I have only played with them with their own stands so I have not tried them on a 'bookshelf'. The stand suspends the speaker so it is effectively a three-point mounting. The info I've had from Naim is that the speaker would sound quite different on ordinary stands (or shelf). The speaker really needs to be placed against a rear wall otherwise its bass is quite light. Its presentation is light airy and very fast. The main emphasis is on fun - they're a hugely communicative speaker. There's no cabinet resonance (as you'd expect from a sealed unit) and they're beautifully made.