Are speaker stands overpriced?

[GMK]

I've just collected a pair of Atacama Nexus 7i speaker stands 2nd hand. What surprised me when I picked them up was just how little they weighed. They can't cost more than around £10 to make, yet they sell for £85-90 new. The markup must be massive

 

[Native_bon]

It goes for most stuff in the HIFI world...

 

[tifosi20002008]

Hi all.

Yep you're spot on there. The manufactures will tell you that is all the r&d which makes up the price. In face they are pretty much a couple of lengths of steel tubing and a couple of plates welded on. I have my speakers perched on a pair of narrow solid oak book cases which nicely hold my assorted cd's and vinyl. They are very sturdy and took two people to move! :rofl: £30 the pair from a used furniture store. They weigh a bloody ton

Keep on rocking :rockout:

 

[MajorFubar]

Light? Must be a modern thing. My old 18" Apollos I bought in the 80s weight a ton. Well not literally, but you get the idea. They're not welded either: two pillars, secured to a thick base and top by allen screws. Aren't they made that well these days? Thought the whole idea was they were big heavy sturdy bar-stewards.

 

[BigH]

Most accessories are over priced not just hifi that where the profits are.

 

[BigH]

I've just collected a pair of Atacama Nexus 7i speaker stands 2nd hand. What surprised me when I picked them up was just how little they weighed.

Fill them up with sand/concrete/lead then they won't be light.

 

[Overdose]

I've just collected a pair of Atacama Nexus 7i speaker stands 2nd hand. What surprised me when I picked them up was just how little they weighed. They can't cost more than around £10 to make, yet they sell for £85-90 new. The markup must be massive

That doesn't seem such an unreasonable markup, considering the rising cost of metal. Consider how much it would cost you to source the material and the time taken to weld it all together and then finish it in a suitable coating. Also, £90 is perhaps not that expensive when compared to other brands and designs too.

I will probably build my own stands next, as it would be less aggravation than trying to find stands of the right height and then paying for delivery. I expect materials to be in the region of £40, to include steel, foot spikes, paint, welding rods and then time.

Still, it depends on what value you put on your time too.

 

[Bodfish]

Are speaker stands overpriced?

No.

 

[Al ears]

If you tend to use poorer quality stands then the answer is probably YES. However if you buy a really good pair that are going to last a lifetime and possibly more then the aswer is a resounding NO.

 

[richardw42]

I've a pair of Monitor Audio GS Stands. Superb build and great quality.

I bought them new for £125, which I thought was expensive but they fitted my speakers at the time (GS10s). A bonus is my AVI are perfect with them.

The original RRP was £300, which is a **** take.

 

[the record spot]

I use Mission Stancette stands, £60 a pair. Fine for what they do and very sturdy. Like an earlier poster, I recall having some Apollo stands years ago that supported my then Mission 751s and they were heavy!

 

[Singslinger]

It's all relative - Skylan stands from Canada that are made to fit Harbeth speakers cost easily 5 times as much.

 

[jonathanRD]

I bought my Atacama stands sometime in the 90's (I think - I can't remember). Looked after and with not a scratch on them, they'll probably out-live me!

Money well spent.

 

[hoopsontoast]

I've just collected a pair of Atacama Nexus 7i speaker stands 2nd hand. What surprised me when I picked them up was just how little they weighed. They can't cost more than around £10 to make, yet they sell for £85-90 new. The markup must be massive

Make your own then :roll: Or buy better stands, the old Target R series range for exmaple sold for around £200 IIRC, and used about £100. They weigh about 30kg EACH, filled with lead shot.

You can also get very lightweight open frame stands, by design. Either you go high mass with lots of dampening/filling or low mass open frame / minimal materials. Unfortunatley your Nexus stands are inbetween, high mass design but without any filling. Atacama sell it seperately, in the form of their atabites, Or you can use dried sand for example.

 

[musical0111]

yes stands are overpriced but what about replacement earpads for senny headphones at £45 to £50 for a little bit of foam.

 

[ID.]

It goes for most stuff in the world...

Fixed it for you

 

[BigH]

They are overpriced but not as much as hifi sand used to fill them.

 

[fpeepingtom]

I have a pair of Atacama SE24 stands which I bought in the mid to late 90's.They cost around £75 at the time. They're well constructed and I'm still using them so I think they've been pretty good value. However, the other day I bought some Quadraspire QV60 stands. They'd been given very good reviews & after all this time I just felt like trying something different. The stands consist of four pieces of sculpted MDF & some fixing screws,top spikes & floor spikes. The stands don't go together that convincingly although, once they are together, they are solid enough. I bought these for around a third of the retail price but at £250 retail I'd say these these certainly qualify as being overpriced.

 

[Bodfish]

It goes for most stuff in the world...

Fixed it for you

Bingo.

 

[chebby]

Hi all.

Yep you're spot on there. The manufactures will tell you that is all the r&d which makes up the price. In face they are pretty much a couple of lengths of steel tubing and a couple of plates welded on. I have my speakers perched on a pair of narrow solid oak book cases which nicely hold my assorted cd's and vinyl. They are very sturdy and took two people to move! :rofl: £30 the pair from a used furniture store. They weigh a bloody ton

Keep on rocking :rockout:

And probably look a lot better than 'proper' hi-fi stands that are - almost - universally ugly.

Let's hope CJSF doesn't see your comment about 'steel tubing and a couple of plates welded on'. He researched, developed and sold award winning speaker stands back in the 1980s.