10 PAIRS RIPE FOR THE PICKING

These are our favourite stereo speakers under £1000 - and they all leave a great taste in the mouth

There is good news aplenty for anyone looking to buy a pair of affordable stereo speakers. For starters, the market is awash with products of varying designs and specifications, so there is plenty of choice. Second, the overall quality of speakers in the sub-£1000 price bracket has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years.

Advances in design and technology have meant that not only do today's budget speakers sound significantly better than their equivalents from 20 years ago, they are also constructed from better-quality materials and are built and finished to higher standards. Improved production processes also mean it is easier and more cost-efficient for manufacturers to incorporate drive-unit materials found in their more premium speakers (the trickle-down effect) spelling another win for the buyer.

That means larger speakers can go louder and deliver better bass, while smaller ones get to benefit from potentially greater agility and better cohesion.

To help you make your choice from this bargain basket we have whittled things down to our top 10 and included our full verdicts on each of them over the following pages. Our selection includes eight standmounters and - for those with a little more space to play with and a bit more cash to spend - two floorstanders. So, read on; we feel confident you will enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Dali £199 Spektor 2

These Dalis offer a degree of entertainment their rivals struggle to match

Dali's Spektor 2 stick to the classic budget standmounter formula like Superglue sticks to fingers.

There's everything we would expect from a typical £200 box here, from two-way driver configuration and ported bass tuning through to the 25mm dome tweeter and 13cm mid/bass driver. But as with any dish, culinary or acoustic, the list of ingredients tells you only so much-and those familiar with Dali will know it has something of a talent for budget boxes.