Hi, ive been using cheap mic stands for a while now and I tend to view them as disposable, they break alot, generally Skytronic and Prolight ones

However im looking to invest in some decent hard wearing mic stands, any suggestions on brands and specific products? I cant give you a budget, if I can justify the cost, then ill buy

Thanks in advance

I use the K&M boom stands they're between GBP40 and GBP100 depending on size and weight - they seem the last OK

Check with studiospares - they had a package recently of their own brand of boom stands that are either the same, or really close to the K+M ones, and were a silly price. Bomb proof, and tough.

Beyer. As long as I'm not paying...

it's about GBP80 for six (great value) but the design has changed slightly since the last time I bought some and I've had some QC issues with the new boom fixtures (all delt with well by Studio spares)

+1 for the studiospares ones Paul mentionned.

linky: http://www.studiospares.com/Stands-Mic-/St...ack/invt/448006

EDIT: I'd also add it's probably worth staying away from the cheap Thomann ones, in my experience they're anything but bomb proof...

K&M all the way. Why? Because spares are so easily available which makes them infinitely fixable.

Ill give another to the studiospares ones, I ordered a couple to see what they were like, now ordered a 6pack, they also do the spares for them too.

K&M for definate!

Probably worth noting that all the major K+M and Beyer parts are interchangeable. Most of the studiospares ones are too. The ones I got recently also have the neat telescopic boom arm which I didn't spot in the advert, which makes them really handy around drum kits, without two feet of 'wrong end' sticking up in the air, just to get the mic in the right position!

The studiospares stands are cheap as chop suey and, while not quite up to the quality of the K&M and Beyer products, are miles ahead of others at this price. Spare parts are readily available as mentioned above.

It does say in the product information however:

"Please note that these are not intended for constant stage use."

I wonder what else I could use them for....

I'm using the Proel stands which are good and tough and won't break the bank and also the Hercules range; although some might baulk at the yellow bits, personally I find it attractive and different.

Occasional studio use?

Quite seriously, I recently bought a six pack of mic stands that look very like the Studiospares ones (but I bought them down here in Aus) and they're absolutely fine in my home studio--and probably even in a theatre pit or whatever. However, I think for touring or pub band use where they're constantly in and out of the van, I might go with the K&M.

Bob

Forgot the "tongue in cheek" smiley.

I think the K&M would stand more abuse than the SS ones but, the decision becomes difficult when you can buy 12 of the SS for about the same price as 3 of the K&M, so you could allow for a few spares in case of problems.

I also add a +1 for studiospares very good, and seem to be lasting the abuse thrown at them on stage in our nightclub.

I find that most of our stands get broken by students standing on the legs, so tent to use the Studiospares ones as disposable items. One replacement leg cost about half the price of the stand, so there's no point in fixing them as they usually need 3. If I were to spend a lot more money on K&M or whatever, would they last 5 times longer? I think not.

My other problem is that bored students will dismantle the things. They then put them back together wrong, or with parts missing. I guess K&M would suffer in the same way.

For short stands, we've got the cheap Pulse ones that CPC sell which are very good for the money. I've not tried the tall ones though.

I was answering a query about stands on another forum and happened to notice that the cheapest K&M stands look virtually identical to the Studiospares ones in the latest Studiospares flyer. Are K&M buying their cheap stands from the same place as Studiospares?

In general, cheap stands seem to be better made than they were 10-15 years ago. In those days cheap stands would only last a few weeks in our rehearsal room whereas I suspect a Studiospares stand would last a few months.

Cheers

James.

I've got a couple of cheap Studiospares ones and whilst ok for the price, they're not a patch on K&M (which I have 6 of) when it comes to general build quality and how they operate in day to day use.

At the venue where I engineer on a regular basis, we've got Beyer stands which are over 12 years old and still fine, apart from the fibre washers needing replacement on the boom angle adjustment (otherwise they droop unless you do them up REALLY tight). All legs and knobs are still original and complete apart from a missing foot here and there. We've got a load of K&M there too which are all fine. The "Tornado" ones (which I think came from Thomann) very quickly started to fall apart, strip threads and generally be rubbish so they only come out in dire emergencies and have to be held in place with gaffa...

