Musicality, wealth of detail, acoustic instruments sound completely natural, excellent soundstage

None whatsoever!

These speakers almost make me want to cry, they are so good!

The qualities I look for in a speaker are all the usual ones (I think) ... natural sound, revealing of detail, a sense of presence and excitement, and that special touch of magic where the speakers are able to 'disappear'.

Having auditioned many of the currently recommended speakers in the $1000 to $2000 price range, I came across Neat Acoustics by chance and bought a pair of Mystique 2's straight away. For me, they stood well above all others in this price range, and it is hard to make particular comparisons - maybe they are closest in sound to the ATC's (another very natural and fast speaker) but without all the quirks: I reckon those ATCs need an active crossover as well as a good power amp to drive 'em properly, whereas these Neat speakers sound better even if you are using a plain old integrated amp. I have had them at home a couple of days now (still running them in) and they have exceeded my already high expectations by an overwhelming amount. I now understand what reviewers mean by comments such as 'like taking cotton wool out of my ears', 'new layers of detail' and, always my favourite, 'I looked forward to the exciting prospect of listening to my whole music collection afresh'.

These speakers very easily produce an excellent and totally convincing soundstage and one which I would say is not too dependent on positioning. At the moment I have a classic 'equilateral triangle' configuration without them being toed in, and I have not bi-wired them, but there is plenty of scope for making all sorts of adjustments here. In my view there is ample bass (I have them about 50cm from the wall in a very large room), indeed it is bass of an exceptionally fast, clear, and clean quality.

I cannot recommend these too highly (if you can find them ... Neat are a very small manufacturer and not widely known). If you can't find them easily, try contacting the factory in England directly (it's easy to find on the Internet).

Similar Products Used:

ATC A7 Tower, EPOS M12 + stands, Ruark Swordsman + stands

superbly balanced sound and wonderfully rich mid-range

lack of bass

This is by far the best speaker in its price range if you are looking for beautiful acoustic sound. If you want pounding or rich bass, then look elsewhere because this speaker will not meet your needs.
It has an incredibly smooth and balanced sound to it. When you hear a cello, piano, or violin, or any other acoustic instrument you will be amazed at what these speakers will do. They were designed by a guy who used to be a cellist and decided to make a speaker that could sound like his instrument. In my opinion he certainly succeeded.
The speaker might sound strange the first time you hear it. Perhaps the strangest thing about this speaker is its lack of "character". It doesn't seem to color the music at all. Most speakers, even very expensive ones, are very guilty of this crime. Yet these speakers are not flat by any means. They will bring to life all of your acoustic music. Whatever is put into the speaker is what comes out.
This speaker coupled with a good source and amplifier will astound you. I would recommend either Naim or Exposure equipment for this product, being that Neat speakers are typically developed using these products. My personal preference, however, would definitely be Exposure. The only speaker that I like more than this speaker is its truly astounding big brother the Elite.

Similar Products Used:

JPL, Dynaudio, Naim, Rega