weeds

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Are you really sure about this? I mean, the Stentor is one serious sub, fast, powerful yet subtle and nimble. I'm not trying to take anything away from the Gravitas, as I've never seen nor heard them, but they don't go anywhere near as low, and for the price I would be surprised if they were as good as the RELs, and amazed if they were better.

I'm obviously thinking about the Neat combination, but I am also wondering about using both the Gravitas and the Stentors, with the RELs filling in where the Gravitas roll off (i.e. sub 30Hz - the Stentors go down to around 12-15Hz+/-3db, which is way low enough for me).

If I'm wrong, then I will do a Vuk/Arie and come back and happily sing the praises of the Gravitas, but in any case I regard it as a 'no-lose' situation, as the person selling the Petite/Gravitas combo is selling it for less than a new pair of Petites alone, and half of what a new Stentor would cost - either way, I will choose the better sub combo (or keep them all) and have one ass-kickin' combo...

John (never too proud to admit when he's wrong)

You could try contacting Bob at Neat to arrange a dem of the various models at the factory. I would estimate that they are 'only' about 120/130 miles away from you, and just down the road from me :-)

Allan

So have you heard the Elites?

Yup, I've heard the Elites and I like them a lot. They're like better Mystiques or fuller-range Petites, take your pick.

Upgrading to a speaker less than the Elites doesn't make sense for me, since I have to sort out some stuff upstream first. But if I were in the market for a decent speaker in the ~$3,000 US range, they'd be on my short list.

Joe

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that is an incredible price hike - like DOUBLE the UK price!!

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But the UK price for an XX-1L makes up for it.

By the way, I think the Elites sell for less than $3,000 (US). I rounded to that figure to make the point that I'd put them on a short list of speakers to audition at or below $3,000 price point.

Joe

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By the way, I think the Elites sell for less than $3,000 (US).

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They retail for USD1750 in the states. Apologies for butting in.

Cheers

Keith.

After a four month search, I have decided that the Neat Petite and Gravitas combination is the best speaker I've heard, and I am buying a pair.

It is a demanding speaker, requiring a grunty amplifier to control the bass, but with some power (say, >100w) and a decent current swing, the bass control is second to none. Kan speed, gloriously sweet treble, accurate timing, punch, warmth and round-earth imaging, these speakers have it all. What's more, the Isobaric loading in the Gravitas is really pretty special - in other words, anyone looking for something beyond Kans in terms of the Kan-like characteristics (PRaT), without the nasality and lack of bass, need look no further.

I didn't get on with Kans, but these speakers are in a different league (when powered by a good amp). They also look good in cherry (which is the finish I have) and they can be triamped if that's your thing (I'm probably going to stick to single-amplification and put Mana soundframes under them in time).

Downsides? If your amp isn't powerful enough, you'll get what I first noticed - a beautiful top-end, PRaT in the mid-range and a general lack of control in the bass, allied to a lack of bass- and mid-range punch. All of these things are characteristics of failings in the amplifier, not the speaker, which can do *EVERYTHING* I want. It's even happy away or against walls - perfect for those whose listening environment dictates the speaker positioning. It's just a bummer that it's about to cost me an extra two grand or so to get decent power amps, but once you've heard what it can do, you can never ever go back (as I discovered)...

Recently, Mr Vuk went on at length about his Elite's - well, I've never heard Elite's, but as the Petite/Gravitas is the next step up from the Elite's, I'm sure he'd rank these speakers as a 6/5...!!!

I once mentioned seeking the horizon between flat- and round-earth in speakers - well, folks, these speakers are it. Go give them a listen, you will not be disappointed (although insist on at least a 250 to drive them, bearing in mind my comments above)

Just thought I'd update y'all...

John