Neat Iota Alpha - Any good?

[Rallye_punk]

I have seen quite a few of these for sale on ebay and it seems people don't keep them long. I really like the small size and design and would be keen to try a set. Anyone had a pair and if so how do they perform? They are well reviewed so I expect them to be decent enough, I have some Shahinian Arc's currently which would have to go if I did change for the Neats but it would be pending a longer term ownership and confirmation it was the right choice first!

Thanks.

 

[TimF]

I have listened to both, Iota Alpha and Arcs. In my opinion, while the little Iota Alpha sounds fine, the Arcs are in another league, being much better. Just my opinion, of course.

PS-I would think the Iota Alpha Xplorer would be a more suitable match for the Arcs, and I certainly could be wrong on that! All depends on what you really are trying to accomplish here.

 

[deserter]

I have Shahinian Larcs in my main system and the little Iotas ( the baby ones, not the Alphas] in my second system.

The Iotas are lovely but don’t really get close to the Larcs, so I’d be surprised if the big ones are any different . I think you’d need to listen but if your amp is up to the Job I doubt anything will get close to Arcs

 

[NotOneIota]

I needed unobtrusive speakers for reasons for domestic harmony, so bought some Alphas. They stayed for about 3 years, mainly because there isn't much else with a similar form factor. At first I found the treble a bit bright but a combination of getting used to them and playing with positioning helped there. They're not very sensitive and I found they were much happier with Teddy Pardo MB100s than with the naim supernait I owned previously.

I moved from the Alphas to Arcs and it was a big upgrade. To me the Arcs sound more natural and easy-going, much 'bigger' with deeper and more solid bass. They seem to have a very wide 'sweet arc' rather than a 'sweet spot' too. I'm able to position them a little 'out of sight' too which helps, and they're easy to move where I want them when I'm able to do some dedicated listening.

If I were you I'd only change to the Alphas if you're finding the Arcs too big to accommodate in your room.