NEW Neat Petite 30 Review - You won't BELIEVE how good these are! Small Room Heaven - Brilliant!

#Neat #hifi #audiophile
I hope you enjoy this enthusiastic one shot review of the New Neat Petite 30. An absolutely wonderful speaker for a small room!
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Tested using:
Atoll MA100 Power Amplifier
Atoll MS120 Streaming Dac
PS Audio P12 powerplant
Mola Mola Tambaqui Dac
Sonore Optical Rendu streamer
Innuos Phoenix USB Reclocker
NAD C298 - Purifi power amp
Synthesis A50 Taurus - Integrated Tube Amp (KT88)
Audioquest Go 4 speaker cables
Atlas 4dd power cable
Supra Ethernet cable

[@Chris._.B]

Neat launched this as a non-limited version a couple weeks ago. I pulled the trigger based on your review. My word, they're fantastic. I have them playing right now, it's hard to describe the sound that is filling every corner of my room. Your review was bang on the money. Tried them with a Hegel H120 (zzzzz), Lyngdorf TDAI-1220 (no body in mids), not bad with my Schiit Aegir, but the clear winner: Naim XS3. What combo. Every listening session is like a religious experience. Anyway, hope to see you posting again soon so you can help me put a brand new dent in my bank account 😀all the best, Chris

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Great to hear you are enjoying the Petite Chris, and a top combo with the Naim! Got an integrated amplifier ‘VS’ video coming soon, going to compare the Luxman 595se with the Enleum Amp 23R, should be fun!

[@Chris._.B]

I shall alert my bank manager. I considered the Enleum but wasn't sure it would have enough grunt (a bit like the Aegir). Super curious how it stacks up against the heavier weight Luxman. Have a good one.

[@nc3419]

Considering this or the Neat Petite Classic. Probably similar in SQ, with the biggest difference in box aesthetics. Just wondered how the soundstage is with regards to depth, which can be a function of room, angling, dac, etc., but from your experience, does the speaker give a real sense of depth say in the midfield, 7-9 feet away from each speaker? I have a Hegel h160 (which s/b much better than h120) as well as a Keces E40 (sort of comparable to a Rega Brio) to drive them. Especially concerned how it renders the tone of piano, voice, actually listen to most everything at home except for Rock. Lots of classical, folk, blues, some jazz, etc. Some rock but that's mostly in the car. Any thoughts appreciated. Seems like a nice speaker. I have others in mind but size-wise, this fits the bill better.

[@mrpmj00]

I love the AMT tweeters in my GoldenEar BRX speakers, so much that I bought a 3rd speaker as the center channel in my 7.4.4 movie setup. source=Apple Music lossless

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Listened to some GoldenEar speakers at Bristol HiFi show yesterday, had lovely imaging and did delicacy really well!

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

I think this is an exception among your videos. Your enthusiasm is contagious! Also shows your ability to suss out the best in this product and I imagine various products.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you - I do LOVE these speakers! 😃

[@jim586]

Nice to see these speakers in this new form. I had a pair of the Petite’s I think in the 3rd of fourth series. They had an emit ribbon tweeter then. Wonderful, sweet open sound stage. I then(as we do) moved to a pair of Jamo concert 8s and I lost some of the airy magic. I now have a pair of Quadral galan stand mount speakers. They have a ribbon tweeter and I got the magic back. Cheers

[@pandjichristian7872]

I remember loving the original very much. Must be around 1998. Listened to them in Melbourne in one of the audio shops. Might have been Carlton Audiovisual. Loved those ribbon tweeters. I don’t think there were AMTs back then

[@dajikbatarang1]

Great review, small monitors that throw a holographic soundstage are amongst my favourite type of speakers. Hopefully you got more of these coming down the pipe.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

I’m hoping with the revival of audio shows we will see a huge uptick in new releases. These speakers are something special though, mark me impressed! 👍

[@dajikbatarang1]

@@SmallRoomAudio Audio shows are always fun we just had the Montreal show which was great.

[@mookie2637]

I'm moving to a smaller hi fi room shortly and considering my options. I was going to listen to Falcon Q7s, or perhaps LS3/5As, but these might be a better match for the Naim 250DR that will be powering them. I think Neat use Naim amps for evaluation. Interesting review, thanks.

[@mrkitewine7700]

Great review, thanks. I have the cheaper Neat Motive SX3 (still expensive mind you) and I absolutely love them, they just make great music.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you 🙏 😊

[@adamhindle9215]

Good review SRA. I tested the Petite Classic the other day (different I know but pretty similar) and they were indeed very good. This was on the end of a few streamer/amps: Linn Selekt, Naim Uniti Atom, Hegel H120, H390 so got a pretty good sense of their sound and character. They sounded quite 'small/light' on the Linn and Naim but the Hegels worked much better, and they really gelled with them, and the sound was clean and engaging, with enough bottom end to hold everything together. Be interested to hear which you'd pick between these and the Dyn Special 40s...?

