Ian S wrote:

What stands? I didn't mention stands. Small satellites are easily and
inexpensively mounted on the wall.

Oh, you mean those rear-ported speakers? And mount them on what?
Velcro? Most wall mounts are also ugly in the extreme, especially
if you have off-white walls or wallpaper.

wall-mounted. For someone on a tight budget and wanting to go with slim
tower front speakers, Fry's Electronics (at least here in Phoenix and
probably other places as well) has Polk R50's on for $160 a pair.

Ecch. Polk are rubbish at the low-end. Truly. I'd take a pair
of Athenas over them, and a pair of Mirage or Paradigm would make
it way up my list of budget choices.

True, really beautiful towers like the Tannoys run about $600-$1200
a pair, but, IMO, it's well worth it as they almost are in the category
of fine furniture.