In a constant search for small speakers that defy expectations – our tireless quest has led us to Neat Acoustics. In this latest iteration of their Petite Classic speakers, building on the success and technology of the originals from 30 years ago, we aim to see if this is the pair we’ve been looking for, or if we need to continue the search.
Small speakers that can produce a ‘large’ sound are something that we all search for in hi-fi. Or at least that’s what this reviewer tells himself so it’s less apparent that he’s got a particularly obsessive search going on. However, with that said this IS something that we’re asked for frequently in the shops – not everyone has room for giant floor standers after all.
The Neat Acoustics Petite Classics are everything that they’re titled as, they look Neat, they are…acoustic, and they definitely both petite and classic in appearance. This might be a bit of a reach, but the point stands. If you’re looking for something with real hi-fi pedigree in about as small a case as possible, then on paper these are perfect – but of course we need to know how they sound.
Out of the box, these speakers look every inch ‘a classic’ – and this isn’t to labour the point, it’s just the that Oak finish is extremely reminiscent of ‘old school’ speakers you’d expect to see on a vintage system that costs remortgaging money and is inexplicably still running perfectly. Thankfully, these won’t set you back that far, and you’d rather a modern look, the white and black manage to look stylish and without a wood grain in sight. They are one of the absolute smallest sets of speakers you could get that aren’t satellites for home cinema – perhaps rivalled by the Monitor Audio Silver 50’s and the Bowers & Wilkins 707’s if you wanted some other choices. But get these plugged in and there’s a good chance you won’t.
Enjoy every moment of your music, with these upbeat Neats.
Even without their requisite running in period, the Neats are immediately impressive for the scope of their sound – once they’ve had time to warm up and get into the swing of things this just gets better and better. It seemed apt to pair these speakers with an equally discrete amp – so we opted for the ever excellent Naim Uniti Atom.
Even with a more relaxed, arguably more neutral amplifier, the Petite Classics manage to stay upbeat and punchy but without sounding over egged at any point. The bass is frankly astounding for a speaker of this size, even managing to beat out the Bowers & Wilkins 707 in terms of sounding so ‘full’. The 707 might win on pure bass extension if you’re listening to electronic music, but for rock, anything with vocals or classical music, this reviewer at least prefers these impressive Neats.
To continue waxing lyrical about these speakers, and affording a bit of geekery – it’s perhaps the tweeters that are most unique about these speakers. The Air Motion Transformer tweeters might look almost identical to a set of ribbon tweeters, but with a subtle and vital difference. For techy reasons I won’t write about here – this is a blog not a nerdy deep dive, these drivers are far better at replicating frequencies closer to midrange that the airy highs that ribbons can reproduce. Surely this isn’t a benefit in a tweeter for higher frequencies? Guess again, in the case of these speakers this means that vocals manage to sound more natural and nuanced, rolling off any real issue with sibilance that can occur. It does mean that the speaker can sound less bombastic than key competitors, the aforementioned 707’s, but if you’d rather a speaker that better reflects your source, these might just be the ticket.
The only thing that upsets me about these speakers is that I can’t let you listen to them through this article. Thankfully, the easy solution is to call your local Richer Sounds store and get listening to these speakers – they really demand your attention. Just beware, even if you’re enjoying your current speakers, you really can’t un-hear these.
Author: Tom, Cardiff Store
