No NEAT in New York to go with my Nait

Emil,

Contact a dealer in Toronto called Hi Fi Fo Fum. He has all Neat models in stock and on display. He is a Naim dealer as well. I think he can give you top advice and service.

I'm driving a set of Petites on kudo stands (got them from texas!) with a Nait 5/Hi cap. I have no power/volume issues at all. In many areas I prefer it to the 82/super/250.
Room and system dependency notwithstanding, (your experience may vary), I am quite taken with their presentation and have not a single negative comment on the emit high frequency driver. Indeed it seem to off-set the reticent character of the CDX2

What started as a rag-tag outfit is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

There's

Myself
Bob Shedlock
Naimgaim
Dave (onlythat)
Top Cat
Regis
Steven H
Vuk Vuksanovic
Banannahead
Vimal
Nick S
Richard From Rutland
Dias

Have I missed anyone?

Reply from Neat USA

Hi Emil,

Sorry we're without a dealer in your area at this point. We don't sell
direct, but I can put you in touch with the most knowledgable, enthusiastic
and honest Neat dealer in the country:

Whetstone Audio, Austin, TX - 513.477.8503
<www.whetstoneaudio.com>

The owner, Brian Difrank, is a great guy and would be happy to speak with
you. He has serviced customers outside his area where a dealer isn't
available.

As well, let me know if you have any questions or need information about
the speakers that I can help with.

Best to you,

Mike


Just got a little closer in pulling the trigger for a pair, Brian.

Hey Alex,

When you say old style tweeter, do you mean that rectangular ribbon?

Is there a thread with your thoughts on the Petite I vs. III?
If not, here's a good a place as any...

Does anyone have the details on Petite evolution?

Emil,

If you provide details of your system and your thoughts on other speakers you've tried I'm sure we can select the Neat that's right for you.

I'm another happy user of Neat Elites. The ribbon tweeter is very detailed, but it is sweet and non-aggressive with careful system matching. To my ears, Elites sound extremely well-balanced and refined.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mike Sae:


Have I missed anyone?

---

Mike-

Considering you have a picture of my Elites on your 'site I'd have thought I'd make the list.

hugs and kisses,
-Scott

p.s. The tweeters are wonderful, but you can't get away with short-cuts elsewhere in the kit. Mullets look elsewhere, in other words.

If the tweeters of elites get harsh on you it is a set up problem......"Z plugs "
if you don't know this you should be kicked out of the JVC army

The Neat Army, eh?

Afraid to say, folks, that for the moment I have defected from the PetiteIII/Gravitas corps - to another army. However, P3/G is still an absolutely astonishingly good speaker for the money and it wasn't without a lot of reluctance that I defected.

I still have P3/G but ultimately I wanted a 'better' full-range speaker and couldn't afford the entry price for an Ultimatum MF7, which is the rough equivalent of what I ended up with.

Also, the new speakers were s/h but mint, and at half rrp which was too good a prospect to ignore. They are, at this juncture, by some margin the best hifi speakers I have had the pleasure of hearing.

Saying that, Petite III/Nait2/LP12 - I can't think of a more solid and affordable, musical system - I think that this, roped with A5 and with decent stands, would give much more expensive systems a real run for their money. Who knows, maybe I'll keep my Petites after all - and just sell Gravitas - and run them in the Nait 2-based system...

John

TC '..'
"Girl, you thought he was a man, but he was a Muffin..."

[This message was edited by Richard Dane on FRIDAY 30 May 2003 at 09:28.]

quote:

---

Does anyone have the details on Petite evolution?

---

If we wait around a bit, Bob Surgeoner will surface and give the definitive answer. FWIW, I think there's been two evolutions of the Petite III - my one and a more recent once, but that's just a suspicion based upon seeing slightly different terminals on my dealer's pair of maple Petite IIIs...

Bob's one of the good guys and will answer all of your questions better than anyone else could...

John

TC '..'
"Girl, you thought he was a man, but he was a Muffin..."

Emil,

I've had my Mystiques for a few weeks now and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone as a 'must hear' when considering speakers. Of course, speakers are very much room and personal preference dependent, but if at all possible you should try to get to listen to a pair.