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you for the kind words 🙏 😃 Picking between those two speakers is a tough one, can’t really go wrong with either tbh. I preferred the delicacy of the Neat and it’s ability to bounce with the rhythm, but the S40 sounds bigger and meaner with a much meatier bass. Both image great and they both do well with complex pieces of music. If it was for dual home cinema and music maybe pick the Dyns, but otherwise, in a small space, the Neats are magic!

[@mkp420]

Great review. I am considering a set of these versus a set of similarly sized Blumenhofer minis. Have you had the chance to hear those? Any comparison?

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Haven’t heard those, sorry. These neats are absolutely fab though, I highly recommend them.

[@totalplonker824]

Like what I hear (hence the subscription) Love to hear your thoughts on the Sonus Faber speakers (preferably sonetto's) especially compared to these beauties.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you 🙏 I’ll see if I can get hold of some!

[@totalplonker824]

The missus said to me the other day.... "you spend over £1,000 on speaker cables because you can 'hear the difference' but you can't hear me calling you from the kitchen" 🙄

[@SmallRoomAudio]

😂 😂 😂

[@chuckisidro8624]

Awesome video!! 🤘👍🏻

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you 🙏 😃

[@johnseddon2955]

Dear Small Room. Thank you for a great review and all the information. I am tempted by these but also the Neat Iota Alphas that you also gave a great review for. I am hoping to get a new amplifier and speakers to replace my 25 year old system. I mostly enjoy medium and quiet listening of most types of music. How do you think the two speakers compare?

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thanks for the kind words John! If you want a bigger sound go with the alphas, especially if you have a big room…but everything else on the petite is a step up. They are some of best little speakers I’ve heard over the last couple of years - highly recommend them!

[@johnseddon2955]

@@SmallRoomAudio Thank you for the advice. I have a 5m x 3m room so perhaps the Petite would be the one. I had better not wait about too long before they all go. Thank you so much again for your reply and advice. Ps I really loved the Mad Scientist sketch for the Alphas - especially when you offered your wife a biscuit. Brilliant

[@surf6d769]

Great review. What size is your room, and do you think these would suit typical living room dims, of 11.5 x 14ft, and well clear of walls, without booming in the bass?

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you 🙏 😃 - My room is about 14x7, and I definitely think they’d work in your size of room too! I have a fair amount of bass trapping as my room is dedicated to HiFi, but these speakers are fairly easy to arrange to get the right balance of bass due to their size - small and tiny = flexible yet mighty!

[@surf6d769]

@@SmallRoomAudio great, thanks! Did you mean to say 7ft or 17ft?

[@michaelvincent8306]

Considering buying these but are they bright in presentation as I hate over bright sound

[@theguapochannel]

Looks like the Martin Logan.

[@imlilchilywily]

I agree 👌🏼, I’m a loyal ML fan & owner of the Motion Series, I’m a AMT believer 🤙🏼

[@bengleason508]

Thank you for the great review. How do you think these Neat Speakers compare to the KEF LS50 Meta? A follow up comparison would be a great video!

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thanks Ben - these speakers are at a much higher level in my opinion, but then they should be based on price. The meta are good value, but I wonder what KEF will do with the next version of the R3 - that could be killer!

[@bengleason508]

@@SmallRoomAudio I am not sure we can get Neat speakers in the US.

[@stephenoakes1240]

@@bengleason508 Fidelis Distribution of New Hampshire are Neat's new partner in the USA. They will be officially launching Neat at Axpona this week.

[@bengleason508]

@@stephenoakes1240 I will be there.

[@cmessi]

Do you know of speakers with rolled of treble and tight bass? I am sensitive for that.

[@nc3419]

Presented with a choice between the Neat Petite 30th and the updated Neat Petite Classic, which would you choose? Cosmetically, one is gloss, the other matte, and a slight difference in box size, but is there any significant difference in the SQ given supposed tweaks to the x/over in the classic? Any thoughts appreciated.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Good question - I’ll go ask Neat and find out for you!

