The most appealing thing about Atacama’s Nexxus range of speaker stands is how modular and versatile they are. You have multiple choices of stand heights and top plate sizes to accommodate a vast range of standmount speaker types, which means you shouldn’t have a problem finding a speaker stand entirely tailored to your standmount speakers’ dimensions and weight. 

The Nexxus speaker stands we have on test here are specifically the Atacama Nexxus 600 Essential model.

Atacama has form when it comes to making speaker stands. The British company’s Moseco 6 has been winning What Hi-Fi?’s best speaker stands Award for nearly a decade. Can the Nexus 600 Essential impress us enough to replace its stablemate on the podium?

Build quality & compatibility

Built in the UK, Atacama’s Nexxus 600 Essential speaker stands are designed for small- to medium-sized speakers. It’s a minimalist metal design that’s available in the standard satin black finish of our review sample, or there’s an optional diamond white finish that costs an additional £20.

The 600 Essential stand features two 50.6mm-wide support tubes, and a 5mm thick ‘laser cut shield design’ base plate (measuring 260mm x 365mm). The 130mm x 170mm top plate comes as standard, but you can also choose from four larger top plate sizes to better accommodate your speakers.

Our review sample pair comes with the next step up – 160mm x 220mm sized top plates – which cost an extra £29.99 over the standard pack. In total, the Nexxus 600 Essential stands we’re reviewing here cost £169.98.

Each size-up top plate pack costs £29.99 extra, while the largest size is an additional £39.99. You can get a Nexxus stand in different height options too, ranging from 220mm to 1020mm; our Nexxus 600 Essential model measures 620mm in total.

If you’re opting for one of the larger top plates, Atacama recommends you attach the unused standard top plate to the base plate underneath to increase the stands’ “low down” mass for better stability. It’s a clever arrangement (and also means you’ll never lose the original top plates if you need them later).

The Nexxus 600 stands can support speakers weighing up to 15kg each. Not only is this more capable than the previous Nexxus generation (which topped out at 8.4kg each), but it’s also generous enough to accommodate most standmount speaker sizes – from as small as the Elac Debut ConneX and KEF LS50 Meta to the deeper Q Acoustics Concept 30 and B&W 705 S3 speakers.

Overall the stands are built well – rigid, sturdy and secure. Carpet spikes and spike shoes are included, while domed gel pads are also provided to go on the top plate. These are to ensure your speaker cabinet finish isn’t scratched by the metal top plate, and adds a certain amount of decoupling between stand and speaker.

The long-running Atacama Moseco 6 stands which feature a bamboo base are still in production for £149 per pair (around $185 / AU$263), and the build quality of both stands is largely the same. You don’t get the various top plate options with the Moseco 6, but it still accommodates a large spread of speakers.

Performance

We use the KEF LS50 Meta speakers for the majority of our testing, and play locally-stored music and Tidal-streamed songs played through our reference Naim/Burmester system as usual. 

With the KEF speakers placed on the Nexxus 600 Essential stands, our system’s overall sound is stable, clean and focused. We play Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill, and the stands allow the speaker to deliver a good amount of solidity and punch. Timing is no slouch and the balance is well-judged, although the higher frequencies are boosted a touch compared with the lower notes. 

Switching the KEFs to the Moseco 6 stands, our system sounds a little more full-bodied, detailed and spacious. It’s a slightly richer, more dynamic sound. The characterful bassline of On We March from The Social Network soundtrack is packed with textural depth and etched with precision, showing a touch more dexterity than with the Nexxus stands in the system. Kate Bush’s voice also has a little more subtlety and warmth; overall it’s a more engaging performance. 

In comparison, the way our system sounds on the Nexxus stands is more upfront and punchy, but loses a degree of subtelty and clarity the Moseco 6 help to impart.

Verdict

The Nexxus 600 range’s modular and versatile design will no doubt appeal to many. Atacama has made a clever arrangement that will suit a broad variety of standmount speakers, and ensures a sturdy, stable and clean sound for your hi-fi system.

