Neat Acoustics speakers have been a regular feature at Audio T over the years, supplying us with various diminutive and distinctive loudspeakers for the last 30 years, offering up cutting-edge technology such as isobaric bass cabinets and supremely smooth ribbon tweeters.

Today, we’ll look at the latest version of the Neat Petite Classic. Featuring a compact 2 way design with the Air Motion Transformer (AMT) ribbon tweeter taking care of the higher frequencies and a mineral filled polypropylene cone on mid/bass duties.

A Little History

In 2021, with the blessing of founder Bob Surgeoner, Neat Acoustics launched a special edition, 30th Anniversary version of the Neat Petite. Limited to just 100 pairs worldwide, the Petite 30 was an all-new model that echoed design cues from previous incarnations. Moreover, each pair was tested personally by Bob and came with a gift pack containing a Neat branded pen, tote bag, dedicated commemorative booklet and a USB containing a unique collection of Bob’s music dating from the 1970s to the present day.

The design proved so successful that Neat have now committed to a new range called the Petite Classic…

Now for the technical bit…

The AMT tweeter, also known as Air Motion Transformer. Invented by an interesting chap called Oskar Heil, the AMT operates on a different transduction principle from other loudspeaker designs, such as moving coil, planar magnetic or electrostatically-driven loudspeakers, and should not be confused with planar or true ribbon loudspeakers.

In fact, the diaphragm pushes back and forward from itself in a physical motion similar to that observed when an accordion is pushed in and pulled out to pump air though the reed chambers, albeit over an exceedingly smaller motion range. This all ties together nicely with the fact that Oskar Heil studied music at the Georg-August University of Göttingen in 1933, very clever.

Bass Bump!

Another interesting design feature to note is that there are two tuning ports on the rear panel. Straight out of the box, the larger diameter port is blocked with a foam tube. This gives the optimal tuning for most rooms. In some larger spaces however, the foam tube can be removed, changing the bass emphasis. We’d recommend that you listen to the bass and see how it interacts with your room, if the bass performance has been improved, leave the foam tube out.

The listening room

It’s safe to say that we love them. The bass tuning port with the foam bung can actually make a huge difference in the way the Neat Petites behave in your room, which is a welcome addition because most speaker manufacturers won't offer a twin tuning port for adjustments, and the AMT tweeter helps to provide nice wide and open soundstage.