Can Neat Iotas really be that good?

Several years ago my wife and I attended the Bristol show and when we came out of the Iota demo she was amazed at just how utterly brilliant that little box is.  

Regards,

Lindsay

Can I have your system? 

Sounds like you have a very well balanced system that sounds just right in the particular room it's used in. 

The laws of physics dictate that you can't get much deep bass in a small room.

Sometimes adding more of an ingredient (e.g. bigger speakers) to a recipe throws things out of balance.

The obvious candidate to audition is the new Neat Alphas, which are mini floor standing versions of the Neat Iota's.

Have you thought about a small subwoofer I don't know if there are connection issues with a 272?

The Kudos X2 works well in small rooms.  Home demo essential though. 

Bob the Builder posted:

Have you thought about a small subwoofer I don't know if there are connection issues with a 272?

There aren't. You can connect a sub-woofer to the 272 spare preamp output or you can connect it across the back of the loudspeakers, depending on what the sub wants.

best

David

I have Iotas in a small room and think they are terrific.  When auditioning I listened to them with and without a small sub (REL from memory) and the sub did a lot to fill out the sound and 'deepen' the bottom end.  For me and my situation I went without the sub but if I was using the Iotas in my main system in a larger room I wouldn't hesitate to use one.

I agree with Warwick on this. You run the risk of spoiling a good thing chasing the bass which will always be tricky in a small room.

I listened to the Neat Iota Alphas at the Bristol show last month, and I kid you not, they are superb. They also had the latest (SX5i I think) full height floor standers next to the Alphas, and so impressive was the SQ, I had to check which speakers were playing. I was amazed when I was told it was the Iota Alphas.

As you know the bookshelf Iotas work in your system and room, why not give the Alphas a home demo. At least they should not be overblown at the bottom end, a problem you could encounter with more esoteric designs.

Good luck.

PS - always remember, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

Out of interest, are your speakers firing across or down the room? 

Due to where the door is the speakers are against the wider 12' wall

I think one of the reasons they work so well is thanks to the quality of your upstream components.

While big efficient speakers can be driven by flea amps, small inefficient speakers need a fair amount or torque to reach full potential. People looking to assemble a small, inexpensive system with the Iotas might be disappointed if they cut corners in the amplification dept.

Ironic, but that's hi-fi for you.

Regarding the addition of a sub, my personal experience ended up in frustration and the ultimate selling of the sub. For me it only worked with orchestral/classical material. As soon as the beat picked up the time smearing became too obvious.

I have small speakers - N-Sats - in a smallish room (roughly 5m square) and I use a sub. I find it gives me the best of both worlds.

I believe the source of the problems people have with subs is dialling them in with their main speakers. My Velodynes came with a microphone, remote control  and set up software which can be monitored on my tv screen. Using this I was able to get  a virtually flat response down to 25hz at the listening position with seamless integration with the N-Sats. I was amazed at how many variables there are and what a difference they make. An example is phase - I always thought it was in or out but controlling it in 45 degree increments was an essential part of the process.

nigelb posted:

I agree with Warwick on this. You run the risk of spoiling a good thing chasing the bass which will always be tricky in a small room.

I listened to the Neat Iota Alphas at the Bristol show last month, and I kid you not, they are superb. They also had the latest (SX5i I think) full height floor standers next to the Alphas, and so impressive was the SQ, I had to check which speakers were playing. I was amazed when I was told it was the Iota Alphas.

As you know the bookshelf Iotas work in your system and room, why not give the Alphas a home demo. At least they should not be overblown at the bottom end, a problem you could encounter with more esoteric designs.

Good luck.

PS - always remember, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

Mike, I heard the Iota Alpha's at the Bristol show last year and thought much the same in fact I purchased a pair for my second system driven by a Unitilite they are unbelievable for the size. 

As they are small and easy to move a couple of weeks ago I put them on the end of my 300dr system and you think they sounded good in Bristol simply astonishing.

