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The airiness of the EMITs acts as skin-smoothing crème against the porosity and tattered edges for a slicker but softer reading which clearly benefited Joan Wasser’s fragile voice on In Deep Field but went beyond. Getting used to the cover-up of ‘without’, a subsequent reveal of the EMITs had the laser-edged presence mellow out which meant both more silk and naturalness.

I viewed the EMITs as very clever assistants of Neat’s overall voicing concept. This speaker clocks merit not merely on its dry PRaTty character which usually is agreeable only in the lower four or five octaves. Taken up higher it runs the risk of spryness or unnatural wiriness. The ‘air pumps on the roof’ counteract this so effectively that from the upper mids onward the XL6 acts arguably a tad milder than strictly neutral. The EMITs also affect the virtual room. Though minuscule little things they impact the stage dimensions quite noticeably. Covered up the music plays more forward. Height and width shrink a bit and particularly stage depth suffers. In toto this makes for a quite interesting phenomenon. But who’d deliberately kill off their own super tweeters? I merely did to isolate their contributions by elimination. Or perhaps as a reaction to having a harder time than usual to key into soundstaging with precision? I couldn’t quite concentrate properly.


Physical bass? Check. Rhythmic propulsion? Check. Silky sheen on cymbals? Check. But what about the virtual stage? That was simply there. Width, height, depth? Check. Image focus and plasticity were high but I've heard taller, broader, deeper and greater relief elsewhere. Between the individual actors of the Tord Gustavsen Trio I’ve experienced more air and roominess and it’s admittedly nice when each instrumentalist occupies his own zone. Curiously though I wasn’t bothered one iota that the Neat apparently was a bit smaller than I’m used to. The XL6 staged in a way that eliminated concerns or measurement attempts (unless forced to). The music simply occurred freely in space without any stickiness. And perhaps that’s not damning with faint praise after all. Macrodynamic competence was exceptional and clearly tied to true substance down low. There’s nothing infantile about setting the volume control high, have loud peaks test civility and neighbors, then experience an oceanic rush when giant breakers crash. The first time is quite an eye opener particularly since the seated perspective only sees two small drivers. Microdynamics are just as satisfying though in this sector not equally pushy. It demands a specific minimum volume and means that passionate low-level listeners won’t be completely happy (unlike the Spendor ST which lacks the party bone). Here the fun begins at room levels. Prior it’s okay but okay is insufficient so one notches things up a bit – at least I did. But then I’m no committed whisper freak.


Conclusion: First and foremost Neat’s Ultimatum XL6 is a true all’rounder with exceptional bandwidth. Not only is nothing lacking on top, there’s admittedly an extra dose of air and shimmer at work. Even down low most musical genres and listening tastes are fully accounted for. While a bit more remains possible, few really need it. Again I’m hard pressed to name another passive box of such décor-friendly dimensions that covers the whole bandwidth with such bravado. The next virtue is overall coherence and neutrality. Career nitpickers might call out as flaws the bonus sheen on the very top and a very minor depression in the presence region but I’d consider that mean hardcore criticism.


To me the Neat was an honest chap. In fact I really enjoyed its particular mix of taut wiry bottom half, slightly soft upper mids and that gorgeous smooth airiness in the firmament. For once long-term pleasure and an impulsive energetic read weren't mutually exclusive.

Psych profile:
  • The Neat is SPL and party proof. Not only do high levels pose no issue, they’re great fun. Concomitant with this virtue is the need for a particular minimum output to kick into gear. This box isn’t a specialist at quiet listening.
  • On macrodynamics the Neat is veritably glued to the saddle, astonishingly so for its size. Microdynamics are in line with price.
  • Bass is very substantial, extended yet dry and articulate, a real strength particularly so for its compact dimensions.
  • Mids and highs are essentially neutral but exhibit small tendencies. The transition between vocal band and treble is slightly soft but the generously equipped extreme treble compensates with extra airiness.
  • Staging is realistic, image focus good. Dimensionally the speaker seems very natural but doesn’t attract any attention for specific virtues.
  • The speaker handles both flow and PRaT in an unusual balancing act.
Facts:
  • Concept: 2.5-way bass reflex tower with super tweeters and isobaric bass system
  • Dimensions and weight: 22 x 37 x 100 cm (WxHxD), 40kg/ea.
  • Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m
  • Nominal impedance: 8 ohms
  • Other: Biwire sockets, upfiring super tweeters, downfiring woofers, standard trim Cherry, Oak, Black Ash, Rosewood/Palisander – piano lacquer for surcharge
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