0:02 Hello, John from Peter Tyson. Today
0:04 we're diving deep into a topic that
0:07 sparks a lot of debate and passion.
0:10 Stand mounted speakers versus floor
0:13 standing speakers. It can be a minefield
0:15 if you're starting out new or thinking
0:17 of upgrading your system. But beyond the
0:20 obvious size difference, what truly sets
0:22 these two speaker types apart? And more
0:25 importantly, which one is going to give
0:27 you the best listening experience? First
0:30 up, we have the often underestimated
0:32 standmounted speakers. Sometimes called
0:34 bookshelf speakers. I'm classing these
0:37 as any speaker that requires a stand or
0:39 piece of furniture to raise the tweeters
0:41 to ear level when you're sat in front of
0:44 them. Although often referred to as
0:46 bookshelf speakers, they will generally
0:48 sound much better placed on dedicated
0:52 speaker stands. So, pros first. One,
0:55 precision and imaging. Because of their
0:57 smaller cabinet size, stand-mounted
0:59 speakers are often lorded for their
1:01 incredible imaging and sound stage. They
1:04 can just disappear into a room, creating
1:07 a holographic sound experience where you
1:09 can pinpoint instruments with startling
1:12 accuracy. Think of it like a finely
1:15 tuned scalpel for sound. Two, room
1:16 compatibility. They are far more
1:18 forgiving in smaller or acoustically
1:20 challenging rooms. Less cabinet volume
1:22 means less bass interaction with your
1:25 room's boundaries, which can often lead
1:27 to a cleaner, tighter bass response
1:29 without booming or muddiness. They're
1:32 also better suited for near field
1:34 listening. Small powered speakers can be
1:37 ideal for your desk. Three, flexibility
1:40 and upgrade path. They're easier to move
1:42 around and experiment with placement.
1:44 And if you want deeper bass extension
1:46 later down the line, you can add a
1:49 dedicated subwoofer, creating a hybrid
1:50 system that can outperform many
1:53 similarly priced floor standards in
1:56 overall bandwidth and impact. Four,
1:58 aesthetics. For many, their compact
2:00 footprint is just visually more
2:03 appealing, especially in smaller or
2:06 modern minimalist spaces. They just
2:08 don't dominate the room. But there is
2:12 always a compromise. Number one, bass
2:14 extension. It's the most obvious one
2:17 really. Whilst good quality, well setup
2:19 stand mounted speakers can deliver
2:22 surprisingly deep bass, they generally
2:25 can't match the raw extension impact and
2:27 presence of a larger floor standing
2:30 speaker, especially when you're reaching
2:33 below 50 Hz. If you're a bass head and
2:35 don't plan on getting a sub, this may be
2:37 a consideration. Talking of subwoofers,
2:40 like any hi-fi component, they are only
2:42 as good as their setup. It's not just a
2:44 case of ploning one in the corner and
2:46 cranking it to 11. Placement in your
2:48 room and setting its controls to
2:50 integrate it properly with your main
2:53 stereo speakers is a bit of an art form.
2:55 The additional cabling and setup time
2:57 should be a consideration if you want to
3:00 go down this route. Three, system cost.
3:03 Factor in some dedicated stands. High
3:05 quality stands can add a significant
3:07 chunk to your budget. And if you need a
3:09 subwoofer, that's another investment
3:11 again. Four, dynamic headroom. While
3:13 they can play loud enough for most
3:15 living situations, they typically have
3:17 less dynamic headroom than a
3:19 multi-driver floor standing speaker.
3:21 This means they might compress or
3:23 struggle to maintain their composure at
3:26 high volumes or with extremely dynamic
3:29 or complex music, particularly in larger
3:31 rooms when pushed. The further you sit
3:33 away from your speakers, the harder your
3:35 hi-fi has to work to achieve that same
3:37 sound pressure level. Now, let's talk
3:40 about the undisputed heavyweights floor
3:42 standing speakers. These are designed to
3:44 be more of a complete fullrange solution
3:46 right out of the box. Their strengths
3:50 are indeed mighty. One full range
3:52 performance. This is their bread and
3:55 butter. often, but not always, with
3:57 multiple drivers, usually dedicated
3:59 tweeter, mid-range, and one or more
4:01 woofers. They can deliver more of a
4:03 fullrange sound with effortless bass
4:06 extension down to much lower octaves.
4:08 For movies, gaming, or music genres with
4:11 deep bass, like electronic, hip-hop, or
4:13 orchestral, they can provide that
4:16 visceral impact. Two, dynamic power and
4:19 scale. Larger cabinet volume and more
4:21 drivers means they are often more
4:23 efficient at turning watts from your
4:25 amplifier into sound. They can often
4:28 move a lot more air, too. This
4:30 translates to greater dynamic impact and
4:32 a sense of scale that smaller speakers
4:34 often can't replicate. You feel the
4:37 music in your chest, not just hear it.
4:39 They excel at higher volumes without
4:42 sounding strained. Running any hi-fi
4:44 component to full capacity is generally
4:46 a bad idea, but it's nice to have plenty
4:48 in reserve to avoid overheating,
4:50 clipping, and distortion. Three,
4:52 simplicity. It's often a onebox
4:54 solution. You don't need to worry about
4:56 buying dedicated stands or adding
4:58 subwoofers later on, unless you're
5:00 setting up a dedicated home cinema
5:02 system or something quite specialist.