Pev posted:

I have small speakers - N-Sats - in a smallish room (roughly 5m square) and I use a sub. I find it gives me the best of both worlds.

I believe the source of the problems people have with subs is dialling them in with their main speakers. My Velodynes came with a microphone, remote control  and set up software which can be monitored on my tv screen. Using this I was able to get  a virtually flat response down to 25hz at the listening position with seamless integration with the N-Sats. I was amazed at how many variables there are and what a difference they make. An example is phase - I always thought it was in or out but controlling it in 45 degree increments was an essential part of the process.

I was using a Rel T-Zero. I figured a small sub would be easier to integrate. Rel also has the reputation (justified or not) of being ''musical''. I tried low level, speaker level and even tried an Anti-Mode 8033 Automatic Subwoofer Equalizer. I kept trying to convince myself that I was liking what I was hearing but in the end I had to throw in the towel and admit defeat. Was the Rel the problem? Maybe, but unless I win the lottery I'm not about to go down that road again

David Hendon posted:

Bob the Builder posted:

Have you thought about a small subwoofer I don't know if there are connection issues with a 272?

There aren't. You can connect a sub-woofer to the 272 spare preamp output or you can connect it across the back of the loudspeakers, depending on what the sub wants.

best

David

The RCA pre-outs are effectively sub-out - just enable them in the settings UI; that's how I run a sub from my 272, it's connected to a miniDSP 2x4 that does the crossover and room correction.

This approach means you CAN get low bass in a small room: My room is 3.6 x 4.25m and the in room response is +/- 2.5dB from 15Hz up to about 200Hz (above this it's +/-4dB due to  room reflections).

I've yet to hear a speaker from Neat which doesn't sound good on the end of Naim kit, and I've moved up through their offerings over the years.

I did listen to the Iota Alpha's at a dealer's last year, and was astounded at the sense of scale present from such a diminutive speaker.

You owe it to yourself to arrange a home demo, and yes, Mr Bob does make exceedingly good loudspeakers, (with apologies to the cake folk). 

dave marshall posted:

I've yet to hear a speaker from Neat which doesn't sound good on the end of Naim kit, ...

 

You owe it to yourself to arrange a home demo, and yes, Mr Bob does make exceedingly good loudspeakers, (with apologies to the cake folk). 

Exactly

(Listening to Motives currently)

Do the Iota Alphas work well positioned up against a wall?

Unlike many other Neat speakers, which have rear ports, I understand the Alpha's have only a downward firing bass port, so, on the face of it, they ought to be able to be placed close to a wall.

I'd email Bob at Neat to enquire, as he's one of the most helpful chaps in the business.

It's got a port 

 Indeed!  Oh well.

Still worth contacting His Bobness at Neat for advice on positioning.

NO

dave marshall posted:

Unlike many other Neat speakers, which have rear ports, I understand the Alpha's have only a downward firing bass port, so, on the face of it, they ought to be able to be placed close to a wall.

I'd email Bob at Neat to enquire, as he's one of the most helpful chaps in the business.

I can second that. I had a visit to the Neat factory in Barnard Castle last week and spent a couple of hours auditioning speakers. Bob was very accommodating and helpful and was more than happy to spend several hours of his time talking about music, guitars (speakers of course) and he was kind enough to loan me a pair of motive sx1's. They are a significant step up from the original motive 2s I currently own with a much sweeter treble and extended well controlled bass. I think they may be keepers. Should have listened to the alphas while I was there. 

dave marshall posted:

 Indeed!  Oh well.

Still worth contacting His Bobness at Neat for advice on positioning.

BTW Dave where in North Yorkshire are you based if you don't mind me asking? Do you play in a band locally? 

I'm in Malton, just up the road from York .............. I wish, sadly, my band playing days are several years, decades even, behind me!  

I found a fun review of the Iota Alpha on Stereophile after reading this thread.

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