However, we still prefer the way our system sounds when using the Award-winning Moseco 6 speaker stands. They bring out a more layered performance that still impresses hugely – especially for the price. 

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Compatibility 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Atacama Moseco 6

Also consider the Soundstyle Z2

Best speaker stands: budget and premium

Spoiler alert – these Atacama Moseco 6 stands remain our favourite affordable speaker stands and are yet again an award-winner in 2023.

Performance

With our reference KEF LS50 Meta placed on top, these Atacamas allow our system to flourish by letting the speakers deliver their best in terms of punch, detail and rhythm.

There’s texture to basslines, a twang to guitars, and expressive (if slightly forward) vocals. Overall, it’s an enjoyable performance.

The Mosecos are rigidly built too. Two metal columns – one filled for better stability, one for cable management – and a bamboo base offer sturdy support and a neat look.

Those with big speakers might find the top plate on the small side, but Atacama does offer an optional Large Top Plate pack, where the plate measures 160mm (6.3") wide with a depth of 220mm (8.7") instead of the standard 130mm (5.2”) and 170mm (6.7”).

In terms of finishes, your choices are satin black as standard and an optional diamond white or gloss/satin black mix. The base panels come as standard in natural bamboo, but there are also medium and dark finishes available.

Verdict

We’re impressed with how weighty and dynamic these stands make our system sound.

They work well with a variety of speakers across the price range, too and, for a relatively modest amount, they’re one of the best-value stands we’ve come across.

Review published: 2014. Review updated: November 2024.

MORE:

Our round-up of the best AV and hi-fi racks

How to build the perfect hi-fi system

Speaker stands may not be the most exciting of products, but we find they are pretty necessary if you want to get the best performance from your stereo speakers.

Putting your speakers on stands doesn’t just look good; they also provide them with a solid, non-resonating base that can neutralise pesky vibrations and allow them to perform to their full potential, while also providing you with more flexible positioning options to ensure that your listening position is right in the middle of that all-important sweet spot.

You don’t need to spend a lot on a set of stands either. And because the technology involved is pretty basic, a fine pair of stands from a few years (or even a decade) ago will be a fine pair of stands today. Indeed, some of the pairs featured on our list below were first reviewed nearly two decades ago, but they still serve us well and remain among our top picks all these years later.

There’s no need to focus on the latest and greatest, then, unless you want more contemporary styles. All you need to do is decide on your budget and then pick the stands that look and feel right for you. And that’s where we come in.

Below you’ll find our pick of the best speaker stands for various budgets, all reviewed in our dedicated test rooms by our in-house expert team. If you’ve still got your speakers shoved on top of an IKEA bookshelf, do yourself a favour and make this simple upgrade to your system. You can thank us later.

The best speaker stands overall

There's a reason these Atacama speaker stands continue picking up What Hi-Fi? Awards. Two metal columns – one filled for better stability, one for cable management – and a bamboo base offer sturdy support and a neat look.

And they allow our system to flourish by letting the speakers deliver their best in terms of punch, detail and rhythm. For around a ton, you'll struggle to do better.

Read the full Atacama Moseco 6 review

The best budget speaker stands

The Soundstyle Z2 speaker stands have been favourites of ours for more than a decade, winning Awards at various prices, and they remain a solid (ahem) choice.

Soundstyle has added lockable spikes to the base and improved the bolt and socket assembly of the main support for additional rigidity, while also filling the stands with damping materials to reduce resonance. They also come with top spikes. The new stands can help improve detail, add drive and help bring out the excitement in your music.

Read the full Soundstyle Z2 review

The best mid-range speaker stands

Designed for the Q Acoustics Concept 20 but compatible with any speakers, these are a little more expensive but deliver a performance to justify the price.

The clever construction – a layer of compliant compound in the metal top plate that helps dampen unwanted resonances by turning them into heat energy – makes them superb supports for all types of speakers. They look classy and have some cable management, while sonically they will free up your system in terms of punch and bite.

