Best standmount speakers 2023

Product of the year

Best standmount speaker £300-£600

Standmount speakers: Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3

Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3

Delivering a clean, refined and detailed sound, Bowers and Wilkins' entry-level speakers are simply superb 

Best buys

Best standmount speaker under £300

Elac

Elac Debut B5.2

Yet again, the Elac Debut B5.2 are the best speakers you'll find at this price

Best standmount speaker £600-£800

Standmount speakers: Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3

Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3

A bold step forward, the 606 S3 deliver a large-scaled, spacious and refined sound

Best standmount speaker £800-£1000

KEF LS50 Meta review

KEF LS50 Meta

For yet another year the KEF LS50 Meta speakers remain the class leader at this level

Best standmount speaker £1000-£1500

Standmount speakers: PMC Prodigy 1

PMC Prodigy 1

Considering their modest size, PMC's standmounters are nothing short of superb

Best standmount speaker £1500-£2500

Standmounted speakers: KEF R3 Meta

KEF R3 Meta

Classy, refined speakers that are the best you'll get at this level

Best standmount speaker over £2500

Standmounted speakers: Mission 770

Mission 770

Mission’s retro-modern 770 are the best option you'll find at this price

Best desktop speakers

Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2

Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2

They're no spring chicken, but Ruark's MR1 Mk2 remain class leaders

Best powered speakers

Powered speakers: Elac Debut ConneX DCB41

Elac Debut ConneX DCB41

Compact, great sounding and affordable, these are the powered speakers to get in 2023

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  • EssentiallyJay
    Can't fathom to endearing lust for the Kef Metals having auditioned them twice against the 606 S3's.

    I have the 606 S2's and been relatively unimpressed hence due an update.

    Went to listen to the Kefs in the store and figured test against the 606 S3's which would hopefully prove night and day (as they didn't have any 606 S2's in figured the closest to what I have) and... listened. Checked the cables. Listened again. Switched them multiple times and tried every favourite track I could think of.

    Every single time despite wanting to love the Kefs I found the S3's far superior in terms of clarity and general enjoyment for every single song.

    I arrived ready to buy the Kefs, left unsure so what to do. So I ordered them both and set them up at home and repeated the test first asking a housemate to do a blind test - back turned sat down to ask which A or B did he preferred.

    Every single time he preferred the S3's!? Are we missing something or are we just unrefined heathens!? Seduced perhaps by the separated tweeter that seems to provide far greater detail and clarity to all the music I like.

    Perhaps it's just a cheap trick from the BW's and we're falling for it, or; we just genuinely get something more from the S3's Vs Kefs.

    To give the Kefs a final chance I played only them for two days and gradually warmed to them immensely in isolation.

    On the third day plugged the S3's in again and nope - exactly the same result. Perhaps all I can say is maybe the S3's sound a bit 'thinner' due to the 'detail' but whichever way I try to think myself into preferring the Kefs they still sound less interesting by comparison.

    What am I missing!?

    All equipment is equal, only variable is the speakers
    Reply