System of the month

Each component here is the latest - and best - version of a hi-fi icon. Together they make a compact, tasty cocktail

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The system

Stereo amplifier Rega Brio Mk7 £799 Ultra-compact speakers Neat Iota II £1095 Turntable Rega Planar 3 RS Edition £999 Total price £2893

We, at What Hi-Fi?, usually make a plea to our readers: those smaller loudspeakers you are using may be called (by some) bookshelf speakers, but you should always put them on proper stands. Which is why we prefer to call them 'standmounts'. Support, after all, is important in all walks of life - but for hi-fi equipment it is absolutely vital.

And yet... what if that doesn't suit your room, or your lifestyle - or, indeed, your desires? Well, far be it from us to tell you what you need in your life. If you want to stick your speakers out of the way on a bookshelf, discreetly positioned and doing a decent job, we can't, in all good conscience, object. But, if that's the way you need to go, we urge you to invest in a pair of speakers that at least have a chance of providing you with hi-fi sound; you and your music deserve that.

And, of course, that is where the little speakers in this system come in. The Neat Iota was introduced back in 2012 and we really liked them. The update took more than a decade to arrive, but here they are. The Neat Iota II really are tiny, at just 13cm tall, 20cm wide and 18cm deep; you will note from those dimensions that they are designed to be used "on their side" - not really, of course, that's the right way round, but you take the point. Those dimensions mean that they will fit rather nicely in most bookcases, if that is your preferred placement.

The real joy of them is that the compromises that inevitably have to be accepted when you buy a tiny loudspeaker are diminished to such an extent that we are happy to recommend the MkII version of the Neats as much as we did the first. They are a touch pricey, but if this is the style of speaker you need in your life, they will do the job beautifully.