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Epos Vs. Neat

I am on the verge of picking up new speakers after about a year of being without (I've posted relatively recently about this)...

...I had pretty much settled on Epos M12.2's. I like their speed, accuracy in the midrange (vocals are beautiful) and punchy sound (will be used in a relatively small room).

The other day, however, I passed by the shop where I plan to make the purchase and there was a guy there auditioning the Neat Mystiques and Ruark speakers (don't know the model - i think Sabre IIIs or something)...

The Neats really caught my attention. They have excellent clarity, are very fast, punchy and musical ... best of all, they play music. There is just something about the way the put the music together that makes you want to groove no matter WHAT you're listening to. The Epos do this as well, but to a lesser extent.

The thing is, the Neats are a tad costly for me (twice the price of the Epos) and I'd still have to make cable switches etc. to get them to sound right at home (I'll have to do the same with the Epos, but they're a lot cheaper so adding cost of cables is not such a big deal).

I wonder if i could get some opinions from any of you... Should I purchase the Epos and stay within my current budget? Should I hold off for a few more months and get the Neats? Further, which would likely work better with my associated equipment (listed below)?

Anyone have experience with both of these speakers? with either of these speakers?

any comments and/or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Signed,

A poor man with an expensive addiction.

assoc. equip:

Unison Research Unico (stock)
Rotel 971 cd
Link Dac III, half nelson with upsampling.
cables: up in the air
loose
loose OP
239 posts
 
I'm just on my way now to pick them up. I've purchased from a dealer here in Toronto (store's called Hi Fi Fo Fum). The guy who owns the shop (Steve) is a very stand up, up-front and knowledgeable guy. He sure as hell knows a lot about system synergy - the setups in his store always get my feet tapping.

He's also very patient - i've been kicking tires in his store for about a year and a half and he's been patient with me the entire time! (something I can't say for MOST high-end dealers)
loose OP
239 posts
 
welllll...

now that i've had the Neats Mystiques at home for a couple of days (They're already broken in - demo models), I have to say, they are very, very good in many ways, but they are not a good match for my room. They are too much of a speaker for my room - the bass overwhelms everything, despite trying all sorts of positions. I would still have to play around with cables, but in my mind, no cable will be able to correct the bass problem. I'm disappointed b/c they sounded excellent in the showroom (as i described earlier), but the bass just drowns out everything here... It doesn't help that my room's acoustics make the place inherently boomy and that boominess is also compounded my the Unico's 'somewhat round' bass. Further, because the Neats are on the long wall in an 11x14 room, they can only be pulled out a max of 18 or 20 inches - STILL not enough to correct the bass problem in this room.

I'm soooo sad b/c i REALLY wanted to like them (and Steve, teh dealer, gave me a great deal on them - he's a really good guy who knows his stuff)...

*sigh*... I'm going to have to give him a call this week to hopefully work something out
loose OP
239 posts
 
ok...placed them about 2" closer together... didn't think it would make much of a difference. Boy was I wrong. Sharper image, tighter bass, better midrange clarity - better all-around (I can't believe that such small increments make such a HUGE difference).

Still going to play with cables. The system sounds great, even at low volume (which is great considering I live in an apt.)

Next stop - cable town!
emil
205 posts
 
Loose
I assume Steve had your Mystiques driven by a Naim amp?
A friend of mine had a simliar problem when I sold him my Mystiques. He heard them when I was using a Nait 5 and loved them. When he brought them home and hooked them up to his CJpre/ VTLMB125 amp,his reactions were similiar to yours. It wasnt until he purchased a Nait 5i that he began to enjoy them.
Worth a shot unless you really dont want to replace the Unico.
loose OP
239 posts
 
Actually, he had them driven at different times by various amps. I believe I first heard them with Naim (as per your assumption). But most recently, I heard them with what Steve calls 'one of the best integrated amps you can possibly get' - an LFD (Mistral) amp.

Don't get me wrong - my setup sounds nice. I just know that it's capable of more.

Of course, I'm always open to suggestion with respect to equipment...although I really do like the Unico (it's so beautifully built). Steve sent me an email telling me that he had a similar issue at his own place and assured me he can correct the bass problem. I have faith in his ability to do so.

I'll see what we can come up with and if system switches are in order, I just may have some equipment up for sale.
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