[@SmallRoomAudio]

So Neat tell me the 30 is slightly better, but there’s not a lot in it 👍

[@nc3419]

@@SmallRoomAudio I am narrowing this down and while there are alot of choices, the two that come up as a best choice for me are the Dali Rubicon 2 and the Neat Petite 30th/Classic series. I have the Opticon 1s and like them, also have Triangle (Zeta Plaisir/Color) and Focal (807W). Listening to Dali and Triangle and while they are different, I really like both. Love the size and prefer a small two way. The Dalis have alot of detail and resolution, the Triangles present a bit more ethereal, airiness but not quite as resolving. Getting a bit of both at a higher level, especially separation and depth of stage/ a more 3D stage seems to be what I am after. Low to moderate sound volume in a approx 27 sq meter room. Very sensitive to Piano tonality and human voice. Any insight on what you think between Rubicon 2 and Petite for classical, blues, acoustic...I do not listen to electronica, bass heavy thumping music. On occassion, rock and Sabaton. Thanks for any advice. Will use a Hegel h160 and perhaps a Keces E40 (sort of like a Brio, but smoother IMO) to see how different they perform.

[@roddersh5396]

How do these compare with the Dali Menuet SE? They seem to have very similar attributes....

[@nc3419]

If it helps, I found the Dali Menuet SE too refined. What it did it did really well, exceptional resolution, imaging and depth when used nearfield. Anything more than 1.5 meters or so it lost its charm, IMO. Also, regardless of near/midfield, it gave up alot of details in the music which is why I say overly refined. Also, too hard on an amp because it drops well below 4 ohms over too large of the frequency range when it could have been engineered to stay at a more comfortable 4 ohms, IMO. I liked the Dali sound though so picked up opticon 1 MK1 which work better for me even if they aren't quite as resolving, still vg though and at least gives you more of the details in the music. At the discounted price it was a nice buy, $400US it performs great near and even midfield. Lots more details which are not obscured. Still locks in voices in center and they sound natural. Sure the Menuets did some things better but then again, there were areas of deficiency or omission. What you give up and definitely a let down is the nice wood veneer. You get a cheap vinyl wrap that looks nice enough though, but at full price, it should be a wood veneer even if not highly glossed. For what I paid, I can live with vinyl. The Oberon at least gives you a class leading vinyl wrap. Opticon series is a strange range of speaker for Dali but I do like the small 1 series. Cannot say how different the MK2 is but tests show the frequency behaves much different. And there's the price...a bit too high IMO for what you get. Would like to try the Neat speakers though.

[@Alan_Mac]

Nice review. BUT if 'bung in' is preferred then why the second port?

[@SmallRoomAudio]

In larger rooms ‘bung out’ might give it a bit more bass weight, but I’d be getting these for small to medium size rooms and leaving it in

[@Chris._.B]

Hi David, just a little thank you for all the great content and also wondering if you're available for a quick email audio consult? (happy to pay for your time). I'll shoot you an email now. Cheers, Chris

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Thank you for the Super Thanks - it’s really appreciated, and very kind 😃 🙏 ⭐️ 😊

[@IrenESorius]

🍻😎👍‍‍👍‍‍

[@ryankaldesic430]

Hello. How do these compare to the Iota Alpha's? I currently have the tiny but impressive standard Iota's but I'm thinking of upgrading to either of these two models. Cheers

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Hi Ryan - the alphas are like a bigger version of the iota and pack more weight into the sound, whilst the Petite is more refined and better with vocals and staging. Both have a sense of fun though. If you have a small to medium sized room and can stretch to the higher price point, I’d be going for the Petite for sure.

[@ryankaldesic430]

@@SmallRoomAudio great stuff! Many thanks for your reply. Have a great Easter 🙂

[@SmallRoomAudio]

You’re very welcome, have a great Easter! 👍

[@hclandscapes]

Ribbon and AMT tweeters always sound to bright to my ears, much prefer a silk dome tweeter from Dynaudio for example

[@SmallRoomAudio]

This speaker is tuned to be pretty easy going, I think you might be pleasantly surprised 😃

[@kas4751]

I’m torn between both. I used to have a pair of older B&Ws bookshelves and now I have a pair of floorstanding Dyns. U know how it is, one famed for its clarity and detail, the other one more mellow and delicate. I find that they shine in different scenarios, and I’d be lying if i say one is better than the other in all aspects. I miss the B&Ws when I listen at low volumes and for certain music genres. But they do get a bit piercing at higher volume. The Dyns sound is more palatable at higher volume but at low, there’s not enough excitement and some music genres just don’t come alive with them at that low volume. My listening volume varies according to my mood and the time of day. If I can afford it and have the space in my home, I would prefer to have two very different types of speakers for different occasions, get the best of both worlds.

[@hclandscapes]

@@kas4751 i used to own B&W speakers, personally i dont think i could ever go back to owing a speaker with such a sharp piercing treble/tweeter. I think as we get older our sound preferences change? These days i favor silk dome tweeters and a much more relaxing smooth sound.

