Neat XL-10
ULTIMATUM XL10 Loudspeaker
Our first encounter here with the new Neat XL10 was in July 2011 when we were very kindly loaned the prototypes for a week to demonstrate them to one of our overseas clients.
From the very first note it was clear that we were in the presence of a truly landmark loudspeaker design, hooked up to our Naim NAC-552/552PS + Naim NAP-500/500PS and fronted by our Linn Klimax DS/1 nothing quite prepared us for what we were about to hear.
One could get all "Hi-Fi" about this and comment upon deep extended tuneful bass, breathtaking openness and transparency or even holographic imaging and whilst all of this would be true of the new Neat XL10 you would be selling it short, it is the way that in conveys music pure & simple.
Over the week we spent with them, still running in, perhaps the greatest testament to them was the effect it had upon us, one found oneself searching out old favorites, Dire Straits and alike, just to hear them anew. Listening sessions went into the small hours of the night as it was almost impossible to drag yourself away.
Needless to say our overseas client ordered the entire system and at the end of our week with them when Bob (Surgeoner) came to collect them it was extremely tough to let them go and they have been sorely missed ever since.
All I can really add is that in my view Bob Surgeoner in combination with Paul Ryder have pulled off a work of undisputable genius with the Neat XL10 design and I suspect it will rapidly become a reference by which other designs will be judged. If you are in the market for a Loudspeaker £10k + you should definitely listen to the Neat XL10 first or place yourself in danger of acting in haste and repenting at leisure. If you are in the market for a loudspeaker £20k + you should also listen to the Neat XL10 first you could save yourself a fortune!
15th September 2011 Top Audio Show, Milan Italy. Twelve years after the launch of the MF9 it is replaced as the Ultimatum flagship by the XL10.
The Neat Acoustics Ultimatum XL10 will be available in November at a cost of £15,245.00 for standard finishes and £17,080.00 for premium finishes.
The ULTIMATUM XL10 loudspeaker adheres to all the principles that have ensured the ULTIMATUM series such enduring success. Primary improvements over the MF9 include: refinements to the cabinet; bracing and acoustic damping; a new HF unit and substantial revisions and improvements to the crossover.
The ultra-rigid birch-plywood enclosure, unique baffle coupling technology, isobaric bass loading and twin EMIT ribbon-type super-tweeters are just some of the other elements of the design that delivers the ULTIMATUM promise of a lifetime of musical enjoyment.
The enclosure comprises eight discrete internal cavities each optimised for purpose.
The bass volumes and mid/bass volumes are larger to suit the tuning while the main HF cavity is small to increase rigidity and to stop back pressure from the mid/bass driver adversely affecting the rear chamber of the tweeter. the two EMIT super tweeters are similarly isolated.
The main structure is damped 18mm Birch Plywood sourced from Scandinavian slow-growing forests as this ensures the, most dense, most consistent material.
The drive unit baffles are constructed from a 45mm thick 'sandwich' of Birch Plywood, Polyethylene and MDF. This provides a rigid nonresonant platform, which is ideal for optimal performance of the drive units.
There are two separate isobaric loaded sub-bass sections, each with its own enclosure volume and tuning. These use the latest version of Neat’s 168mm drive unit, which has been developed and refined over a twenty-year period. The two sub-bass sections are critically tuned independently to maximize room location flexibility.
The main mid/bass drivers are special versions of this unit, with an aluminium phase plug to aid dispersion and reduce dynamic compression. Again the volumes are of different sizes to reduce any possible resonant character.
A sealed sub-cavity contains the main HF drive unit. This is a modified SEAS XL SONOMEX domed XL unit with additional damping and support. A separate sub-cavity at the top of the enclosure contains two EMIT type super-tweeter drive units.
The crossover is a minimalist 5-element type (plus damping & attenuating resistors) employing precise tolerance, low-loss air-cored inductors and newly developed polypropylene film & foil capacitors. The speaker exploits predominantly first-order crossover slopes and mechanical roll-offs for a natural, uninhibited performance.
Specifications
HF Unit: 26mm SONOMEX Domed XL
Super HF Units: 2* EMIT 25mm planar/ribbon
Bass / Midrange Units: 2* 168mm NEAT Bass/Mid Unit withAluminium Phase Plug
Bass Units: 4* 168mm NEAT Bass Units
Dimensions (hwd): 150x22x37cm.Footprint (wd): 35x51cm
Enclosure type: Multi-chamber, multi-driver array, incorporating isobaric internal cavity, plus upward firing supertweeters.
Sensitivity: 89db/1 watt.
Recommended amplifier power: 25 – 300 watts.
Impedance: 8 ohms average. Minimum 5 ohms.
Weight: 60Kg.Shipping weight: 140Kg. per pair.
Standard finishes: figured birch, black ash, natural ash, oak, cherry, walnut, rosenut.Premium high-gloss finishes: piano black, piano white, velvet cloud, red velvet cloud