We will let the picture tell a thousand words. But, those pillars are solid hardwood and the whole assembly weighs about 33Kg. Glass shelves tend to have their own acoustic signature, but Custom Design has provided an Acoustic Steel Supershelf (an iRAP or Isolation Resonance Absorbing Platform) for each. This stand has very little sound of its own and is a very worthy partner to the finest hi-fi separates. As usual, turntables will benefit from decoupling but the stand is rigid enough for that to work well. Excellent build, performance and value. Hi-Fi Choice - February 2005. Editors Choice, Best Buy.

High-end Racks. There is much hype about high-end racks. For most people, the main consideration is whether the rack looks good, doesn't occupy too much space and is worth the money. The high-end lot want something special, which doesn't degrade the signal from their expensive front ends. A lot of racks claim a great deal more than they deliver, often based on dubious science and some dodgy reviews. I know a little about psychoacoustics, music is my primary (non-human!) passion, and I use some fancy gear (dcs, Koetsu, Krell, Martin-Logan and B&W big boys). Having tried a lot of others, I asked Paul to refine one of his already existing designs, and make two racks for me. The result is the elegant new Icon Signature Acoustic which combines the best qualities of wood, metal, some proprietary materials and glass in a combination that delivers a wonderfully clean and detailed sound, firm bass, and a holographically open sound. The theory behind the design is that instead of totally eliminating the vibrations (which deaden the sound), much is conducted via the lugs and the metal stripes through the wooden columns and thence to the floor. Interestingly, there does not seem to be any discernible difference in sound between castors (which make life easier) and floor-murdering spikes. I have so far not heard anything better, which is suitable for a living room, as opposed to a lab. Prof: M Hoghughi - Hull University.

Once again, Custom Design's Icon system offers the buyer a lengthy list of options. A range of finishes, adjustable middle shelves and you have the standard Icon Signature. Add the iRAPs ( isolation resonance-absorbing platforms ) and you have the Acoustic version that can help bring out the best possible audiophile performance from any CD player, amplifier or electronics component. Hi-Fi Choice Awards 2007 Gold Award Best Equipment Support Over £500

This rack is every bit as classy as it looks. The support pillars are solid hardwood, the whole assemble weighs about 33Kg and it's as solid as the proverbial. To damp resonances in the glass shelves, Custom Design has provided an ' Acoustic Steel ' super-shelf for each. This stand has very little sound of its own and is a worthy partner to the finest hi-fi separates. The Essential Hi-Fi Guide - Hi-Fi Choice The Hi-Fi Accessories Handbook 2006

Custom Design has managed , with typical ingenuity, to find a new take on design by choosing both the pillar sizes and exact top and base plates. The four 25mm satellite pillars add both bending and torsional rigidity. Custom Design recommends filling the central piller with Inert Filler, which we certainly endorse. It would be difficult to fill the satellite pillars. the sound is certainly solid, but it can be a little lively. At best this stand is a great choice for its combination of solid bass and neutral, uncoloured midrange. It really gets results out of speakers small and large, and excels in encouraging fine detail and precise imaging.

Best Speaker Stand Stands out, that's exactly what this years and last years award winner does. Assembly is fairly simple. Elegant with simplicity which promises to complement any setup, and pracrical too. The satellite columns help keep the unit totally rigid, the central column can be mass loaded with Custom Designs Inert Filler, for best results. Tested with a variety of stanmounts, Q Acoustics 2020i and ATC's SCM11. The stands allowed more control and precision than did their rivals. Compared with the competitors, music sounds clearer, livelier and has better timing. with a punchy bass. What distinguishes the Signatures is that high end detail, very agile and balances things out. For reasonably priced stands look no further. What Hi-Fi Awards 2012

Custom Designs FS 104 Signature range allow speakers to sound vibrant, transparent and rhythmical. Easy to assemble and well finished stands they give the best results filled with Custom Designs Inert Filler, optional extra £19.96. We used a variety of speakers for the tests and these impressive stands helped with greater degrees of agility and precision compared with rivals. Speaker stands at this price encourage an impressive low end punch, but the FS 104 Signature\'s allow that bass weight to have a nippy sense of fine detailing as well with a more balanced sound. Against their nearest rivals the FS 104 Signatures stand out head and shoulders in allowing a vibrant, transparent and rhythmical sound, making your music enjoyable, as it should be. For speakers true potential, you ought to consider sitting them on the FS 104 Signature range. For Exciting, informative delivery. Against Nothing. What Hi-Fi September 2011

FS 104 Signature Speaker Stand Range voted speaker stand of the year. What Hi-Fi Awards 2011

Previous stands: Partington Super Dreadnought (600mm) - filled with sand and granite gravel. New stands: Custom Design FS104 Signature (500mm) - filled with mafeic (volcanic) sand and granite gravel (fill level: outer tubes 60% central column 80%) Due to the size of my speakers I thought they would sound more balanced on 500mm stands, so when a friend needed some 600mm stands I swapped my existing Partingtons for the Custom Design FS104 Signature. Whilst there was a slight decrease in the precision of imagery, the bass quality and discrimination remained just as good; but in almost every other area the sound quality improved appreciably. The most striking improvement was that music became much more dynamic and significantly more involving. Other notable improvements came in the naturalness of voices and particularly in the presentation of fine detail in complex sound patterns. I found I was able to hear details that had previously not been revealed and to follow delicate internal musical threads that had previously been overwhelmed by louder parts of the music. The improvements are carried through equally from rock to acoustic, and from chamber music to full orchestral scores. To simultaneously show such improvements to both dynamics and detail when compared to my previous stands is a considerable achievement. Regards Hugh S. Ellis

Hi Paul, had a chance to have a proper listen again with the custom built FS 104 speaker stands, and I\'m really impressed. They are a huge improvement on the Atacma Nexus stands they replaced, the sound seems a lot wider, more defined, dynamic and, more importantly, involving. And it was not bad beforehand..... I also managed to pick up one of your iRAP platforms a few weeks ago. That is doing a fine job with my CDQ. Good work, thanks again, Duncan