Read the full Q Acoustics Concept 20 Speaker Stands review

The best premium speaker stands

The FS104 Signature has five columns: a large one in the middle and four satellites. Assembly is fairly simple, especially for anyone who’s ever played with construction sets or a certain brand of Swedish furniture.

There’s an all-black option but, for contrast, the satellites also come in gold, chrome and brushed chrome. Overall, these stands allowed our kit to perform with more control and precision than did their rivals, offering a livelier, clearer sound.

Read the full Custom Design FS104 Signature review

Also consider

Atacama Nexxus 600 Essential: While the Moseco 6 at the top of this page remain our number one pick, Atacama’s Nexxus range is worth a look if you have very specific requirements, with various heights and sizes of top plate available. They also deliver a sturdy, stable and clean sound from your speakers, albeit one that lacks the subtlety delivered by the Moseco 6.

How to choose the best speaker stands for you

Picking a pair of speaker stands can aesthetic decision as well as aout stability, but there are still a few things you should consider before hitting that buy button.

The first thing to do is make sure any stands you’re looking at can support the size and weight of your speakers. Stability is the name of the game here, so check the size of the top plate and make sure it’ll provide a sturdy base for your speakers – ideally you want it to be just slightly smaller than the footprint of the speaker, but no larger or it could affect the performance. Some manufacturers offer multiple sizes, but you might have to fork out extra for them.

As well as helping to eliminate vibrations and interference, putting your speakers on stands brings them closer to ear level, so you should also consider the height of the stands in relation to your primary listening position. Most stands will lift your speakers approximately 60cm off the ground, but if you have a particularly low sofa you might want to pick some that are at the shorter end of the scale.

Even our premium pick above is relatively affordable, especially in a world where prices can start to climb very quickly, but do make sure your allocated budget for stands is in proportion with the speakers you’re mounting on them. As a general rule, the stands shouldn’t cost more than the speakers they’re holding.

Finally, there’s likely to be some assembly involved, so make sure you’re prepared for some light DIY before your new stands will be ready to go. Some speaker stands have a hollow element in the middle tube where you can fill it with materials such as acoustic sand, which add extra weight/stability as well as additional damping, should your system demand it. You buy a tub of this material separately, and experiment with how much it needs filling to get the right balance of sound; or you might decide they don't need this filler material at all.

How we test speaker stands

Testing speaker stands is a little different to testing the speakers themselves. After all, these products don't make a sound themselves, but instead offer a sturdy, stable base whose primary function is to offer support for your speakers and reduce any unwanted vibrations from affecting the overall performance.

We test every speaker stand using multiple pairs of reference speakers in order to get the most comprehensive understanding of how they will affect the performance of speakers of different sizes, designs, and at various price points. We use a mix of What Hi-Fi? Award winners, including KEF LS50 Meta, Epos ES-7N and Bowers & Wilkins models, which are kept in our stockroom for exactly this kind of comprehensive and comparative testing.

Using multiple sets of speakers on the same stands means we’re able to get an accurate and reliable understanding of how successful they are at eliminating vibrations and any associated distortion from your music, as well as the impact the stand's materials have on the system's overall performance. It also helps us note how well the stands can accommodate smaller, heavier or deeper speakers.

This comparative testing extends to the stands themselves, so we also keep the best-in-class products, such as the Atacama Moseco 6 featured at the top of this list, in our stockroom so we can pit new products against ones we know and love. We do our best to review as many new models in as many markets as possible to ensure our contextual knowledge is the best it can be.

All review verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole rather than an individual reviewer to eliminate any personal preference and to make sure we're being as thorough as possible. There's no input from PR companies or our sales team when it comes to the verdict, with What Hi-Fi? proud of having delivered honest, unbiased reviews for five decades.

You can read more about how we test and review products on What Hi-Fi? here.

Recent updates

• January 2026: We've checked all the products and information are still current, and updated some images.
• January 2025: Added a 'how to choose' section and an 'also consider' section including the Atacama Nexxus 600 Essential.