5:04 Just place them, connect, and enjoy.
5:07 Four, visual presence. For some, the
5:09 imposing presence of a floor standing
5:11 speaker is part of the appeal. They can
5:13 be a statement piece in a room
5:16 reflecting a passion for audio. I
5:18 personally prefer the look of a floor
5:20 standing speaker over a set of speaker
5:23 stands in most situations. But with
5:26 great power comes some potential issues.
5:29 One, room interaction. Their extended
5:31 base can be a double-edged sword. In
5:33 untreated or smaller rooms, that
5:35 powerful bass can easily become boommy,
5:38 muddy, and just overwhelming, leading to
5:40 a less defined sound that gets just
5:43 boring very quickly. Room acoustics
5:45 become that much more critical. Two,
5:48 size and aesthetics. They are often much
5:50 larger. They can take up significant
5:52 floor space and visually dominate a
5:54 room, which might not fit everyone's
5:57 aesthetic or living situation. Moving
5:58 them around for optimal placement is
6:01 also much more of a chore due to their
6:04 added size and weight. Three, the cost.
6:06 Generally, floor standing speakers are
6:07 more expensive than their stand-mounted
6:10 counterparts, especially when comparing
6:12 similar levels of quality and driver
6:15 technology. Makes sense. There's just
6:17 more to them. Four, placement
6:19 sensitivity. While they will fill a room
6:21 with sound really easily, getting their
6:23 placement just right can be more
6:26 challenging due to their bass output and
6:28 interaction with boundary walls. Like I
6:31 said before, a hi-fi is only ever as
6:33 good as it setup. Then just to throw a
6:35 spanner in the works, there are the sort
6:39 of in betweeny speakers. Much larger
6:41 stand mount speakers like for example
6:44 the Wolfdale Super Linton have a bigger
6:45 footprint than the compact floor
6:48 standards like Darly Obron 5, PMC
6:51 Prodigy 5 and Monitor Audio Silver 200.
6:53 All of which have characteristics of
6:56 both types of speaker like a halfway
6:58 house. With the right source equipment
7:01 and setup, all of these can sound truly
7:04 excellent. So which is right for you?
7:06 Well, it really boils down to these few
7:08 questions. One, your room size. If
7:10 you're in a smaller room, a good pair of
7:12 stand- mounted speakers with or without
7:15 a subwoofer will likely integrate better
7:18 and sound cleaner than overwhelming your
7:21 space with large towers. For medium to
7:24 larger rooms, floor standers will really
7:27 shine. Two, your listening habits. Are
7:29 you a casual listener or do you crave
7:31 that chest thumping bass for movies and
7:34 music? If deep impactful bass is
7:36 non-negotiable without a separate sub,
7:39 floor standards might be the way to go.
7:41 If you prioritize precision imaging and
7:44 perhaps a more refined detail sound,
7:46 stand mounted speakers might be more
7:49 your speed. Three, your amplifier. Very
7:51 large or multi-driver loudspeakers in
7:54 either category can be more demanding to
7:56 drive and will require more capable
7:59 amplification to perform at their best.
8:01 Don't get too hung up on watts per
8:03 channel. There are many ways to measure
8:06 a watt and more doesn't necessarily mean
8:10 better. That's a whole video by itself.
8:12 Take advice on suitable amplification
8:15 for your chosen loudspeakers. Four, your
8:17 budget. Remember to factor in stands and
8:19 a potential subwoofer if you go down the
8:21 stand mounted route. Sometimes a floor
8:23 standing speaker can be more cost
8:26 effective. Complete solution if you
8:31 don't need a sub. Five, aesthetics. Be
8:32 honest with yourself and your living
8:34 space. Which type of speaker complements
8:37 your home's decor and your lifestyle? At
8:39 the end of the day, they are pieces of
8:41 furniture themselves, and they have to
8:43 look right in your home. The truth is,
8:45 both types of speaker can offer
8:47 incredible performance. A highquality
8:50 stab mounted speaker can absolutely blow
8:53 away a mediocre floor standing speaker.
8:55 And vice versa. Also, your room, how
8:57 your speakers are positioned, your
8:59 amplifier and source equipment play the
9:02 biggest part in what you hear. The
9:03 speakers are right at the end of the
9:06 chain. The best speakers in the world
9:08 can't put back what was never there in
9:10 the first place at the start of the
9:13 chain. Ultimately, the best advice I can
9:16 give to you is just go and listen. Take
9:17 your favorite music with you and
9:19 audition different types of speakers.
9:21 Hear them in person. Feel the
9:24 differences. Take advice. And reviews
9:26 can be helpful, but ultimately trust
9:28 your ears. It's you that has to listen
9:31 to your system regardless of what anyone
9:33 else thinks. So, I hope this breakdown
9:36 has helped you on your speaker journey.
9:38 Let me know in the comments below. Are
9:40 you team stand mounted or team floor
9:43 standing and why? Thanks for watching
9:45 and happy listening. You'll see me in
