Price Points: Slim floor-standing speakers

Slim floor-standing speakers

Last week, we mentioned that we’d been on the lookout for a portable smart speaker… we also want a pair of slim, floor-standing speakers for our hi-fi system.

Our system currently lives upstairs in our bedroom – not the largest of spaces! A pair of tall, narrow and attractive speakers… that produce a good sound but don’t take up a large floor area, are what we’re in the market for next.

Neither of us is particularly knowledgeable about the nitty-gritty, technical specifications of audio hardware – but we know a good look & sound when we see/hear it!

There’s such a huge range in price when it comes to slim, floor-standing speakers – it can be very confusing. We don’t completely trust a pair of speakers that can be bought for under £100, however, many verified buyers on Amazon gave these a good review; we’ve shared one of them below.

If money wasn’t a deciding factor, the Bang & Olufsen example would win hands down! They’re utter works of art – and would be given a prominent position in our bedroom.

  1. AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers: £89.99, Amazon

    They look good, and I can say the sound is extremely clear. I listen mainly to classical music and the resulting sound is very satisfactory… Great value.

    Dimensions WxDxH (mm):180 x x 250 x 1040

  2. Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers: £769.00, Richer Sounds

    One of the most discreet floor standing speakers available, the Monitor Audio Radius 270 gives a big sound from a slim cabinet. Beautiful, discreet and powerful-sounding, there are few that match the Radius 270 as all-rounders.

    Dimensions WxDxH (mm): 177 x 208 x 1000

  3. Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen, from £5,250.00

    An iconic pillar of luxury sound crafted from carefully selected materials… Beolab 18 is a stunning work of design engineering with audio performance at its heart. The acoustic lens evenly distributes the upper frequencies in a 180-degree horizontal arc, delivering superior sound experiences across your room, not just in front of your speaker.

    Dimensions WxDxH (mm): 200 x 200 x 1324

shop slim floor-standing speakers

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen
Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen
from £5,250.00
Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers
Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers
£769.00
AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers
AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers
£89.99
Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen
Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen
from £5,250.00
Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers
Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers
£769.00
AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers
AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers
£89.99
Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen
Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen
from £5,250.00
Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers
Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers
£769.00
AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers
AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers
£89.99
Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen
Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen
from £5,250.00
Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers
Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers
£769.00
AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers
AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers
£89.99
Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen
Beolab 18 speakers: Bang & Olufsen
from £5,250.00
Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers
Monitor Audio Radius 270 speakers
£769.00
AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers
AUNA Line 4707 tower speakers
£89.99

Price Points: Portable smart speakers

Portable smart speakers

We’ve been building a smart speaker collection for a few years. We have a soundbar that’s connected to the television, a pair of small speakers in the living room and a single medium-sized one in the dining room. For the next addition, we wanted one that we could take out into the garden with us on a sunny day.

When it came to choice of portable smart speakers, only one would do for us… the Sonos Roam. All our other smart speakers are by Sonos, they’re all connected to each other, to the television and to our Amazon Echo Dot.

Of these three well known audio brands featured, the Sonos portable smart speaker just happens to be the most affordable. Another great plus point about it is that it’s waterproof; we use it in the bathroom to enhance a long soak.

  1. Sonos Roam: £159.00, Sonos

    Enjoy the unmatched Sonos experience on Wifi, and stream directly from your smartphone, tablet or computer using Bluetooth. Roam automatically connects to your home network and pairs with your phone when you’re away. So all you have to think about is what to play.

    Voice control with Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant. Roam offers up to 10 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. When not in use, Roam switches to sleep mode to conserve power, and the battery can last up to 10 days… drop-resistant, waterproof up to three feet for 30 minutes, impervious to dust.

  2. Bose portable smart speaker: £329.95, Bose

    Up to 12 hours on average listening volume and up to 24 hours in standby mode Charging time: Approximately 4 hours when using the original cable Using third-party USB-C cable or power source may increase charging time… Bluetooth range: Up to 9m (30ft).