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Despite the hi-fi industry enjoying an influx of business during the largely housebound year, problems within supply chains (and raw materials becoming difficult to source) might suggest to the neutral observer that now is not the best time to embark upon a complete redesign of a core product. But this is Atacama, a hi-fi furniture specialist whose speaker stands have stalked off with several What Hi-Fi? Awards (most recently with the Atacama Moseco 6), and after a fair few years with little change, the UK firm has decided to do just that, with the launch of NeXXus.

Manufactured entirely in the UK, the new NeXXus speaker stands embody everything the firm has learned in the last 30 years. The firm says it has created a product that is flexible enough to grow with your system upgrades.

With a planned choice of heights ranging from 220mm to 1020mm, NeXXus is the first series of Atacama speaker stand to feature tube diameter combinations to match the performance of the supported speakers. There's also a wide range of optional alternative-sized top plates, making NeXXus the most versatile speaker stand in the company's range.

There are three specifications:

Essential uses twin 50.8mm support tubes on each stand, doubling the mass-loading capacity of the previous generation to 15kg. Essential speaker stands can also be updated in future to Hifi-Audio or Pro-Studio specification by purchasing the optional 76.2mm tube packs.

HIFI-Audio are, says Atacama, "designed for the serious hifi enthusiast", featuring a 50.8mm rear and a 76.2mm front steel tube. The mass-loading capacity is increased to 22.5kg per pair, and these can also be upgraded to Pro-Studio by purchasing a 76.2mm tube pack.

Pro-Studio is, as the name suggests, the option most suited for professional studio applications, high-end domestic speakers, or for those who just want to maximise the performance of their favourite speakers. Using twin 76.2mm tubes on each stand, they are supplied with a set of Atacama’s top-of-the-line HLP (High Load Trapezoidal) Gel pads. The mass-loading potential is 30kg.

The Atacama Nexxus series starts at £119.99 (about AU$350) per pair for the Essential 600, which comes with 130mm x 170mm top plates as standard, but additional sizes can be added at a cost of £30 to £35. 

MORE: 

See our pick of the best speaker stands 2021: budget and premium

Got stands, need speakers? See best bookshelf speakers 2021: budget to premium

Read all our Atacama reviews

The B&O Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) portable Bluetooth speaker has been revamped both in design and performance compared to the original A1 model. It now boasts a slimmer waterproof design, enhanced drivers, a much-improved battery life and – a world’s first for a Bluetooth speaker, according to B&O – built-in Alexa voice assistant.

In 2016, Bang & Olufsen launched its smallest, most affordable speaker, the A1. Four years on, the A1 no longer holds that position in the company's speaker line-up (that goes to the even tinier, more affordable P2), so B&O has come up with another way to make it stand out.

So, how does Amazon Alexa work without a network connection? As you may have suspected, it doesn’t. The A1 has to be connected over Bluetooth to a smartphone (or other source) that is itself connected to Alexa services over wi-fi. During set-up of the A1, the user can link the speaker to their Alexa account and activate Alexa that way to, say, control music playback, order a pizza or find a new recipe.

That means the speaker must always be within the Bluetooth range of your phone (or alternative source), but considering the A1 supports Bluetooth 5.1 that shouldn’t be a problem in most cases. Through the A1’s far-field microphone technology, Alexa can be activated from up to 5m away and, courtesy of a software update due later this year, remain responsive for up to 3 hours after being turned off.

The three-microphone array allows the Beosound A1 to be used as a speakerphone during calls, while support for Microsoft Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair enables a fast setup for conference calls.

The battery increase is a significant one, too: up from four hours to 18 hours listening at 70dB, or from 24 hours to 48 hours listening at a more moderate 55dB. An LED warning light indicates power, while battery status can also be seen on the Bang & Olufsen app.

