Loudspeakers

The late '70s through to the mid-1980s were arguably hi-fi's golden age of experimentation as the awakening of 'subjectivity' in sound assessment also opened the floodgates to 'anything goes...'. Just as AudioQuest and Monster provided momentum for the aftermarket cable scene, so too were audiophiles tempted by hi-fi furniture that was more than just, well, furniture. Specialist racks, tables and shelves, typically based on powder-coated, welded square-section steel tubing, arrived to optimise the performance of turntables (and CD players). Third-party loudspeaker stands appeared from pioneers including Target and Partington, to name but two, while others – no longer with us – achieved cult status at the time. I still have a pair of Cliff Stone's sand-and-lead shot-filled Foundation stands ready for duty to this day... Fast forward a few decades and every loudspeaker brand worth its salt – KEF, Sonus faber, DALI, B&W, et al – offers proprietary stands for its smaller speakers. B&W's FS-805 D4 stand costs £1100, complete with spikes and rubber feet, integral cable routing and the facility to pour in the resonance-killing filler of your choice. PM