I keep looking at the solid base ones for work (a school) less bits to break/nick/loose.

all the ones I have had so far have been the same make/type then those that have been broken beyond economical repair I can butcher for parts.

+1 for the studiospares I bought a pack of 6 a fair while ago, they have been chucked in and out of the van numerous times and are still working great not had any problems with them at all! For short booms I have been using the thomann millenium stands which while not quite as good as the studiospares tall booms, still work great and again havent had to replace or fix one yet.

I got a some of these a few years back, thinking it would solve the standing on the legs problem. I can't remember who made them, but they were £25 ish - heavy round base that the upright screwed into, supplied without a boom. Most were broken very quickly - people would stand on the base & lean or pull on the upright, which then snapped off just above the base

Other makes may, of course, be made of stronger stuff, but be careful.

thanks, loks like that might be a pointless exersize

K&M For me for the most part. Replaceable parts are handy, though they're reliable. I made the mistake of buying some cheap stands (about £5 a piece) but soon gave up on that idea.

That all said, the Pulse range from CPC are proving to be reliable and good quality and don't break the bank. I purchased a dozen a couple of months back to cope with the demands of festival season whilst keeping a few spares at hand and they're great value for money.

thanks everyone, great replies, im really liking the look of those studiospares ones

I see someone mentioned the CPC PULSE stands, anyone else have experience with these? They are pretty cheap too around £10 each

Did somebody call

There are two ranges to the PULSE mic stands... one with a large round knob for the boom arm adjustment (ST01307/ST01308) or the later design with a small t-bar style handle (ST01599/ST01600). I would say go for ST01599/ST01600 and you wont be dissapointed.

Beyer all the way - and K&M also. Will not have anything else..

Dan

The last couple of beyer stands I had were left in my mic stand case by mistake from another company who had subbed in some stands amongst other things. They decided it wasn't worth my hassle shipping them back so I kept them. I was a little disappointed to be honest. Poor holding at not quite full extension, only with vocal mics on there. Perhaps they were worn, but the idea is they shouldn't wear out, you just replace the screws etc when they fall out and go missing or they break.

ok just an update

I ordered 3 of the CPC ones with extendable boom arm, about £10 + vat I think, arrived next day which is lovely

impressed by the feel of them and they seem very solid

the extendable boom seems like a good idea, as I hate having a long boom when its not always needed

Yeah, the company I work for messed about with cheap looking_for_a_bargain stands, but it ended up being more cost effective to go for the K&M stands. Pricier, yes. Cheaper in the long run? totally!

Just to don the pedant's hat for a moment, my understanding is that the Beyer branded stands are all made for them by K&M, so quality should be (and in my experience is) exactly the same.

In Rob's case, perhaps the ones you inherited were well into their dotage?

That may well be the case, Matt. They are both good stands but the difference is in their tightening systems. The K&M has a "wang bar" for tightening a boom attachment which (believe me) is a lot more effective than the Beyer which has a knurled wheel and I have used both stands for a very long time but it's the knurled Beyer wheel that loses its effectiveness first.
They are plenty of available spare parts available for both makes nethertheless.
The K&M edges it for me.

AFAIK all the big serious players in the PA business use mostly K&M, even if they do sometimes have Beyerdynamic printed on them! I believe that K&M also 'OEM' stands for other brand names, sometimes incorporating special features exclusive to the particular OEM brand, sometimes not. Beyerdynamic have historically been very succesful at selling their version in the UK.

K&M currently offer three lines of boom/stand combination:

Baseline
Topline
Starline

Some K&M booms have a sort of plasic wingnut and they have ones with a knurled wheel available too, but the "industry standard" ones do have the "wang bar".

Take a look at their web site, the variety of things they make for keeping mics (and other things) off the floor is quite staggering.

I believe Manfrotto make some nice light aluminium ones too - oddly hidden under 'lighting stands' on their web sitewww.manfrotto.com.