While a quick game of spot-the-difference might not immediately highlight major design changes compared to its predecessor, Bang & Olufsen has indeed overhauled parts of the design. The new A1 is seven per cent lighter, introduces a slightly different hole pattern (!), and there's a tweaked control arrangement that sees bigger, more clearly labeled buttons positioned closer to the leather strap for easier location. 

That round chassis is now waterproof and dustproof to IP67, too, meaning it can be placed in water up to 1m deep for 30 minutes, if you dare, and should be safe from sand and dirt.

Inside, the 3.5in aluminium mid/bass driver and 0.75in silk dome tweeter have also been improved to enhance the clarity of its 360-degree sound, which in the original A1 review we praised for being solid, weighty and capable of decent bass. Last and certainly not least, the new A1 now supports Qualcomm’s latest aptX Adaptive codec.

The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 is available in Black Anthracite and Grey Mist finishes for £200 (€250).

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The FS103s can be best described as a ‘lite’ version of the Award-winning Signature FS104 stands from Custom Design.

Performance

When mounted on these stands, our reference ATC SCM 11s deliver more zing to the treble than oomph to the bass – Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP is delivered with a snappy and light-footed rhythm, but there’s not enough weight and punch to fully flesh out his angry vocals and we’d like a more solid sound overall.

Loading the stand with inert filler helps add a touch more substance to the ATC’s sound, as well as giving the tripod design (which can feel a bit unsteady) more stability.

Tip: take the stands outside when filling them so the sand doesn’t spill over in your living room. You can buy the FS103’s satellite poles in black, white, chrome or brushed-chrome finishes, while the central column comes in black only.

Verdict

While the all-metal construction looks good to our eyes, rivals provide a better option for overall performance

£200 for a pair of speaker stands? When they help our kit sound this good, we don’t mind.

Performance

These stands may have been designed specifically for the Q Acoustics Concept 20 speakers, but the clever construction – a layer of compliant compound in the metal top plate that helps dampen unwanted resonances by turning them into heat energy – makes them superb supports for all types of speakers.

They look classy: the high-gloss finish (in black or white) and elegant glass brackets with shiny floor spikes will appeal to the house-proud.

The stands have cable management at the back, too. But what really seals the deal for us is how they allow our ATC SCM 11s soar with superb detail, subtle dynamics and a cohesive and musical rhythm.

Compared with rivals, these stands allow our demanding reference system to sing with bite, punch, and grace – all in equal measure.

Verdict

Nice-looking, with an interesting baseplate design (the corners are folded over to provide the fixings for the spikes), the B-tech Atlas BT606s make a good first impression. They also come with a variety of spikes and pads for mounting your speakers.

We only wish that good first impression extended to their performance. But with these, our kit sounded ponderous, with a flabby low-end that robs music of get-up-and-go, as well as affecting openness and transparency. It also leads to confusion and woolliness at complex moments.

The high-frequency performance is quite sweet-sounding – it's just swamped by the bass. Using filler will help, but there are better options out there.

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You can’t get much more simple than this design: one support, two plates.

The top plates here are acoustic steel, an option that takes the price up from £90 to £100. Our only reservation with the Custom Design SQ 400 is the screws loosening and the parts starting to twist, so keep an eye on them.

Performance-wise we’re very happy. Our Monitor Audio Bronze BX2s sounded full of life, detail and clarity. Low frequencies are definitely full, but with filler this can be mitigated.

There’s a slight notch in the midrange which, when coupled with occasionally boisterous bass, can cause vocal parts to sit back in the mix, but overall it’s an enjoyable performance.

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The Atacama Duo 6 speaker stands are easy to assemble, and nicely finished. Their spikes are a bit fiddly to adjust, however. You’ll need a cushion to kneel on.

They’re really good at letting our reference system to do its job properly. We put them under a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze BX2s, and heard plenty of detail, clarity and transparency to treble, although it was, at times, knocking on the door of hardness – be careful with your partnering kit.

Mass-load the stand with sand and things get notably better. There's tight bass and bags of energy here. It’s an open sound, too, with instruments given plenty of space to breathe.

