The best floorstanders will supercharge your hi-fi system. They'll deliver room-filling sound regardless of your space, acting as an attention-grabbing duo and offering the breadth, scale and authority that most bookshelf speakers can't manage.
Make sure you pick wisely, as you'll want to ensure you're getting the best floorstanding speakers for your room size and budget. Perhaps you're building a hi-fi system from scratch, sizing up from a bookshelf pair to a larger model, or you want to spend big on speakers that will knock your socks off.
Floorstanders tend to be pricier than their standmount counterparts, but you'll find plenty of the best-performing options starting from around £500.
Every pair recommended below has been tested thoroughly by What Hi-Fi?'s expert reviewers in our listening rooms, so you can trust our advice.
Read more about our testing process and get in-depth advice on how to choose the best floorstanding speakers, or scroll down to see our pick of the best models.
October 15th: We've added the five-star Dali Sonik 5 and Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i floorstanders to our main list, following their recent What Hi-Fi? Award wins. The Also Consider and Coming Soon sections have been updated.
Harry McKerrell is a senior staff writer at What Hi-Fi?. During his time at the publication, he has written about the full gamut of hi-fi gear, including many floorstanding speakers. The best floorstanders will act as the real showpieces for your system, delivering great build quality and engineering prowess made for high-quality sound. Harry has first-hand experience with every pair of speakers on this list and they all sound fantastic for the price you'll pay. From the priciest towers to the best bargain models, all of these floorstanders are the best at their price range.
Best overall floorstanders
It might seem odd to describe any floorstanders as ‘compact’, but with space at a premium for many people these days Dali’s Sonik 5 offer the ideal combination of performance and practicality.
Standing just under 83cm tall, these relatively petite two-way towers are pretty easy to accommodate, with a choice of four different finishes to match your decor. You’ll need to be a little bit careful with their positioning and sit at least a couple of metres away to keep the tweeters in line with your ears, but providing you do that they’re more than capable of outperforming their size.
We tested them with both the Arcam A15+ and Naim Nait XS 3 stereo amplifiers and were never less than impressed with how versatile they are. No matter the genre of music you feed them they deliver a wonderfully dynamic, musical sound.
In our five-star review we praised the texture and natural warmth of the lifelike vocals, powerful but pleasingly tight bass, and refined treble. There’s also good separation and plenty of vivid detail across the frequency range.
They’re highly adaptive from a rhythmic point of view, and when outright scale is called for they don’t disappoint despite they’re relatively diminutive dimensions.
Obviously they’ll still be too big for some rooms, but as floorstanding speakers go you won’t find a pair as accommodating and accomplished as the Dali Sonik 5.
Read our full Dali Sonik 5 review
Best budget floorstanders
If you’ve only got £500/$1200 to spend on a pair of floorstanding speakers there is no better option out there than Wharfedale’s Diamond 12.3i.
On paper the differences between the 12.3i and their predecessors are minor. In fact, to look at them you’d also struggle to tell the difference beyond the three new finishes, but the benefits are clear once you get them up and running.
Whether you’re pairing them with affordable or higher-end equipment the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i sound big and bold. The bass kicks hard, treble is refined and well-behaved, and vocals are delivered with clarity and texture.
They’re sure-footed rather than enthusiastic when it comes to rhythm, but there’s plenty of energy and enthusiasm on offer. Our five-star review of the speakers concludes that “their combination of insight, dynamic expression and control is hard to beat at the money.”
They’re a little bit fussier about placement than before, with more space needed around them for optimum performance, but at just under a metre tall and only 18cm wide they’re not that much more difficult than the Dalis above to accommodate.
As budget floorstanders go, the 12.3i are also well-built and finished. The cabinets feel solid and the black of our review unit is understated but classy (they also come in grey and walnut).
They might be the cheapest speakers on this list, but their performance certainly won’t make you feel short-changed.
Read our full Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i review
Best mid-price floorstanders
The arrival of the 5000 range has signalled a new age for Q Acoustics, demonstrating a desire to crack more premium price points. The 5050 take many of the design concepts from their outstanding 5040 stablemates, with larger twin mid/bass drivers (15cm vs 12.5cm) and a bigger cabinet aiming to dominate more expansive spaces at a higher price point.
In shifting up to this new level, we were worried that Q Acoustics might have overreached itself. We were wrong.
Sonically, it's another home run for the British brand. We don't get much of a sense that this transition to a higher price bracket or larger size has been a particularly tricky one, as the 5050 treat us to a performance that comes over as comprehensive, professional and ever-so-articulate.