Nick S,
Are your Mystiques new, and if so have you got through the dreaded burn in yet? It takes a while. (Thanks are due to the more senior ranks of the army for calming my fears when I got mine home!!)

Mike,

My profile is Stephen H with a 'ph' just in case it matters to anyone. I do go by 'Steve' though. And unfortunately I do tend to turn my head if someone yells 'pedantic' across a crowded room.


Regards,
Steve

What speakers did I defect to...???

Well, way back in the past I'd had a couple of months with a pair of Audiophysic Virgo mkI - which had been a fantastic speaker, but unfortunately that pair didn't check out so well when I did a serial number check - so I passed on them.

That's roughly where the Petite III/Gravitas came in - they were the first speakers to turn up that really improved on what I had in all areas - bass, PRaT, musicality, etc. However, though they were/are very good speakers, they never quite did 'dynamic' in quite the same was as the Virgos.

So, I was very keen on the idea of the new Ultimatum MFS, with a sub to fill-in what I'd lose over the Gravitas - however, then my sub broke and for a while it looked like it was going to be too expensive to repair (in the end it wasn't). I then couldn't really consider the MFS, and started looking to the MF7, but the price was simply far too much outside of my budget. I ended up trying to hear all the contenders in my price range - when the Virgo IIIs turned up at the right price.

What of them? Well, with the exception of ultimate extension, the Virgo III is substantially better in all areas. AP are reknowned as having difficult positioning requirements - and they are unusually sensitive to positioning - however, I have found a great compromise which works well in my room and gives the effect of being 'in' the music, rather than listening 'to' the music. Very unusual, but having experienced it I wouldn't go back.

The Virgo III is more musical and 'boogies' more than the Petite, though at first it really killed the music (it was down to positioning and room issues). In hifi magazine speak, the Virgo is faster, tighter, more detailed, less distorted*, with more 'smooth' when 'smooth' is called for, and more 'crack' when 'crack' is called for. It also completely vanishes - but that's a round-earth thing, and of no interest in the flat-earth.

Actually, this is a speaker which seems to do everything - except sheer bass weight. It's flatter than Kans in PRaT terms, but rounder than most in hifi terms at the same time. However, though it goes down to 30Hz, it's not really quite as ballsy down there as the Gravitas was - but the bass is of comparable quality, perhaps a little better defined. It is its Achilles heel, however, as it's the only area where these speakers aren't the best I've ever heard (in terms of depth: REL Studio; in terms of boogie: Active Briks; in terms of speed: Gravitas)

Technical bits

So, an outstanding speaker but a bit tricky to drive - the PA3^S has no problems (23wpc) but my old Arcam pre/power (110wpc) struggles, as does the little Nait-2 (18wpc). It's 90db/w,4ohms dipping to a smidgeon under 2ohms in places. Three way speaker, 30Hz->40KHz, 4 x 7" or 8" bass drivers per speaker, plus a 4" midrange and treble. Around 3.5' tall, very narrow but deep (6" wide by 20" deep or so). Very heavy!

If anyone wants to know any more, I might write a review - but as it's not really considered flat-earth round these parts, perhaps it'd be of limited interest.

John

(* Note: not that the Petite III struck me as distorted before - but in comparison it compresses the dynamics more and doesn't go as loud)

TC '..'
"Girl, you thought he was a man, but he was a Muffin..."

Quick thought:

One of the guys in Innovative had a pair of Neats on loan (I think). Might be worth a try.

Cheers, David

So where is "onlythat"?
I cant believe he hasn't put in his two cents worth . After all, it was his comparision of the Mystique with the Ref 3a Decapos ( my current speakers and last remnant of round-earth days) that started my fixation with NEAT.

Emil
Medford, Long Island
Home of Shahinian Loudspeakers

BTW, I really wanted to hear the Compass but each time I called, they never had a pair avaliable for me to listen to.

I don't know whether I'd get counted in the list of current Neat owners or join Top Cat in the former owners list. I've owned a pair of Petite 3s for about 5 years (and I wrote the first US review of a Neat speaker) but at present they've been retired to storage in favor of something else. Petites work just fine with Nait amps, by the way, although they sound even better with more power flogging them.

