Best Stereo speakers 2017

Product of the year

Best standmount speaker £400-£800

KEF Q350

“A level of clarity and subtlety that’s unheard of at this price”

Best buys

Best floorstander £400-£800

Q Acoustics 3050

“Powerful and assertive, the 3050s deliver a huge sense of scale and are capable of enveloping our largest test room”

Best standmount speaker £200-£400

Monitor Audio Bronze 2

“These Monitor Audios sail through the test. They have delicacy when required and handle dynamics deftly”

Best desktop speaker

Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2

“The Ruarks breathe new life into whatever music you play through them”

Best floorstander £1200-£2000

Neat Iota Alpha

“Beauty is as beauty does… and these floorstanders are something to savour”

Best standmount speaker £800-£1200

Revel Concerta2 M16

"Speakers that can stand toe-to-toe with the best sub-thousand pound standmounters around”

Best standmount speaker under £200

Dali Spektor 2

"The Spektor 2s are excellent speakers, combining Dali’s traditional strengths with a generous dose of entertainment"

Best standmount speaker £1200-£2000

ATC SCM11

"These speakers manage to knit everything into a cohesive, musical whole”

Best floorstanders £800-£1200

Monitor Audio Silver 200

“Most important, though, is the richness and clarity throughout”

Best standmount speaker £2000+

Dynaudio Special Forty

“Magnificently detailed, digging out the low-level acoustic clues that define a recording venue with ease”

Best floorstander £2000+

Spendor A4

“They’re expressive, entertaining and, perhaps surprisingly for a Spendor design, fun”

Best floorstander under £400

Tannoy Eclipse 3

“The Eclipses have no problem when it comes to having a good time”

Best active speaker

Dynaudio Xeo 2

“A level of transparency to music that you’d be hard-pressed to find from a similarly-priced system of hi-fi separates”

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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