The Ultimatum project was a labour of love for Bob Surgeoner. It began in 1995 as a no-compromise design intended to deliver the very best attributes of Neat’s accumulated ideas and expertise, and development took place over several years.

Originally conceived as a single model, the proptotype sported several design cues which can be identified in what eventually became the Ultimatum MF9 loudspeaker six years later. The slim, 150cm tall enclosure, with separate cavities to house each drive unit in an extended d’Appolito array. Employing 4 x 168mm main drive units in each cabinet, the driver configuration was designed to simulate a point source.

The Ultimatum MF9 was launched in 2001 to great critical acclaim and international commercial success. It was soon followed by smaller variants, the 120cm high MF7, the 100cm MF5, and the standmount/bookshelf MFS model. All of these versions adhered to those principles which rendered the Ultimatum models as being among the very best in the world.

The original line up was upgraded recently to ‘XL’ versions, further improving all aspects of their performance.

ULTIMATUM STANDARD FINISHES

BLACK OAK

WALNUT

OAK

FIGURED BIRCH

VELVET CLOUD

RED VELVET CLOUD

PIANO BLACK

The ULTIMATUM series of high-performance loudspeakers was conceived by Neat founder, Bob Surgeoner, in 1993 and launched in 1999 with the introduction of the Ultimatum MF9.

The XL10 is the result of a complete revision of the MF9, building upon its considerable strengths in order to deliver a world-class full range performance for the 21st century.

The enclosure comprises eight discrete internal cavities, each optimised for purpose and each different. The bass/midrange volumes are larger to suit the tuning whilst the main HF cavity is small to increase rigidity and resist back pressure from the main drive units. The two EMIT super tweeters are similarly isolated.

The main structure is damped 18mm Birch Plywood sourced from slow-growing forests as this ensures the densest, most consistent material. The drive unitbaffle sections are constructed from a 45mm thick ‘sandwich’ of Birch Plywood, Polyethylene and MDF. This provides a rigid non-resonant platform which allows the drive units to operate with

minimal colouration.

All of these features are woven together in the traditional Neat fashion: hundreds of hours of listening tests, empirical experimentation and years of expertise guarantee that the end result is a classic loudspeaker with qualities that few can equal.

HF Unit: 26mm SONOMEX Domed XL

Super HF Units: 2* EMIT 25mm planar/ribbon

Bass / Midrange: 2* 168mm NEAT Unit with Aluminium Phase Plug

Bass 4 * 168mm NEAT Unit

Dimensions (hwd): 1500x22x37cm

Plinth (wd): 35 x 51cm

Enclosure type: Multi-chamber, multi-driver array, incorporating isobaric internal cavity, plus upward firing super-tweeters

Sensitivity: 88db/1 watt

Recommended amplifier power: 25 – 500 watts

Impedance: 6 ohms average/Minimum 4 ohms

Weight: 65Kg each

Shipping weight: 150Kg pair