The Neat Vito is a staggeringly good speaker too.

Don't want to hijack the thread, but the Audio Physic Virgo III really is as good as Top Cat says.

Markus

Wow Emil, I am flattered. What a feeling to make a difference in the life of another human being.

Indeed, it was the reference 3a/Neat comparison that lead me to believe there was something to this Flat-earth society we have ourselves here.

Until I heard the Neats, I feel I had been very impressed with things like imaging and.... well, mostly like imaging.

My idea of a good and musical speaker was one that imaged well-- I mean what else was there?

When NaimGaim sent me those Critique Pros (a wonderful and strangely never mentioned stand-mount that in many ways provided some of the most musical fun I've ever had) My paradigm was forever shifted.

Before, I had been describing the Reference 3a as "fast" and all manner of things.

It was bollocks. All of it. Not intentional balls, mind you, it's just I had never really heard what FAST meant till that point. Those Critiques went on to just SMOKE the 3a's in ALL areas (even imaging of all things!!)

My HiFi became something more than just a way of impressing the boys with how RIGHT THERE the harp is or whatever.

They made the music so much more interesting. You really wanted to dance.

The Mystiques are, i think, an overall better balanced speaker than the Critiques, though I still feel, in my room with my sistem, the Critiques do SOME things even better. Alright-- I confess-- imaging, for example! Also, the Mystiques have almost TOO much bass for my small room. I am moving to a house soon though, so that hag who bangs on my ceiling upstairs when the baroque guitar (!!) gets too loud for her hearing aide will be history soon.

Then I'll be able to comment on their abilities above a friggin' whisper!

BTW, for me, the Petites didn't work so well. Bass issues yes, but moreso a funny tonality which I couldnt get by. Pavarotti didnt sound right and NO speaker but NOOO speaker lays a hand on the big man and lives to tell the tale in MY sistem!

Touch the Pav's golden throat in any way and make it sound different than I know it to be and you are GONE. And dont let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.


The Mystiques leave the big man alone and communicate wonderfully-- though i do wish they were a bit taller.

That's where mana comes in but more on that when my sistem is broken in.

So let DiFrank recruit you. I dont think you'll regret it.

My two cents.

David

I too have taken the NEAT route purchasing a pair of ELITES some 14 months ago.Out of the box they were a vast improvement on my ageing TDL RTL3s,and are now fully 'loosened' and sound fantastic.Mana soundbases tightened the bass slightly and added a little focus.Current sistem:CD5+Hi,102,180 and NACA5.

Ceri.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mike Sae:
What started as a rag-tag outfit is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

There's

Myself
Bob Shedlock
Naimgaim
Dave (onlythat)
Top Cat
Regis
Steven H
Vuk Vuksanovic
Banannahead
Vimal
Nick S
Richard From Rutland
Dia
Jim Learoyd

Have I missed anyone?

---

jim...............

Yeah BABY!!!!!

This means of course, half off on all future Neat purchases right??

Or so I'm told.

...and TopCat must report to the courtyard for a full depantsing.

Leave him be, Mike---

there's no use risking yourself to save private Top Cat.

Hell, I know it's tough-- it's tough on us all

but he's in Roundville now and none of us can save him.

You did your best men. Each of you. You did your best.

Once more into the breach dear friends.

anon,

Sgt. David A

Hi. I'm not in the market for speakers now, but was interested in this thread. I've never had the opportunity to hear Neat speakers before but I'm naturally curious about any speaker line that so many feel mate exceptionally well with Naim gear. I checked out Neat's website, which was interesting except it does not have any prices. Does anyone know what the different Neat speakers cost in U.S. dollars? Don't go to any trouble because, as I said above, I'm not in the market for speakers now, but if you have the information handy, I'd be interested in knowing how much the speakers I saw on the website cost. Thanks.

MBM

Critiques are about 1100.00 US. Stands are another 300 or so. Mystiques are about 1550.00 US. Elites are around 1850, no?? and vitos are like 4000.00

Ultimatum series starts at like, well... what is NASA's budget? It's slightly under there.