If we were to take a look back at the timeline of a speaker forming the basis of discussion for this months article, one could describe its siblings as being “tidy” and with a particular affinity for the playback of Jackie Wilson’s famous song, Reet Petite.

If you haven’t guessed the loudspeaker in question yet, you’re either too young, too old or have landed on this page by accident. I won’t keep you on tenterhooks any longer...

Neat Petite Classics... The original classic

Neat Petite classic in textured black finish

NEAT Acoustics was founded by Bob Surgeoner in 1989. Starting as a small shop in Darlington, County Durham, trading under the name North Eastern Audio Traders, Bob saw a gap in the market for a small, musical speaker and came up with the now legendary, Neat Petite.

*North Eastern Audio Traders* (Darlington, County Durham)

The Neat Petite Mk 1 was born out of extensive listening tests as opposed to the more usual measurements emphasis used by most speaker manufacturers.

Quite groundbreaking at the time, Neat were criticised for this unusual method of design. However, listeners, both the public and audiophiles, praised the Neat Petite design for its musical verve and it proved both a good seller and launchpad for the company.

Neat have gone on to produce a number of models in the Neat Petite Classic range, along with others like: Neat Iota, Iota Alpha, Ekstra, Iota Explorer, Ministra, Motive SE2, Motive SX3, Motive SX2, Motive SX1, Orkestra, Petite 30

what hifi review of the original neat petite

As you can see from the photos above, it bears more than a passing resemblance to the newer model. Indeed the Neat Petite Classic model has identical dimensions and a similar finish, in black.

Driver differences are a little more obvious, with Neat using a 150mm mid/bass driver from SB Acoustics with a mineral filled polypropylene cone unit. This crosses over at 3.8kHz to an AMT(Air Motion Transformer) tweeter manufactured by Dayton Audio.

That’s Neat, that’s Neat, I really love your tiger feet...

On a personal note, I spent many hours listening to the original Neat Petites at my best mate’s place. I always loved their dynamic, rhythmical and musical sound on the end of his Cyrus kit and I was constantly amazed by the scale of sound possible from such a compact box when played through his Cyrus preamp, Cyrus power amp and Cyrus PSX power supply.

Great memories from my youth and so when the new Neat Petite Classics arrived at our Brighton store, I knew some fun was going to be had, both in listening to this new version and in writing this month’s blog.

The Neat Petites went through several incarnations over the following years, including: Mk 2’s, Mk 3’s and the SX range. Most recently, the Neat Special Edition 30 was released, prompting Bob Surgeoner to consider a modern day version of the Neat Petite... hence the arrival of the Neat Petite Classic.

For posterity’s sake...

In the interests of historical completeness, I have included a few images of the Neat Petite range post the Mk 1 version up to its modern day release.

Bringing things bang up to date...

neat petite classics in a Linn/naim setup here at audio t in brighton

Neat Petite Classics specifications

Neat and tidy...

The Neat Petite Classics arrived here at Audio T Brighton brand new and sealed. As with all of the kit we get here, some time is spent “burning in” the speakers before listening properly or demonstrating to customers. The Neat Petite Classics require a considerable period of time before one can usefully critique their sonic characteristics. We’d recommend at least 30 hours before they start to open up. The character of a speaker is often apparent fairly quickly, but its subtleties take many hours before they shine through.

The rear ported design of the Neat Petite Classics is not in itself unusual, but having 2 rear ports is a first for me. These are of two different diameters and are tuned to different frequencies to match your room characteristics. The smaller rear port is tuned to 35 Hz, with the larger one at 70 Hz. As standard, the larger port comes with a foam bung in place and the Petite Classics offer this flexibility depending on positioning of the speakers, how much bass you desire and the way your listening room blends with their playback response. In a larger room you may wish to dispense with the bungs altogether, and that is the way we listened to them here for the majority of the time.

Using our main system listening space, on the end of a high quality Naim setup comprising of: Naim NDX2 streamer, Naim XPS DR power supply, feeding a Naim Supernait 3 used as a preamp fed by a Naim HiCap DR into a Naim NAP250DR power amp. the grip and control offered by Naim amplifiers really works wonders with the sound emanating from the Neat Petite Classics, providing a detailed, dynamic and delightful sound.

Another important thing to consider is that the Neat Petite Classics will reward perseverance with positioning in your listening space and when matching with commensurate quality sources and amplification.

Neat critique...

Over to the fun part... The listening.

One thing has remained consistent throughout the various incarnations of this speaker. The Petites only really sound complete when fed by quality sources and amplification. Our Naim setup really drives these little wonders to the full, allowing their musical, rhythmic and fleet-footed sound to abound from the speakers. Treble is smooth and sweet and their bass incredibly extended for such a pint-sized box. Imaging and soundstage are very solid and they paint a picture of the band before you in a most engaging fashion, without being overly analytical in the process. Delicious!!

I enjoyed the Neat Petite Classics immensely and perhaps the biggest musical credit I can give them is that I didn’t want to turn them off. That speaks volumes of a speaker that doesn’t take up much of that!

If you are interested in auditioning any of the products mentioned in this blog or from our extensive range of quality gear, please get in touch.

Thanks for reading.

Ade, John and Paul - Audio T Brighton

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

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