Is this a new trend?

Lot more to it than just bass...The floorstander (if it wasn’t designed by a bozo) will couple better into a room with its vertical woofer stack...floor bounce, modal response, etc. The crossover changes, cabinet volume affects every driver, the entire driver integration process changes, etc.. Never get fooled into thinking that a bookshelf and floorstander from the same series are the same speaker, and the floorstander just came with a lil extra bass, which you can easy peasy make up for with the crapbox bookshelf version + subwoofer.

Not to mention...If the speaker didn’t come with a dedicated stand that the designer spent significant time on (which he almost never will), you have introduced an unnecessary lousy variable called the stand.

The difference in sound is in the bass region because you can’t cheat physics. You need cabinet volume to create bass substantial below 30HZ and most Standmounts can NOT do this. Hell, most towers speakers can’t ’actually’ measure below 30HZ.

I traded my Wilson Chronosonics in on a righteous set of 1993 Realistic Minimus 7s.  My Slim Whitman records never sounded so good! 

@yogiboy ....Yes, the AR-3 and the 3a's....it didn't take all that long for the Shrink Factor to drive speakers down to one's that'll fit in your pocket....

A 'roomy' one, but my drift you've got....

I still remember vividly hearing a pair of Infinity Infinitesimals and was blown sideways...
"Damn, 4 of these with a good sized sub between...with all the amps they could possibly survive....*phew*
Left B&M shortly after...waaay too tempting.... ;)

Only gotten Better v Worse, one's POV ;)

I think the trend is towards smaller and more compact components for most buyers. The number of buyers that want floorstanders in their main living space is low due to the significant other approval needed in my experience. It happened to me when I went from bachelor with a system and floorstanders that dominated the living room to married with 1st on the wall speakers and now to soundbars in family rooms. Most of the dedicated listening rooms I’ve seen are more devoted to home theatre for the family with multiple smaller speakers around the room. I understand that bookshelves on stands can take up the same amount of space but they are more acceptable based on what I see and hear in friends and neighbors homes.

@yesiam_a_pirate 

I sure hop it wasn't an even trade!!!