Doug and Gordon...
I actually think it is a great track even though it is way outside of the bounds of what I usually listen to. It went viral at Munich as Kedar will confirm, with loads of rooms using it. It does sound good but unfortunately the rest of the album is nowhere near as good IMHO - rubbish in fact. Well I think so.
What is quite amusing is listening to it via the same speakers it was recorded from. It gains a quite distorted sounding live acoustic with room acoustics becoming very obvious - even when played back in the room it was recorded in. Played back via anything half decent the room acoustics on both vids are quite evident I think.
If camera mics get much better (don't think that'll happen any time soon) maybe loudspeaker manufacturers need to start getting worried.
I think the little camera mics are getting overloaded on both videos.
One thing I will say about the Neolith panel which marks it apart from Summit and down - the sweet spot is much wider than anything Summit or down. As I move around with the camera the sound is actually quite uniform - better than the long thin ribbon on the Apogee TBH. Not surprising given its radiating area.
That said the Apogee still sounds good when you are quite markedly off axis - it is only when you get close to the speakers (less than a metre or about 3 feet) you can really hear very marked changes as you move around. It beats a Summit or Ascent (which I used to own) off axis at a distance quite markedly IMHO.
Anyway, bit of fun and if you follow that account you can compare a plethora of other speakers all shot with the Sony. But they aren't playing the same track which ruins the fun to a large extent.
In the flesh, considering the price difference, the massively cheaper Apogee wins hands down in VFM terms. No surprises there but I'd love to hear an Interstella spec'd Diva against the Neolith in the same room. Or even a Full Range (which would still cost way less).
Thanks for taking this the right way I am not promoting Apogees as they are largely irrelevant these days since the company as it was is no more. Also it is true to say that is no normal Duetta.
Amazingly the Duetta goes lower than Neolith. I also think bass articulation/detail is better. However, it is smaller than Neolith and does not have the scale as a result. For me that is quite a big minus hence the Diva rant etc.
In a big room given the choice I might well plump for Neolith
An "interstella" Full Range or Diva I suspect definitely not!!!!!