Neat Iota

Look, nobody tell the Neat Iota loudspeakers they are really small, right? If we all keep schtum, they might just keep on turning out a big, weighty and detailed sound, capable of amazing all who hear them.

OK, they’re not cheap, but what you are paying for is not the size of the box, but the size of the sound. Actually, no: you are paying for the size of the box – and the design and technology used to squeeze so much sound out of enclosures so compact.

There’s a lot that is unusual about the Iotas, from the planar ribbon tweeter to the fact they are designed to be used ‘on their sides’, standing just 13cm tall, 20cm wide and 16.5cm deep. That makes them ideal for use on desktops, shelves or brackets – they have standard mounts for easily available wall-hanging hardware – but optional stands are also available.

Neat says that the ribbon tweeter was chosen as its ‘strengths of superb dynamic contrast and accurate tonal colour are well matched to those of the main drive unit’, and that the two drivers are linked with a simple, three-element crossover using low-loss air core inductors and high-grade polypropylene capacitors.

Suited to all-in-one systems