ISO-155
☆ Top Pick
IsoAcoustics ISO-155
Price history
We have been recording this product's price at its dealers since July. Player members see the 90-day trend, what it has been at its highest and lowest, and whether today is actually a good day to buy it.
The ISO-155 is the stand most home studios should buy, and the reason is height rather than mystique. It lifts a monitor between 3 and 8.25 inches and tilts it up to 6.5 degrees in either direction, which is usually the difference between firing a tweeter at your collarbone and firing it at your ears.
The isolation is real but it is not magic. Decoupling the cabinet from the desk stops the desk becoming a second, much worse loudspeaker, and that mostly cleans up the low mids. It does nothing about your room's modes, and anyone selling it as room treatment is overselling it.
Specs
- 6.1 x 7.5 in footprint (155 x 190 mm)
- Rated to 40 lb per stand
- 14 height and tilt combinations
- 3 in low setting, 8.25 in tall setting
- Tilt up to 6.5 degrees either way
- ABS frame, stainless steel poles
- Sold as a pair
Why it made the list
Two sets of leg tubes and two sets of tilt inserts ship in the box, so one product covers a monitor sitting low on a desk and a monitor that needs to clear a screen. Nothing else near this price adjusts in both axes.
▶ Featured Review
Video Reviews & Tutorials
IsoAcoustics ISO-155 Speaker Isolation Stands Review: Not Snake Oil!
Full Review
The TRUTH about IsoAcoustics ISO 155 Stands
Measured Test
IsoAcoustics ISO-155 MK2 Studio Monitor Isolation Stands Unboxing
Unboxing
Pros
Height and tilt adjust independently, so you can actually reach ear level Audible cleanup in the low mids on a desk or a shelf Assembles in minutes with no tools Two tube lengths and two tilt inserts includedCons
Plastic frame feels cheap next to the price Does nothing for room modes, which is the bigger problem in most rooms 40 lb limit rules out heavier 8 inch monitors Tall setting can wobble on a soft or uneven desk
SMS6000-P
Best Value
On-Stage SMS6000-P
Price history
We have been recording this product's price at its dealers since July. Player members see the 90-day trend, what it has been at its highest and lowest, and whether today is actually a good day to buy it.
A pair of steel floor stands for about the price of one desktop isolation stand. Taking monitors off the desk removes the desk reflection and the desk resonance in one move, and it lets you position the speakers independently of where your furniture happens to sit.
The finish is basic and the platform is small, but On-Stage rates these to 90 lb on an 18 inch base spread, which is more than any nearfield you are likely to own.
Specs
- Height adjusts 36.5 to 54 in
- 90 lb weight capacity
- 9 in square platform
- 18 in base spread
- Steel construction, locking pin at each setting
- Sold as a pair
Why it made the list
Floor stands solve a bigger problem than pads do, and this is the cheapest pair worth owning. The catch is the small platform: an 8 inch monitor overhangs it, which is stable enough in practice but looks alarming.
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Video Reviews & Tutorials
On-Stage Stands SMS6000 Studio Monitor Stands | Assemble & Review
Full Review
On-Stage Stands SMS6000-P Studio Monitor Stands Demo
Hands-On Demo
SMS6000P Studio Monitor Stands | On-Stage
Manufacturer Demo
Pros
A pair of real floor stands for around a hundred dollars Wide height range covers a seated or standing desk 90 lb capacity is far beyond what a nearfield needs Locking pin means the height does not creepCons
9 inch platform is tight under an 8 inch monitor Triangular base can catch a chair caster No cable management at all You still want a pad on the platform for a heavy cabinet
MoPAD-XL
Best Budget
Auralex MoPAD-XL
Price history
We have been recording this product's price at its dealers since July. Player members see the 90-day trend, what it has been at its highest and lowest, and whether today is actually a good day to buy it.
Two dense foam pads and a pair of wedges. That is the whole product, and for forty dollars it does the one thing it claims: it stops the cabinet driving vibration straight into whatever it is sitting on.
The XL is the version to buy if your monitors are larger than about 5 inches or heavier than a stand will take. Auralex rates it to 200 lb, which is well past anything you will put on it.
Specs
- High density acoustic foam
- Rated to 200 lb
- Five positioning options via the included wedges
- Angles of -8, -4, 0, +4 and +8 degrees
- No assembly
Why it made the list
It is the honest floor of this category. Foam gives you decoupling and a coarse tilt and nothing else: no height, no fine adjustment, no rigidity. If your tweeters already sit near ear height and you just want the desk out of the signal, this is the whole fix for forty dollars.
