FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER OF THE YEAR

Neat Acoustics' approach to product development takes a bold stance that many loudspeaker makers claim to do, but rarely live up to expectations. Neat relies on listening tests first and foremost

in its product creation; measurement takes a back seat next to careful auditioning by owner and keen musician Bob Surgeoner (amongst others) to ensure the product sounds damn good. The results speak for themselves, as loudspeakers like the Orkestra remain hugely popular among music lovers.

Based on the Ekstra model, the Orkestra fills the space in the Neat line-up that was once occupied by the successful Momentum SX5. A two-and-a-half way loudspeaker, the Orkestra sports two internal 170mm bass units in an isobaric enclosure, alongside the front-firing 170mm midrange unit and the 75x34mm ribbon tweeter. Despite this potential for complexity, the Orkestra is single-wired and uses a minimal crossover network featuring first and second order slopes, returning in the process an 88dB efficiency. The speaker sits on four chunky outriggers, giving the design a classic squared-off look.

In our test, Jason Kennedy found that, "Orkestra is a reasonably dark-hued loudspeaker that puts musical communication ahead of stark detail. And yet there is plenty of detail to enjoy if that's what you want, it's just not thrust front and centre but an integral part of the musical flow." He also felt that,"The Orkestras are all about musical fluency. It is all but impossible not to be swept up in the song or the composition when they are in action. Little else seems to matter."

Jason concluded his review by saying, "Maybe musicians know something about reproducing their art which we mere spectators scrabble around trying to figure out. Bob Surgeoner has figured this out, and his latest creation delivers it in spades if you're in this game for the right reasons I can't see what's not to like about the Orkestra.