We really like the Duo 6s. If your system’s overall sound is on the mellow side, these won’t do any harm when it comes retaining some bounce.

See all our speaker stand reviews

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The Apollo A1s are simple, well-finished stands, we like their crackle-black paint in particular. Because they use just one support, they’re easy to build, although we found the included spikes tricky to adjust in situ.

Placed underneath a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze BX2s and with a CD of Nine Days’ The Madding Crowd spinning in the drive, we were met with a sound that’s probably best described as ‘subdued’.

On the plus side, bass performance isn’t tubby, as it was when we used some price rivals – but overall we just couldn’t get too enthused by the sound we heard with the speakers placed on the A1s.

There’s nothing alarming here… it’s just all a bit tired, with a loss of detail, energy and dynamics compared with the best speaker stands around, which also means individual musical parts can become confused.

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There’s probably a joke here about ‘standing’ out, but we’ll spare you that hilarity. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what this year’s – and last year’s – Award-winner does.

The FS104 Signature has five columns: a large one in the middle and four satellites. Assembly is fairly simple, especially for anyone who’s ever played with construction sets or a certain brand of Swedish furniture.

MORE: Awards 2013

There’s something elegant in the Signature’s simplicity which promises to complement any set-up. There’s an all-black option but, for contrast, the satellites also come in gold, chrome and brushed chrome. It’s not all about looks either – these stands are practical too.

The satellite columns help to keep the unit totally rigid, while the central column can be loaded with Custom Design’s Inert Filler (£20, sold separately). We recommend doing this to get the best results.

We tested the Signature with a variety of standmounters, including the Q Acoustics 2020i and ATC’s SCM11. Overall, these stands allowed our kit to perform with more control and precision than did their rivals.

Compared with their competitors, music sounds clearer, livelier and has better timing. The bass is punchy, but then that’s the case with many stands at this price. What distinguishes the Signature is that high-end detail is very agile, which balances things out nicely.

If you’re after stylish, reasonably priced stands that make the most of your speakers, you need look no further.

We took a step back when we saw these Partington stands, being used to the company's more – shall we say – robust form of construction.

Delicate by comparison, the stylish and competitively priced ANSA 60s have successfully left all competitors trailing behind, being not only awesome for the money but supremely capable in use.

What you'll get here is taut substance, and a propulsive sound that lends your music wonderful cohesion.

The ANSA 60s also excel in their ability to provide transparent and clear detailing, a Partington trait that's carried over from the higher-end models in its range.

Quite simply, if you need stands that will do everything bar make the tea for a great price, then these are for you.

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To most people the words 'elegant' and 'hefty' don't sit hand in hand. Yet looking at Atacama's HMS2 speaker stands, 'elegantly hefty' seems to sum them up in a nutshell.

Made from carbon steel, the HMS2s (HMS stands for High Mass) certainly look built to last and come in a smart matt black finish, the only colour option at the moment.

Our sample arrived ready filled with Atabite fillers, and weighed in at a staggering 48kg per pair. Each Atabite tub costs £29.99 and holds 9kg of filler, and you'll need 3-5 tubs in total.

The stands also came equipped with a set of Atacama's optional rubber pads.

Fast, wide and open sound
Placed on the HMS2s without the isolation pads, but using Blu-tack instead, our ATC SCM11 speakers produced a fast, wide and open sound with more than capable detailing.

Tonally these Atacama's help the ATCs offer a prominent and smooth midrange and sweet treble, although the bass lacks some authority where needed.

We also found that the HMS2s made the speakers sound rythmically loose and not quite as musically cohesive as we'd like.

When tested with the rubber pads in place, we found the sound lost a little more bass weight, but gained additional detail and cohesion, together with an increased sense of space.

It's a close call, but ultimately we preferred using the HMS2s without the pads for a slightly meatier bass. We'd also recommend that you use these stands with speakers costing £600 or more to get the best from them.

With the HMS2s, Atacama has supplied a more than capable stand, that will appeal to fans of detailing and those who like their vocals sweet and smooth.

