If you’re building a recording studio, you’ll need at least one pair of speaker stands to support your studio monitors. Not to mention, they’re probably one of the more expensive parts of your studio setup.
When shopping for a pair of studio monitor stands, you’ll come across two main types: desktop speaker stands, and floor standing speaker stands.
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Who should get desktop speaker stands?
When setting up my current room, desktop speaker stands were the easy choice. This is because our desk and gear sidecars are too wide to put speakers on floor stands next to them. If you have a super wide desk up against a wall, desktop speaker stands will allow you to place them exactly where you want without having to account for the desk placement.
Desktop speaker stands are also more portable than floor standing ones. The smaller size also makes them more affordable. Instead of paying for 4-5 feet of metal tubing or wood, you get a more compact package that fits on your existing desk.
The main downside of desktop speaker stands is the lack of height adjustment. These stands are in a fixed position, so they may not be the best option if you prefer to sit high or low in your chair. You need to select your sitting position based on the height of the speakers, instead of the other way around. I personally didn’t find this to be a problem, but I have pretty good posture and sit in a standard desk chair. However, this could be a perk if you use an adjustable standing desk, since your speakers would automatically go up with your desk. That would save you the hassle of having to adjust your speaker stands every time you raise or lower your desk.
Desktop speaker stands are a great option for someone looking to save floor space or get affordable stands that do the job. I’d much rather trust my monitors to rest on affordable desktop stands compared to the flimsiest, cheapest floor stands.
Who should get floor-standing speaker stands?
At my commercial studio, we had a recording console where a desk would normally go. Floor stands were our only option.
As you can see, there’s nowhere for desktop speaker stands to go without a desk!
A major pro of floor standing speaker stands is that you can use them with any size desk, including no desk at all. They are hyper adjustable, meaning you can set the height to your ideal listening position. If you’re planning on using multiple sets of monitors, floor standing monitor stands are a great option, since you can line them up to be the same height, even with varying speaker sizes.
Now that you know which type of stand suits your needs, take a look at our picks for both types of speaker stand!
Our favorite desktop speaker stands
Our pick for the best desktop speaker stands is the Rockville RHT8G Studio Monitor Stands.
These stands are nice looking, easy to assemble, and feel very sturdy. It’s important that you trust your speaker stands, because you’re often using them to support an expensive piece of gear. I have the Adam A7X Studio Monitors in my home studio, and they always felt sturdy on these stands. I never once had any worries about tipping over, since the base of these desktop speaker stands is wider than the top.
They also come with monitor isolation pads and cable clips as well. To be honest, have never used the cable clips, but the isolation pads are a nice touch. After a few days, I ended up swapping them out for a set of Auralex isolation pads that I had laying around, but the included ones do the job. There are more expensive options out there, but I’ve found that these cover all of the bases with no frills.
Our favorite floor standing monitor stands
Our favorite floor standing speaker stands are the On Stage Adjustable Monitor Stands! They’re heavy enough to support your monitors without tipping, and the wide base feels sturdy. They don’t come with isolation pads, so make sure to grab some to stop vibrations from going down the stands.
