As an audio scribe, the best thing about attending hifi shows isn’t the kit you’re anticipating seeing and hearing, it’s the thrill of stumbling across new gear you didn’t expect.
This is exactly how I discovered MW Stands when doing my usual rounds, camera in hand and spring in step, at the recent Audio Show Deluxe.
Bounding into Henley Audio’s room I was greeted by a stack of Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista separates rubbing heatsinks with a full house of Rotel’s refined Michi boxes (two brands whose amps feature in my own reference systems). Both sounded awesome, perhaps more so than even I’d expected, and they also looked the dogs danglies, perched on two stunning stone and timber stands.
Henley Audio showcasing what it offers on MW Stands at the 2026 Audio Show Deluxe
Five minutes later I was busy making plans to get one of MW’s Cyntaf equipment racks to Audiograde HQ and find out if it would have the same effect on my gear back at base.
MW Stands is short for Mid Wales (with Cyntaf meaning ‘first’ in Welsh) and coincidentally also aligns with the initials of company owner Michael Wall. A master carpenter by trade with decades of experience, you only need to spend five minutes in his presence to appreciate how passionate and committed a craftsman Michael is. Each stand is hand made by the man himself, over many hours to get the finished article you see below.
MW Stands’ Cyntaf with maple frame. Walnut wood is also on offer, with both timbers chosen for their strength and acoustic qualities
Into the woods
Michael only uses two types of wood for his stands, maple and walnut – and that’s it. Why? Well it’s all about closely packed (ideally closed grain) hardwoods to offer the right density, which translates to the right damping and acoustic properties.
This means that woods other brands would deem as suitable for audio racks, such as oak and ash, aren’t on Michael’s menu. And while walnut is more open grain than maple, Michael only selects cuts from the inner part of the tree, where its fibres are more densely packed. You can also judge the quality of Michael’s work not just by the wood he uses, but by that which he rejects, as only the finest cuts make the grade.
When considering MW Stands’ approach, I can’t help but draw comparisons to the tradition of snooker cue crafting and the handiwork of maker to the greats John Parris. I play snooker, and I’m terrible at it. But I also use a Parris cue and I can tell a good cue from a bad ‘un by feel alone, without hitting a ball. Parris’s cues are works of art, and while many folks can engineer a snooker stick from ash and ebony, will it feel or play like a Parris? It won’t. There’s also a reason why snooker cue shafts aren’t made from oak or other woods, as only ash and maple have the right qualities required, but I digress.
Cyntaf base tier sans shelf, revealing its braced skeleton design
The Cyntaf stand is a modular design, with each tier being sold separately at £3k each. You have to start with a base tier, as this holds the coned feet that meet the floor and provides the platform onto which the rest of the stand anchors.
Each tier has a 498mm internal width (632mm external) and 500mm depth – hence it’s been designed with the likes of meaty Nu-Vista amps in mind as we saw at Whittlebury. With three tier heights on offer at 165/215/265mm (all priced the same), you can tailor a rig to your liking, and add to it as your system grows.
For the shelves, riven pattern Welsh slate is the order of the day, finished to a superb standard
On the slate
And then there are the shelves, which are equally as considered. These are formed from 20mm slabs of Welsh slate (considered by many as the finest and most dense natural slate on earth), finished with finely chamfered edges. Bonded to each shelf’s underside is a 1.8mm Code 4 layer of lead (adding 4kg to each shelf), followed by 9mm thick birch ply, resulting in an overall thickness of just over 30mm, which combine to act as a natural material based constrained-layer damping system.
Unloading the stand, I was anticipating a raft of instructions and hours of fiddly assembly, but not so, as this thing goes together in minutes. Each tier is solidly constructed with countersunk brass inserts fitted for locating the shelves and upper tiers, meaning all you have to do is lift each tier into place and feel them lock into position.
Cyntaf base and upturned corner of its corresponding shelf showing its brass locating pin
This is because on the base of each shelf and maple tier’s corner is a brass pin with domed tip that locates firmly into the sockets below. Why brass? After experimenting with a variety of metals, including stainless steel, Michael says brass aids acoustic damping more than harder metals.
Brass locating pins make for easy install and a firm connection
Assembly starts with the base, which sports coned feet with threaded tips and a winding bar for levelling. This locates into recessed padded cups for floor protection while offering plenty of adjustment.
Levelling up made easy, thanks to threaded cone tips and locating feet
Next up you need to lower the shelf into place, and that’s it. Rinse and repeat with the upper tiers as you go. This also means you can add your components as you assemble if you prefer, rather than having to slide them in once the stand is fully built (which can be a right faff if they’re heavy and/or have grippy feet).