Decent stands are vital for getting the best performance from standmount speakers. They ensure drivers are at the correct height, provide vibration damping and offer a sturdy pedestal for your noise-makers. The problem is that they invariably look like the tools mechanics use to lift up cars.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a stand that offered all the sonic improvements without making the lounge look like a garage? Say 'hello' to Atacama's Aurora 6s.

Get inventive
What we have here is a tear-drop-shaped base plate, on which stands a clear-glass column and a heavyweight top-plate. The best thing about these stands though, is that you can fill the main column with anything you like, so long as it's not a liquid or alive (which put paid to our ant-farm idea).

This isn't just an exercise in style, though. Atacama has developed a rubber 'gasket' that goes on either end of the glass column to reduce vibrations, and there are gel pads on the top-plate for isolating and steadying the speaker. There's even a second tube in the centre of the main column for cable management. The good news is that, while whatever you use to fill your Auroras will alter the sound, we didn't find anything that made them sound less than excellent.

Even empty they impress with a fantastically clear, detailed and open delivery. Opt for the pretty, distinctly un-hi-fi glass pebbles (as pictured) and the clarity remains, but extra weight and rhythm is added. Move up to Atacama's own filler, Atabites, and sonics improve again, with even better focus and accuracy.

Different speakers will favour different fillings, but if you make a decision based entirely on styling (think different-coloured sand - very stylish) the Auroras will still be providing your system with a sonic boost to rival the best in this category.

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Nestled below 'headboards' and just above 'oak mirrors' on www.customspeakerstands.co.uk, you'll find these rather smart supports.

It's fair to say that the firm isn't fully focused on the AV world, then. Fortunately this hasn't impacted on the quality. The wood finish – available in white oak, maple, ash, beech or pine – makes a pleasant change, with potential for above-average partner-approval ratings.

Sonically we're happy, too. Bar a slightly bright treble at times, there's plenty to like in the detailed, lively sound our reference speakers produce on these steady supports.

The fifth star only eludes the RC60s due to the brilliance of the Partington Super Dreadnoughts, which remain on another level at this price-point, especially in terms of scale and dynamics. But if you like the idea of wood as well as being able to have your stands tailor-made, then look no further than this online option.

If there's one thing that makes our otherwise-not-half-bad jobs a tad tiresome, it's assembling kit – the trade-off for getting to enjoy the end product. We didn't expect a pair of speaker stands to cause us too much grief, but the Custom Design RS302s – which come in 130cm and 155cm models, and can be filled to damp down resonances – can be surprisingly fiddly to build.

They're also not particularly well made: paint was flaking off as we tightened the spikes, while the base-plate on one stand was curved when it should have been flat.

However, we were impressed by what they can do for a pair of speakers. They deliver impressive detail, while vocals are clear and expressive. True, up against the class-leaders, the RS302s might lack a little weight and agility with basslines (although previous experience with Custom Design stands suggests that filling them with the company's own inert filler, £5 a bag, really helps), but they nevertheless represent solid value for money.

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.

Not only does Russ Andrews make good cables – it also turns an expert hand to equipment support. The Torlytes are made from wood – although in this case it's real (not MDF), honed from an amazingly stiff honeycomb-style construction. The top plate includes substantial oak cone feet (not shown) to support your speakers.

In action, the Torlytes deliver broad dynamics, teamed with a soundstage that is both well composed and vivid. Vocals, especially, are delivered with all the emotional content and warmth that gives wooden stands a good name – it's a stunning listen. Instruments sound wonderfully real, too, and the midrange is always a model of clarity and sonic accuracy.

Perhaps more surprisingly, the bass holds its own. Admittedly, it lacks the last ounce of weight and punch, but the Torlytes still show decent form.

Combining good looks with fine performance, the Torlytes are in the higher echelon of speaker stands. Our only reservation is that price – some alternatives will deliver similar results for less. Still, you must hear them.