  3. Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze: £1,399.00

    Crafted from solid aluminium, the BeoSound 1 combines the signature sound of Bang & Olufsen with the easy voice control of the Google Assistant. It features an intuitive One Touch interface, simple streaming with Chromecast and Airplay 2 built in, and is multiroom ready with other compatible B&O speakers. It’s easily portable, with a long battery life.

shop portable smart speakers

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
£1,399.00
Bose portable smart speaker
Bose portable smart speaker
£329.95
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam
£159.00
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
£1,399.00
Bose portable smart speaker
Bose portable smart speaker
£329.95
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam
£159.00
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
£1,399.00
Bose portable smart speaker
Bose portable smart speaker
£329.95
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam
£159.00
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
£1,399.00
Bose portable smart speaker
Bose portable smart speaker
£329.95
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam
£159.00
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
£1,399.00
Bose portable smart speaker
Bose portable smart speaker
£329.95
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam
£159.00

Price Points: Home cinema sound systems

Home cinema sound systems | H is for Home

We always begin our annual hibernation right about now – around the time Strictly Come Dancing hits its stride! When given the choice between going out to socialise on a cold, dark wet evening or staying in with a bottle of wine, chuffing wood-burner and a Scandi drama we almost always choose the latter… you’d almost have to physically drag us out of the house kicking and screaming!

We always read user/buyer/expert reviews and recommendations to get a handle on electronic and tech products. These are the three home cinema sound systems we’ve short-listed…

We start with the Canton DM55. It has had the highest review on the Which? website to date (84% – 1 percent higher than the Sonos Playbar). According to their expert:

The DM55 is easy to use, and sounds great, with a strong dynamic range and convincing surround-sound effect… While it’s pricey, it’s also the best sound base we’ve tested, and gives Canton another Best Buy to add to its collection.

Coming in at a hefty thousand pounds (down from £1,400), the BOSE SoundTouch 130 is a system that not only includes a soundbar but also an Acoustimass module and control console.

We’ll be saving up to get ourselves the Sonos Playbar. Not only can we enjoy using it to watch live and recorded TV, we can also listen to music and digital radio through it via Spotify. We already have a couple of Sonos Play:1s and a Play:3 – the sound they emit is amazing, and connecting Sonos speakers to the wi-fi network and Spotify is a complete doddle.

  1. Canton DM55 2.1 virtual surround system – black glass: £329.00, Amazon (4.2 out of 5 – 35 reviews)
  2. Sonos Playbar: £599.00, Sonos (4.5 out of 5 – 710 reviews)
  3. BOSE SoundTouch 130 wireless home cinema system: £999.95, Currys (9.7 out of 10 – 18 reviews)

Sounds of the 60s

"Sounds og the 60s" blog post banner

vintage 1960s Garrard radiogram in teak cabinet

On the very same day that we bought our previously-mentioned vintage Anglepoise lamp, we bought this fabulous 1960s radiogram.

vintage 1960s Garrard radiogram in teak cabinet with lid up showing record player

We’d actually been on the look out for an amplifier to go with a record deck we had – but suddenly, as bidding was about to stop at £30, we couldn’t resist this beauty!

detail from vintage 1960s Garrard radiogram in teak cabinet showing push button controls

It’s a Garrard Dynatron – radio, record player and speakers – housed in a beautiful teak cabinet.

vintage 1960s Garrard radiogram in teak cabinet

Not only does it provide music in  lounge – we think it’s a great looking piece of furniture. Streamlined & good proportions, it fits the space exactly – the teak is a lovely warm colour too.

vintage Garrard radiogram showing soft close lid vintage Garrard radiogram showing soft close lid vintage Garrard radiogram showing soft close lid

Justin was very impressed with this particular feature… the slow, soft-close lid – no danger of precious records skipping, jumping or being scratched.

vintage 1960s Garrard radiogram in teak cabinet
And most importantly – it sounds pretty good too!