Best Speaker Stand 2023, Premium Pick - primesound.org
All-Steel Speaker Stand for Superior Audiophile Performance
Helpful Hint: Research has shown that loudspeakers sound best when their tweeter is positioned at or slightly above the ear of the listener. A high quality steel speaker stand like the Pangea Audio LS300 not only positions the speaker drivers at the best acoustic height, but it also rigidly holds the speaker for optimal bass performance.
"These stands are the ideal way to get the most out of your speakers by elevating them to an ideal listening position," reports Marcus Lux in his November 15, 2023 review for primesound.org, which honored the LS300 with its award for Best Speaker Stand 2023, Premium Pick. "The stand is easy to install, but they are heavy due to the all-steel construction and all the fixtures are included… This is an aesthetically pleasing and heavy-duty speaker stand that should last for many years to come."
Why Steel Instead of Wood?
The Pangea Audio LS300 speaker stand boasts an all-steel design that is far superior to speaker stands made of wood, like most stands on the market today. Most manufacturers make their speaker stands out of wood because it’s inexpensive and easy to work with. But wood is a very poor material for speaker stands. Wood has poor acoustic properties because it absorbs and stores vibration energy before slowly releases it and muddying the sound coming from the speakers.
Although expensive, steel is a far better material for speaker stands. Steel doesn't 'hang onto' energy like wood. Instead it releases vibration very quickly. A well-designed all-steel stand like the LS300 solidly supports your speaker improving image focus, reducing mid-range coloration, and tightening the bass performance.
How well regarded is the LS300? High-end Danish audiophile manufacturer JERN sent a pair of its 14 ES speakers to The Absolute Sound magazine for review. "For this evaluation, JERN supplied 36" Pangea Audio LS300 steel speaker stands" to mount them on, reports Ty Pendlebury in the June 25, 2018 TAS review. Now that's a recommendation!
The Right Hardware Makes a Huge Difference, Too
Nuts, bolts, spikes, and other hardware hold a stand together and make it perform optimally. Surveying the speaker stands available at several Asian audio shows, Pangea Audio engineers noticed a disturbing pattern. Many manufacturers were using similar columns and steel plates, but then coupling them with cheap hardware that undermined the performance of the assembled stand.
But one manufacturer at the audio show stood out from the others by offering premium hardware – including oversize solid metal bolts to rigidly couple the support columns to the base. "We use extra heavy hardware, because it improves the speaker's bass performance," their engineer explained. With that, Pangea engineers knew they had found the right supplier for the LS300.
The Secret to The LS300’s Rigidity and Low Price
Triangular design is the secret to the LS300’s strength and low price. The triangle is one of nature’s strongest shapes. Which is why humans have been using triangles in architecture for thousands of years. The equilateral triangle – where all sides are equal and featured in the design of the LS300 stand – is the strongest triangular shape of all.
Pangea Audio's LS300 stand features three large-diameter steel support columns coupled to steel plates at the top and bottom to form a rigid triangular shape that offers an incredibly strong platform for improved speaker performance. One column has openings at the top and the bottom for hiding speaker cables. Two columns can be filled with sand or steel shot for even better vibration damping.
The Pangea Audio LS300 features a 6" by 6" steel top plate to match a wide range of compact or monitor-type speakers. It also has an extra heavy duty 9.75" by 12" bottom plate. The LS300 comes complete with adjustable carpet-piercing bottom spikes. Four soft rubber-like top pads are supplied for speaker isolation.
Five Heights Available
The LS300 with 6" by 6" steel top plate is available in four heights: 24", 28", 32", and 36". There is also a 20"-high version that comes with a 6" x 9" top plate for use with larger bookshelf speakers.