[@kas4751]

@@hclandscapes I’m sure what you’re saying is true. These things are very personal. I thought the same which was one of the reasons why I decided to replace my B&Ws with a pair of Dynaudios. But to be honest, I still do think some music sound better on the B&Ws, not all. But all music sound good on the Dynaudios. Just sometimes it can be lacking in the sparkle department. One of example would be the Dune soundtrack. The B&Ws, to my ears, do that soundtrack more justice. It sounds wider and more atmospheric on the brighter, sparklier tweeter. But some songs are just painful on the B&Ws. We can’t have it all I guess.

[@photorolensoman8101]

You should checkout Elac BS312 speakers. They are even better!

[@SmallRoomAudio]

If Elac send me some I’d be happy to check them out! 👍

[@kuroikenshi4681]

hi, any idea how they compare to PMC Twenty5.22 ?

[@SmallRoomAudio]

No sorry, haven’t had that one in and not heard a lot of recent PMC speakers. They are a great brand though, so I’ll try to check it out!

[@kuroikenshi4681]

@Small Room Audio thanks. I have PMC at home and I have listened to those limited speakers in a shop nearby. My impression is the Petite are more detailed and have a wider Soundstage. But not sure how much of this feeling is due to the Amp or other gears from the showroom vs my own setup.

[@SmallRoomAudio]

@@kuroikenshi4681 see if they will let you borrow a demo pair - they are exceptional little speakers, so highly recommend them!

[@dougg1075]

You don’t own the dachshund but he’s yours:)

[@SmallRoomAudio]

She definitely owns me!! 🐶

[@dougg1075]

@@SmallRoomAudio sorry . She I’ve had a few dachshunds, and now a beagle ( still a hound as I love em) The beagle has me in his grips:) Almost forgot to subscribe. Done

[@SmallRoomAudio]

@@dougg1075 thank you, Schumi says woof! 🐕 👍

[@elbebe1000]

Where to buy it?

[@SmallRoomAudio]

Analogue seduction have them in the U.K. and the petite classic is available at Doug Brady

[@elbebe1000]

@@SmallRoomAudio thank you my friend. I live in Connectuct USA. Great channel and great reviews keep up the good work.

[@nc3419]

Anyone hear both the Dali Rubicon 2 as well as Neat Petite series? Like to know your experience. Thanks.

[@roddersh5396]

Yes did so but on different dealer's system. Neat had more air and higher bigger soundstage I think. But dry tone so the dealer used a tube amp. Rubicon fuller through the midrange and bass. It's like a more complete and larger Menuet. Of course Dali has that natural tonality and rythm can't find on other speakers... But then Neats have a fun engaging sound. No outright winner between the two.

[@nc3419]

@@roddersh5396 Thanks. I think I could enjoy either even if they both sound different. Between my Opticon 1 and Triangle Zetas, both different but enjoyable. I suspect the Rubicons would have more bass, impact, resolution and detail than the Opticon with a still similar sound signature while the Neat might better follow along the lines of my Zetas, with a bit more laid back midrange, not polite but not as forward either. Something about the Triangle that sounds more exciting and engaging, it has more midbass without negatively affecting midrange and separation. Hard choice and perhaps I would prefer the Neat Petite but really wish they included or made available a grill for added protection. The Rubicon 2 and the Neat would cost about the same for me. Also wondering if Dali is going to upgrade the Rubicon in the near future, perhaps pushing a closeout deal on the old stock? I got my Opticon 1 that way at half off which was an easy purchase and well worth it. The replacement series in much higher now and with a vinyl wrap, lower quality than Oberon even is just not acceptable. For the added cost, a real wood veneer should be done.

[@roddersh5396]

@@nc3419 I had a very brief encounter with the Dali ribbon and dome combination on Rubicon 6. It had a very distinct sound and roll off and left a memorable impression. Haven't found an opportunity to listen in more detail but I'd recommend comparing the Rubicon 5 vs the AMT on the petite.

[@nc3419]

@@roddersh5396 In this case, I do not think it would matter. The crossover for the ribbon tweeter is stated at 14K Hz, just above my hearing threshold. But I have heard a ribbon on the Quad S2 and while I liked it, the speaker itself was too 2D and had too dry a midrange for my liking. I have heard an AMT type on Martin Logan 15s and liked it alot but the woofer was what held it back. Actually sounded much like my Paradigm SE-1 I had at the time with everything but human voices. A difference I describe as live sounding on the ML while the Paradigm had more a studio sound.

[@roddersh5396]

@@nc3419 well I did find the ribbon dome combination different even when compared to and after hearing the Jet5 AMT, the Quad ribbon and the Neat AMT.

[@slyfoxx8540]

Do the vocals have a decent weight to them? Have tried a couple of amt's and they seemed thin up top.