Soundstyle Z2 review

This £70 design is a brilliant hi-fi upgrade – add these stands to your system and detail, dynamics and rhythm will all get a boost

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

The Z2s are an ideal boost for budget set-ups

Pros

  • +

    Can boost your speakers' detail, attack and openness

Cons

  • -

    The tonal balance could be weightier

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The Z2s have been favourites of ours since November 2006, winning Awards in previous years by doing everything right at a reasonable price. Now Soundstyle has revamped them with some new features and a £10 price hike – the first in a decade.

Soundstyle has added lockable spikes to the base and improved the bolt and socket assembly of the main support for additional rigiidity, while also filling it with damping materials to reduce resonance. They also come with top spikes.

We gave them the Monitor Audio Bronze BR2s paired with Adele's 19 album and had a listen. The new stands neatly improve detail, with the rippling acoustic bass and Adele's winsome vocals taking on a new sense of clarity and space.

Dynamically, the music gains more drive and there's a real sense of excitement and verve in changes of tempo. Downsides? Tonal balance is a little lean, but the extra detail and panache in the sound outweights this minor shortcoming and these Z2s firmly remain a five-star product.

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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