Partington is known for its very solid, industrially styled and highly effective metal stands. So are the Heavis (sic) more of the same, or a change of tack?

As soon as your speakers hit these stands, the Partington signature is obvious: bags of headroom, a solid soundstage, warmth and detail in the midrange, and deep bass sure to get your pulse racing in no time.

So the Heavis are another worthy addition to the Partington family tree, yes? Well, we've no complaints about their sonic performance – but we're not so sure about the £400 pricetag. Unless you have a couple of grand's worth of speakers, and electronics to match, the Heavis will be wasted on you.

However, the key reason they lose a star is you can get very similar performance from the Partington Dreadnought Broadsides (£250). Still, if you demand the best, here it is.

We're not averse to the minimal approach to stand design, and the RS300s' single-column look is both simple and attractive. A single bolt secures each top-plate to the large central pillar, which can be mass-loaded with any suitable filler, from silver sand to Custom Design's own inert filling material, yours at £5 a bag.

The company recommends two bags per stand, which is how we tested them. Most great-sounding speaker stands can look a little industrial: witness the excellent Partingtons. But the stylish RS300s give music real pace, which injects energy into tunes and always keeps you entertained. Bass is both well-founded and articulate, with weight and agility to match the sparkling midrange beautifully.

True, you can get even more extension and grip from larger, heavier stands, such as the Partington Super Dreadnoughts (£180), but otherwise, the RS300s hold their own against their aesthetically challenged opponents. That, and their price, makes them five stars.

Quadraspire has never been afraid to offer the hi-fi market an alternative approach to equipment support, and these stands are certainly different to look at.

Low mass is the key to most of Quadraspire's designs, and that approach definitely has its benefits but then again, so does having plenty of mass to anchor a speaker properly. So, do they work?

The Q60s are made from MDF wooden panels, instead of the usual metal construction. As well as the black finish tested, they're also available in six veneer finishes, although this adds to the price.

All fine and dandy, but sadly, that lightweight design is a major factor in the Q60s' lack of low-end definition and weight. The result is a general sense of dissatisfaction, despite a warm and well-defined midrange, and easily separated instruments and vocals.

Even excellent timing can't make up for the Q60s' absence of bass. So, unless you're consciously looking to control low frequencies – the neighbours, perhaps, or an imbalance in your current set-up – we'd probably spend our money elsewhere.

Partington has recently reworked the bottom plate and upped the price of our longtime favourite to £300. That's all the excuse we need to have another listen.

They're still monumentally heavy pieces of ironwork; the looks are still defiantly workmanlike; and they're still far-and-away your best choice at this money.

There isn't a standmounter on the market that won't benefit from being parked on these. The improvements to the sound are immediate and considerable.

In every case, speakers offer greater detail, greater scale and greater clarity of expression.

While £300 may seem a lot of money to spend on stands - especially such industrial looking ones - in the case of the Dreadnought Broadsides it's

worth it.

These Mission stands come with the option of spikes or gel pads on the top plate, together with floor spikes on the base-plate. And they're capable.

Dynamics are punchy and tonally you get a smooth midrange and tight bass. Although the treble could do with being less thin, it's a good sound overall.

Use £200-£400 speakers with them and they'll do a fine job.

It's eight years since we last looked at the Atacama Nexus 6 stands, but they're still very much a current product and deserve a re-test. The question is, can this former Award-winning product keep its five-star rating?

Retailing at £70 the steel Nexus 6's are 60cm tall with floor spikes. They use two small columns and one big column, all of which can be filled. From the start, the Nexus 6s prove to be capable performers, sounding clear and detailed when unfilled, albeit with a slightly bass-light sound. Compared with the similar Soundstyle Z2s, they hold their own admirably and prove that the past eight years have been kind.

Filling the stands using Atacama's 'Atabite' metal packing (£19.99 per pot) made a difference sonically. The small holes are fiddly, but as we filled up the stand (initially half and then two-thirds) the sound gained authority, and the bass improved in weight and depth.