Neat Acoustics Momentum J6 speakers
Ever since I first reviewed the diminutive, knee-high Iota Alpha floorstander I have long been a fan of Neat Acoustics speakers, subsequent experience of the Explorer and Petite Classic further enhanced my enthusiasm for the brand. I first saw the Momentum J6 floorstander at the North West Audio Show last year and knew then I had to have a pair for review, and so here I am to tell you all about my experience with them.
But first, I’d like to tell you a bit about Neat, as they are an interesting company. Founded in 1989 in Teesdale in the North of England by Bob Surgeoner, music is most definitely at the heart of the company. It’s no surprise when you learn that Bob started out as a musician in 1967, playing in clubs and then with a variety of bands from blues to bluegrass and prog-rock. He is an accomplished guitarist and if you want to hear what he can do, he has recorded a series of albums on the Splurge label, all recorded in the studio in the factory and available from Neat direct.
Neat say they believe that music should dictate the design of the loudspeaker and so listening tends to influence their designs rather than slavish adherence to measurements. And judging from the success of their speakers, that approach seems to be working. There are two models in Neat’s Momentum series: the JS standmount at £4,995 and the J6 reviewed here, retailing at £8,700 in standard finishes, including satin white, and £9,995 in high gloss finishes.
The Momentum range sits below Neat’s flagship Ultimatum flagships and the J6 borrows some elements from the Ultimatum XL6 at £15,480. Specifically, it uses the same internal construction and isobaric loading and the same Neat R3 168mm bass/mid treated paper cone with phase plug. The J6 differs from the Ultimatum XL6, however, in that it uses a customised Elac Jet 5 AMT (air motion transformer) tweeter in its upper enclosure rather than the XL6’s 26mm Sonomex dome in tandem with two 25mm EMIT planar/ribbon super-tweeters.
The J6 is effectively two speakers in one. You can see from the photographs that the AMT tweeter and Neat bass/mid driver sit on their own MDF baffle, which is slightly decoupled from the main cabinet by a polyethylene membrane. Those two drivers effectively sit in their own separate enclosure acting as a sealed two-way speaker in their own right, acoustically separated from the lower section.
When two become one
That lower section of the Momentum J6 has two separate chambers. The upper one, which also has a reflex port on the back panel, houses one bass driver that fires downwards into the lower chamber, where there is a second downward-firing bass driver mounted in the speaker’s base, providing isobaric loading for the unit above it. That lower section of the J6 effectively works as a built-in subwoofer, only handling frequencies below 100Hz. The bass drivers are the same 170mm Peerless drivers as used in the Neat Orkestra.
Neat explains the bass loading by saying that the sealed chamber that houses the internal bass driver provides a constant pressure within it, acting as a brake on the one mounted to the bottom of the speaker firing into the outside world. The tweeter hands over to the bass/mid driver on the front panel at around 3.2kHz using a 2nd order crossover network (12dB/octave), while a 1st order, 6dB/octave network crosses over to the other two ‘subwoofers’ at 100Hz. All of the high-quality crossover components are carefully chosen after extensive listening and are hard-wired rather than being mounted on a PCB.
The cabinet of the Momentum J6 is made from MDF, whereas that of the more expensive Ultimatum models uses birch ply. It sits on some very sturdy feet, consisting of two weighty metal bars that bolt to the underside of the cabinet and have adjustable spiked feet that hold it steady and level on the listening room floor.
The speakers supplied for review were finished in a high-gloss finish and looked like a million dollars. Their small footprint (only 220mm wide by 230mm deep), means that they do not take up too much floorspace and they looked good in a domestic setting. The metal plinths that support and stabilise them were a doddle to fit and allowed the speaker to sit solidly on my listening room floor with easily accessible, lockable adjusters to get them sitting level.
Neat recommend experimenting with room positioning as no two rooms are the same, but suggest starting out with the Momentum J6 positioned between 12 and 20in (30 – 76cm) from the rear wall and 24in (60cm) from side walls with a 10-15 degree toe-in. Knowing my listening room well and having played around finding the right position for a wide variety of review speakers, I positioned the Momentum J6 18in (45cm) from the rear (solid brick) wall and 17in (42.5cm) from the side walls, slightly toed-in. This is normally the sweet spot for my room and proved to work perfectly for these Neats.
Bite and brio
To get to know the Momentum J6s, I hooked them up to my system of Audio Note CDT-Five CD transport and DAC Five Special, as well as an Audio Note TT3 turntable with Arm2/Io1 arm and cartridge and PSU-3 power supply. Amplifier was the Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister single-ended valve (300B) integrated amp. I also used an Accuphase E-700 integrated amp I had on test at the time, as this would offer a little more power (35W) than the Meishu (10W), if I felt I needed it.
Female vocals are always a good test for a speaker and so I kicked off my listening with Rio de Janeiro Blues from Randy Crawford’s Secret Combination album. Straight away that great bass line that drives the track along was conveyed with weight, control and authority by the Momentum J6s, while Jeff Porcaro’s drumming was tight and eloquent with delicate details and syncopations in Paulinho da Costa’s percussion play nicely handled. Crawford’s distinctive vocal sound and style came over well and was beautifully open. The track’s quirky rhythms also tripped along apace and I was impressed by how nimble, detailed and fluid the Neats were on Ernie Watts’s wonderful flute solo.
Switching the mood to jazz, I played Shine a Light on Me from piano player/singer/songwriter Ben Sidran. The Momentum J6s got in the groove straight away with the track’s quirky bass line – tight, weighty and tuneful. Sidran’s fluid, skillful play on the DX7 synth was nicely presented and the distinctive voice of the instrument with its top-end sparkle came across well. Sidran’s vocals were open and expressive and drumkit was tight and punchy on snare while delicate cymbal and hi-hat detail was well separated and easy to follow.
A track that really jumps is guitarist Larry Carlton’s version of The Doobies’ Minute by Minute on his Discovery album. The Neats really conveyed the driving bass line and staccato rhythms of this track, with great insights into Carlton’s masterful guitar play. Backing vocals were also nicely separated and defined. The Momentum J6s really captured the feel and energy of this track well.
A favourite George Benson track of mine is No One Emotion from his 20/20 album, and that’s what I played next. It too is a really fast-paced track with a pumping synth bass line that the Momentum J6s conveyed with great control and agility. Benson’s distinctive vocal style shone through and I was pleased with how I could listen into what the horn section was doing in this lavish and multi-layered production. Michael Sembello’s blistering guitar solo was also authoritatively handled with excellent bite and brio.
Neat compete
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Neat Momentum J6. Their sound is detailed, punchy, dynamic, with the ability to convey both power and subtlety in drums and percussion and how each individual musician contributes to the music. Their sound is well balanced and has a good weight, control and fluidity to bass lines that keeps your foot tapping along. Whether it is hard rock, jazz, blues or classical, they take it all in their stride. I recommend them wholeheartedly.