Cyntaf base tier ready for some serious hifi
Building the Cyntaf also reveals how clever Michael’s design is, as while those cut outs on the front legs and side supports add style, they’re also perfect grab handles. Simple, yet highly effective, illustrating the stand’s overall design philosophy.
Two tier system is all you’ll need if you have an integrated amp and source component, such as a media player or turntable
As my pics hopefully illustrate, the fit and finish of the Cyntaf is on a par with the finest handmade furniture I’ve experienced, and for a hifi stand it’s exceptional.
Take a close peek at those chunky dovetail joints for example, these are precision-cut and set within an aerospace-grade compound for added damping while also nicely contrasting the wood finish.
To misquote Mr Lennon, he can’t fix a hole in the ocean, but Michael Wall can make a very nice dovetail joint
Performance
Shifting my entire system over to the Cyntaf takes a little commitment, but also provides an ample opportunity to get the duster out, clean and check all connections.
Said system is comprised of SME 20/2 deck with AVID tonearm, Primare R35 phono stage and CD15 Prisma media player, with Nordost cables throughout.
What a rig! The Cyntaf taking centre stage, flanked by my mighty MoFi V10 ME speakers
With everything warmed up and settled it’s intriguing to experience what extra the MW Stand can add to things in my large listening space. And it only takes a few delicious lyrics from Laura Marling via her Once I Was An Eagle LP for the Cyntaf to start to make itself known.
Her vocals, and everything else on the LP for that matter, is presented with levels of focus beyond what I’m used to hearing. And it’s not subtle either, making my 2013 pressing (which has seen plenty of needle time) sound like it’s had a remaster. And then there’s the bass, which has also gone up a gear, adding levels of clarity and power to its punch. The sonic texture of the hand-plucked double bass throughout Breathe for example sounds so natural, that I can almost feel the musician’s fingers tensing with each release of their instrument’s thick strings, while the kick drum has such weight and presence, the V10s seem to revel in what they’re being fed.
The reason? To repeat myself, the clarity that the Cyntaf brings to proceedings, which translates into a superb sense of musical imaging. Take the title track from this album, I Was An Eagle and how the Cyntaf makes the fast paced guitar strums (framed centre left) and competing rapid percussion so easy to define, because of the levels of separation each is afforded.
SME 20/2 looking and sounding right at home atop the MW
Even better than the real thing
As the days roll into weeks with the Cyntaf at Audiograde HQ, my overriding sense is that what this equipment rack brings is a reassured sense of ‘surefootedness’ to my system’s sound. I’ve a 40th anniversary clear green vinyl remaster of Tears For Fears’ Songs From The Big Chair, which I’ll confess to playing less than my original, as it can sometimes sound a little thin. (Whether this is due to it being pressed from recycled coke bottles I don’t know, but I do applaud the innovative use of sustainable materials.) But with all my kit aboard the MW Stand there’s a new found sense of depth to this version that I wasn’t expecting.
Previously on I Believe from side two, with Roland Orzabal doing his best impression of Robert Wyatt, I’ve craved a little more body to the piano notes on this revamped pressing, and now it’s a much more satisfying listen. There’s delicacy here too, with each note gaining more tonal ring in their resonance and decay which sounds fully rounded, even as they fade out. And when the smattering of sax steps in, it escapes the soundstage like a bird taking flight, way above my 220cm ceiling.
With music that’s much more accomplished, such as Jame’s Blake’s Trying Times album via Qobuz (16-bit/44kHz) my system sounds fully resolved, as though every component is being given a better plaftform from which to give its all. The building melody of the title track extends from way back, while those backing vocals take on a gorgeous velvety softness, which is so well contrasted with Blake’s vocals as he starts to sing them firmer in tone and with more conviction, as the track progresses. While my system has revealed this before, I can’t recall being aware to this degree, and I can’t help but smile at how well it all seems to be gelling with the MW Stand holding everything together.
Making a stand, Michael Wall at this year’s Audio Show Deluxe
In summary
I’m not typically one to throw wads of cash at a hifi stand, and readers will recall I made my own a while back with an angle grinder, some scaffolding and a can-do attitude. But spending weeks with the Cyntaf has changed my mindset.
Not only is it an utter joy to look it and experience (which, let’s face it, is half the battle with hifi stands, as they need to look as well as sound a million bucks if intended for your home) it is also one of the most exceptionally made and finished I’ve come across. And while it’s not cheap, as the saying goes – you get what you pay for. If I had the money would I buy one? Without hesitation, as the performance level it took to my system to is hard to ignore. If you’ve a high-end hifi that needs an equally high-end equipment stand, then best call Michael.