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Video Reviews & Tutorials
Auralex MoPAD-XL™
Manufacturer Demo
Auralex Mopads - Studio Monitor - Isolators
Hands-On Review (standard MoPAD)
IsoAcoustic Stands vs Auralex Mopads
Comparison (standard MoPAD)
Pros
The cheapest thing here that genuinely works Takes far more weight than any stand on this page Five tilt positions with no tools Fits monitors that overhang a small stand platformCons
Adds almost no height, so it will not reach ear level for you Foam compresses over years and needs replacing Tilt is five fixed steps, not a dial Two of the three videos below cover the standard MoPAD, not the XL
Aperta 200
Best Build
IsoAcoustics Aperta 200
Price history
We have been recording this product's price at its dealers since July. Player members see the 90-day trend, what it has been at its highest and lowest, and whether today is actually a good day to buy it.
The Aperta is the cast aluminum version of the same idea, and the 200 is the size that takes a serious monitor: 7.8 by 10 inches of platform and a 75 lb limit, against 40 lb on the ISO-155.
Be clear about what you are paying for. Aperta is IsoAcoustics' home audio line, so the tilt is a continuous dial with gradation marks rather than swappable inserts, and the frame is rigid in a way the plastic one is not. What you give up is height: the Aperta has a fixed 3.5 inch rise where the ISO-155 climbs to 8.25.
Specs
- 7.8 x 10 x 3.5 in (200 x 255 x 90 mm)
- 75 lb weight limit
- Continuous tilt up to 6.5 degrees either way
- Cast aluminum frame
- Black or silver
- Sold as a pair
Why it made the list
It is the pick when the ISO-155 will not take the weight. At roughly twice the price for the same acoustic principle, it is not the obvious upgrade for a 5 inch monitor, and we would not tell you it sounds better than the cheaper one. It holds more, it adjusts more finely, and it does not flex.
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Video Reviews & Tutorials
IsoAcoustics Aperta Isolation Stands Overview by Sweetwater
Full Review
First Impressions of the IsoAcoustics Aperta Stands
First Look
IsoAcoustics Aperta Series Speaker Isolation Stand Unboxing Video
Unboxing
Pros
Cast aluminum, no flex under a heavy cabinet 75 lb limit takes 8 inch monitors the ISO-155 cannot Continuous tilt dial with gradation marks Looks like a piece of equipment rather than a bracketCons
Roughly twice the price of the ISO-155 for the same principle Fixed 3.5 in rise, so no height adjustment at all A home audio product sold into studios Heavier than it looks, which matters on a thin desk
MS-90/36B
Best Premium Floor Stand
Ultimate Support MS-90/36B
Price history
We have been recording this product's price at its dealers since July. Player members see the 90-day trend, what it has been at its highest and lowest, and whether today is actually a good day to buy it.
An aluminum column with three channels running its length: one for audio, one for power, and a larger one you fill with sand or shot to add mass. Filled, it is the most inert thing on this page, and the cable routing is the reason people keep buying them.
The height is fixed at 36 inches, which is the catch. Measure your seated ear height against a 36 inch stand plus your monitor's own tweeter height before you buy, because there is no adjustment to rescue you.
Specs
- 36 in fixed height (914 mm)
- 75 lb capacity (34 kg)
- 10.25 x 10.25 in top plate
- 19 in base diameter
- 9.6 lb each empty
- Three internal channels: audio, power and ballast
- Non-marring decoupling pads, spiked rubber-covered feet
- Sold as a pair
Why it made the list
Nothing else here hides your cables inside the stand, and nothing else lets you add 20 lb of sand to kill resonance. It is three times the price of the On-Stage pair and it is worth it only if the setup is staying put.
Worth knowing on price: Ultimate Support lists the MS-90/36B at $459.99 a pair on its own store and Chuck Levin's has it at the same figure, while Amazon has been running the same pair well under that. Check both before you buy, because this is the one product here where the spread is large.
▶ Featured Review
Video Reviews & Tutorials
Ultimate Support MS-90 Columnar Studio Monitor Speaker Stands Overview | Full Compass
Full Review
Unboxing and Assembly Ultimate Support MS-90 Stands and Focal Solo6 ST6 Speakers
Unboxing and Assembly
On-Stage SMS6000 VS Ultimate Support MS-90/36B Monitor Stands
Comparison
Pros
Cables run inside the column, out of sight Fillable center channel adds real mass and kills ring Large 10.25 in top plate takes an 8 inch monitor properly Aluminum construction that will outlast the monitors on itCons
Fixed 36 in height with no adjustment at all Around three times the price of the On-Stage pair Filling it with sand is messy and permanent in practice Dealer pricing is all over the place, from around $299 to $459.99 for the same pair