Neat Acoustics Orkestra floorstanding speaker

In fact, what came next was I picked out Sheryl Crow’s ‘I Can’t Cry Anymore’ (Tuesday Night Music Club, A&M) something I haven’t played in over a decade and was struck by just how perfectly honed it is. On the one hand, it’s based around a very catchy riff, but that riff is arranged unusually. Despite its richness, the song has a precision and efficiency that reminds me of Elvis Costello at his sharpest. These are the sort of insights you get with the Orkestras. I tried other amps with these Neats, too. First up was a Rega Elex-R integrated, and this managed to make them sound bright and forward, proving that it can be done, so I added a Townshend Allegri+ passive preamp which smoothed things out dramatically. Playing some Ryley Walker on the turntable, I was gripped once more by the coherence of these speakers: they let you hear what is creating the sound such as the sliding of fingers on the neck of a double bass but bring out the heart and soul of the song.

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.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Type: 2.5-way, four-driver, floorstanding speaker with isobaric bass system

Driver complement: One 75mm ribbon tweeter with 34mm; one 170mm midrange driver; two 170mm bass drivers

Crossover frequencies: 80Hz, 3.5kHz

Frequency response: 20Hz–40kHz

Impedance: 8 Ohms

Sensitivity: 88dB/W/m

Dimensions (H×W×D): 1030 × 220 × 240mm (plus outriggers)

Weight: 21kg/each

Finishes: Satin white, American walnut, natural oak, black oak

Price: £5,485/pair

Manufacturer: Neat Acoustics

Tel: +44(0)1833 631021

URL: neatacoustics.com