Neat Acoustics Iota Alpha II Floorstanding Speakers

Bob Surgeoner founded Neat Acoustics in 1989 and the company has built loudspeakers by hand in Barnard Castle, County Durham ever since. Surgeoner was a performing and recording musician for more than twenty years before he designed speakers, and Neat's designs are finished by ear rather than by measurement alone.

The Iota Alpha II is 45 cm tall and stands on the floor. An upward-firing mid/bass driver works in partnership with a downward-firing subwoofer, which is how a cabinet 20 cm wide reaches 33 Hz. A 50 mm EMIT planar magnetic tweeter handles the top end — the driver that defines the Iota range. The crossover is built by hand with selected components and point-to-point wiring.

Nominal impedance is 4 ohms and Neat recommends 25 to 100 watts. Spikes and protective floor discs are supplied. Each speaker weighs 6.5 kg and carries a five-year warranty. The low-profile cabinet sits below the sightline in most rooms, which is the practical argument for it over a conventional floorstander of the same reach.

Six finishes: Graphite Black, Pearl White, Shadow Grey, Oak, Walnut and Ruby Flame. Priced per pair.

Configuration: Floorstanding, upward-firing mid/bass with downward-firing subwoofer

Tweeter: 50 mm EMIT planar magnetic

Crossover: Hand-built, point-to-point wiring

Frequency Response: 33 Hz – 22 kHz

Impedance: 4 ohms

Recommended Amplifier Power: 25 – 100 watts

Dimensions (H × W × D): 45 (without spikes) × 20 × 16 cm

Weight: 6.5 kg each

Supplied with: Spikes and protective floor discs

Warranty: Five years

Finishes: Graphite Black, Pearl White, Shadow Grey, Oak, Walnut, Ruby Flame

Built and tuned by ear in the north of England.