A development in modern neutron spectroscopy is to avoid the need of large
samples. We demonstrate how small samples together with the right choice of
analyser and detector components makes distance collimation an important
concept in crystal analyser spectrometers. We further show that this opens new
possibilities where neutrons with different energies are reflected by the same
analyser but counted in different detectors, thus improving both energy
resolution and total count rate compared to conventional spectrometers. The
technique can be combined with advanced focusing geometries and with
multiplexing instrument designs. We present a combination of simulations and
data with 3 energies from one analyser. The data was taken on a prototype
installed at PSI, Switzerland, and shows excellent agreement with the
predictions. Typical improvements will be 2 times finer resolution and a factor
1.9 in flux gain compared to a Rowland geometry or 3 times finer resolution and
a factor 3.2 in flux gain compared to a single flat analyser slab