As our review attests, the refined towers offer "some of the most controlled and articulate bass that we have heard from a pair of towers at this level, (and) it's hard not to be impressed by the depth and definition of the music’s oh-so-powerful lows".
The soundstage, too, is layered and generous, and while their presentation can be a touch forward if not properly managed, the clarity and insight on offer are undoubtedly class-leading.
The 5050 do need some care with partnering, though, especially with regard to that slightly forward sonic nature.
While the 5050’s high sensitivity (91.8dB/W/m) means that they will produce decent sound levels with budget amplifiers, we feel they deserve more talented partners – Arcam’s A5 (£750 / $699 / AU$1495) or Cambridge Audio’s similarly-priced CXA81 are good places to start if you're seeking decent amplification.
Get a decent source hooked up (the Arcam CD5 CD player or Rega Planar 3 record player, say) and you've got one heck of a system on your hands.
Smartly finished and a delightful listen when partnered properly, the Q Acoustics 5050 provide everything their junior 5040 siblings but with an extra dose of authority and composure.
Read our full Q Acoustics 5050 review
It may seem like a small detail, but make sure that whenever you can, you’re using the provided spikes to anchor your new speaker in place. They should be adjusted so that the speaker doesn’t rock, thus giving your precious floorstanders really solid contact with the surface. Putting in spikes keeps the speaker cabinet as still as possible and allows any movement of the drive units to translate into pushing air rather than moving the cabinet itself.
Best premium floorstanders
Despite PMC's reputation for outstanding high-end hi-fi (see the Fact Fenestria), the Award-winning Prodigy 5 are some of the best-value speakers you'll find anywhere in today's market. In truth, they're absolute belters.
The priority with the Prodigy 5, the same as with their Prodigy 1 standmount siblings, has been to draw out as much sound-per-pound punch as possible, letting considerations over aesthetics take a back seat in the pursuit of the best audio performance you can achieve at this level.
If that was the goal, it's been truly met and then some. PMC has hit the sweet spot with the Prodigy 5, balancing musical flourishes and subtle details with a heightened sense of presence, poise and confidence. We didn't hear many better speakers this year, and it was the Prodigy 5's musical talents that earned them that What Hi-Fi? Award for their efforts.
We love the Prodigy 5 because they're adept at giving the best of all worlds with barely any sonic sacrifice. Comparatively priced rivals often substitute space for precision or dynamics for subtlety, yet PMC’s unassuming, slender towers feel nothing if not comprehensive, with scale and breadth working alongside nuance, precision and detail.
A marvellous success story – worthy Award-winners indeed.
Read our full PMC Prodigy 5 review
Best high-end floorstanders
The Prophecy 7 are the middle floorstander in PMC's Prophecy range which replaced the long-running Twenty 5i series that formed the core of PMC’s home speaker output for years.
The Prophecy 7 deploy a three-way design, with a woofer that's been enhanced by one of the brand’s special 'transmission line' systems.
That transmission line system, by the way, is essentially a folded, damped path inside the speaker cabinet that takes the rear-firing sound from the bass driver and absorbs all but the lowest frequencies, which then escape through a vent at the front panel's base.
The results are outstanding. It isn't often that we hear such a clear, clean and well-integrated sound at this level, not to mention such an impressively spacious soundstage from what are still reasonably neat, compact speakers.
The sound they produce is also immensely well judged. As we said in our review, "Tonally, these floorstanders are superbly balanced, sounding neutral without falling into the trap of being cool or aloof. That’s a difficult trick, judging by the number of ‘neutral’ products we hear that sound lifeless and boring."
Add in a knack for dynamics and some pleasing levels of attack and you've got something remarkable on your hands.
Drawbacks? The Prophecy 7 are probably best suited to mid-sized rooms rather than cavernous halls, but if you have the space that's right for them, they're a truly special pair of loudspeakers.
If you have the cash, we find them incredibly easy to recommend.
Read our full PMC Prophecy 7 review
Best floorstanding speakers for large rooms
Fyne's F500S range of loudspeakers arrived early in 2025, promising a "significant audio and aesthetic upgrade" over the previous generation F502.
Placed a step above the brand’s entry-level F500E Series, the F502S floorstanders aim to make noticeable sonic strides without a major price increase over the outgoing speakers.
The F502S are a formidable set of floorstanders, dwarfing the comparably petite Neat Mystique Classic and the slimmer, cheaper PMC Prodigy 5, so you'll need space to give them room to shine. If you can accommodate them, though, these Fyne towers are something really special.
