[Quiet Earth]

Ahhhhhhhhhh, yes, that makes sense. I remember when that style of speaker was very prominent in the audio world.

[Tweaker]

Here's the ideal speaker design, to my way of thinking. This one, made by Nestorovic and since discontinued, only has an 8" mid/woofer so it would need to have a 10" but you get the idea:

[jon_010101]

Here's the ideal speaker design, to my way of thinking. This one, made by Nestorovic and since discontinued, only has an 8" mid/woofer so it would need to have a 10" but you get the idea:

Holy moly that is sweet! 

[jon_010101]

I don't want to put words in his mouth but I think the OP was being a bit nostalgic about the fact there used to be quite a number of large woofer "bookshelf" speakers at one time and that they have gone somewhat extinct. It's nothing to do with floor space. It's just an appealing design to some of us.

This is pretty much exactly right  

There are a few reasons I don't entirely care for floor-standers (although there are plenty I could enjoy owning).  One is simply transport -- it's hard as heck to move a 110 pound speaker (for me at least).  But a 50 pound speaker on a 60 pound stand is much more reasonable.  Another reason is the decoupling of speaker cabinet from floor.  A hefty metal stand can really help to reduce "mud" associated with this.  Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I just like the look of a speaker on a stand.  Picture a pair of Spendor SP100 on Sound Anchors -- beautiful!