The F502S pack a 25mm magnesium dome tweeter alongside a 20cm mid/bass driver and a 20cm bass driver. The mid/bass unit harnesses the brand’s signature Isoflare point source technology, which has trickled down from its higher-end models to its ever-expanding roster of speakers.
The results are exceptional. The Isoflare tech works beautifully once again, bringing impressively consistent dispersion alongside improved time alignment and excellent musical integration. Wherever you stand or sit in relation to the F502S, their central image never collapses or sounds off-kilter, making them pleasingly unfussy about positioning.
That's not even the best bit. The F520S strike a lovely balance, blending potent power and authority with those trickier musical elements that reveal a considered, nuance pair of performers.
As we stated in our review, the F502S "are like your favourite school teacher or most inspiring university lecturer: authoritative and competent, yes, but personable, engaging and genuinely approachable". That's a powerful blend.
If you want to test out their abilities, Hans Zimmer's The Battle from the Gladiator soundtrack is a perfect showcase of what they can do. With their wonderful dynamic talents and eye for detail, they bring the complex arrangement to life with ease.
The premium F502S towers continue a rather remarkable hot streak for Fyne Audio. If you have the money and space, they really demand your consideration.
Read our full Fyne Audio F520S review
Also consider
Fyne F501E: Our 2025 Award winners have since been usurped by the Dali Sonik 5 at the top of this page, but Fyne’s F501E haven’t become bad speakers overnight. They’re still nuanced performers, with a fluid and expressive manner that's overall fun to listen to, but they’re no longer the best at this mid-range level.
ProAc D20R: Wow, these ProAc floorstanders are really, really good. Easy to accommodate, nicely made and intensely, strikingly musical, they demand your consideration. They're not cheap as chips, mind.
Sonus Faber Lumina V: Thinking of splashing the cash? The classy Lumina V, retailing at around £2499 / $2999 / AU$5295, might be just what you're looking for, combining classy aesthetics with an equally stylish, easygoing sonic character. They're especially good with vocals, while the all-important lower-end is serviced by some powerful, full-bodied reproduction.
Neat Mystique Classic: Want something a little left field? The Mystique Classic are all about entertainment, with a fun, peppy sound that we find endlessly charming. They're smaller than most of the alternatives on this list, but they can hold their own against much larger speakers.
Floorstanding speakers coming soon
- Monitor Audio Silver Series 8G: Monitor Audio's latest range includes two pairs of floorstanders: the Silver 300 8G (£2000/$2600.00 per pair) and the Silver 500 8G (£2650/$3300 per pair). With updates to both its mid/bass drivers and gold dome tweeters, enlarged bass-reflex ports, plus higher-quality components in the crossover network, Monitor Audio reckons they offer “more clarity, control and emotional impact than ever before”.
- Arcam Radia: Arcam's six-strong line-up consists of two floorstanders (the R45 and R35), two bookshelf models (the R25 and R15), plus a centre speaker (R35C) and a subwoofer. We've had a listen to the Radia R45 already, so you can read our initial impressions right now.
- Neat Iota Alpha II: The Alpha II are the updated sequel to the original Iota Alpha we tested back in 2017. The new model retains the same knee-high dimensions and outer form, with an upwards-angled baffle that houses the tweeter and mid/bass unit. We were big fans of the originals, so here's hoping the sequel retains the same quirky charms as before.
How to choose the best floorstanding speaker for you
Choose your budget
First things first, choose your budget. Your components should be evenly matched, both tonally and in terms of price, so consider this before breaking the bank on a new pair of floorstanding speakers that the rest of your kit can't do justice to.
Space to breathe
You also need to make sure your floorstanding speakers fit your room. The majority of speakers require a little space to sound their best, so ensure you don't buy ones that are too big for your room. Large floorstanders mean higher volumes, but you again need space to ensure there's room for them to live and breathe.
Active or passive?
There's also the choice between passive and active speakers. Most floorstanding speakers are passive – they have no amplification inside, so require a separate amplifier to work. Active speakers with amplification are becoming increasingly popular and can connect to your source directly without the need for an amp, though they do require a connection to mains power. Check out our pick of the best active speakers if you want to find out more.
For a more detailed explanation of everything you should consider, head over to our complete guide to choosing the right speakers.
How we test floorstanding speakers
We're lucky and proud to have acoustically treated testing facilities in Reading and London where our team of in-house reviewers rigorously review the vast proportion of hi-fi and AV kit that comes through the door – including floorstanding speakers.
What Hi-Fi? works using comparative testing – we listen to each pair of floorstanding speakers and judge them against the current class leader to asses how it measures up to the finest model for the money. We keep What Hi-Fi? Award winners in our crowded stockrooms so that we can compare new products against ones we already know and love.
We will always do our best to review as many new models as possible, regardless of maker or type, to ensure our contextual knowledge is kept sharp at all times.
We're always impartial during our testing and strive to hear every pair of floorstanders at its optimum alongside sources we know and like. We test speakers in their best use case with different partnering sources, be that a record player, a music streamer or even a CD player.
We make sure to play a broad spectrum of musical genres through every speaker that gets tested and we experiment with placements in the room to find the best position for sound possible.
All review verdicts are agreed upon as a team consensus. This eliminates personal preference and ensures we're being as thorough and consistent as possible. We take no input from PR companies or our own sales team regarding our final verdict – we're proud that we can keep delivering honest, unbiased reviews as we have for over four decades.
You can read more about how we test and review products on What Hi-Fi? here.
FAQ
Floorstanders vs standmounts: which speaker type should I buy?
Ah, the eternal question. Thankfully, we've put together a rather handy guide covering this very topic, so if you want the in-depth rundown, that would be the best place to start.
If you want the abridged version, here are a few pointers. Floorstanders tend to take up much more space and are often (not always, mind) more expensive than their standmounter counterparts. Those standmounter (sometimes "bookshelf") models need to be placed on top of suitable speaker stands, though, a consideration you don't have to make with floorstanders.
Sonically, floorstanders tend to deliver a bit more oomph at the lower end and a bigger spread of sound, thanks to the larger cabinet volume. This means you tend to get more bass, more volume and more scale compared with smaller standmounters, and they can also offer a truly cinematic experience when used in a home cinema set up.
Finally, think about partnering and your system's capacity to be upgraded when the time comes. If you’re considering a more powerful amp as your next purchase, you may need a more capable pair of speakers that can handle the levels in the long term. If your speakers are very demanding to drive, you’ll need a powerful amplifier to get the most out of them.
Check out our how to choose the right speakers advice column for further info.
Should I put my floorstanders next to the wall?
Good question, and good job on asking in the first place.
Most of the time, no, especially if your floorstander has a rear bass reflect port that needs to stay unblocked – so you'll want to give plenty of space from a back wall.
Still, it's always best to consult the manufacturer's recommendations in the manual provided with the speakers, as many brands provide guides for how far away the speakers should be from the wall, angling positions, the ideal listening placement and even whether to plug up the rear port or not.
If in doubt, check out our guide regarding how to set up and position your speakers in 4 simple steps and you'll certainly be put somewhere on the right track. Generally, placing speakers too close to a wall gives you too much amorphous bass, while excessive distance will affect the sound the other way and, naturally, put the units too close to your listening position.
Recent updates
October 2026: Added the Dali Sonik 5 and Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i to our main list. Moved the Fyne F501E to the also consider section and removed the Triangle Borea BR08, Spendor A7, Wharfedale Evo 4.4. Also added the Monitor Audio Silver 8G to the 'coming soon' section.
June 2026: Added Arcam's Radia range to our 'coming soon' section.
March 2026: We've added some new speakers to our 'coming soon' section and looked ahead to some of the floorstanders which could be making waves in the next couple of weeks and months.
January 2026: We've updated our copy and 'speakers coming soon' section in anticipation of some of the floorstanders we can expect to arrive in 2026.
October 2025: We've labelled our 2025 What Hi-Fi? Awards winners and updated our copy accordingly.
August 2025: Added the Fyne Audio F502S into our main list and added the Neat Mystique Classic to our also consider section.
July 2025: Replaced Spendor A7 with the PMC Prophecy 7 as our pick as the best high-end speakers, and placed the A7 in our also consider section.
June 2025: Added a coming soon section teasing upcoming speakers we have in for testing, and performed the usual checks to ensure all information is up-to-date.
April 2025: No new entries but ensured all info is up-to-date.
February 2025: Replaced the Q Acoustics 5040 with the Fyne Audio F501E and added the 5040 and the ProAc D20R to our also consider section.
January 2025: No new entries this time, but an overall page update and refresh for the New Year.
December 2024: Labelled recent What Hi-Fi? Award winners and updated general copy to be as up-to-date as possible.
September 2024: Updated our list to include the five-star Q Acoustics 5050 as our new best overall floorstander, with the Q Acoustics 5040 now the best mid-price option.
July 2024: Added Wharfedale Aura 3 and Q Acoustics 5050 to the Also Consider section.
May 2024: Added Also Consider section to give readers alternatives to the listed entries above.
March 2024: Added FAQ section to help with buying decisions and frequently asked questions.
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