Why are speaker stands so expensive?!

@audiopoint Excellent post.  Ive been involved in pro and consumer for 40+ years.  Stand demos are the most shocking demos in the business.  Cheap stands add a sound to the speaker that cannot be removed.  A good speaker can be ruined by a crap stand.  Even a good looking one.

I really wonder how many people are convinced all these accessories (stands, cabling) are all just evidence of "the man" trying to rip people off.  Funny, if you do an audio demo, it's hard NOT to hear a difference.  In a proper mastering room you will find a very high mass stand and weight tuned springs to completely decouple the speaker from the floor.

Here's an interesting mastering room tour of speakers mounted in glass (high mass), isolated with weight tuned springs.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAO9WjsFcaI  (full disclosure, we are the supplier of ATC to Northward Acoustics and understand why he does what he does) 

Brad

Brad

@lonemountain 

"In a proper mastering room you will find a very high mass stand and weight tuned springs to completely decouple the speaker from the floor."

A listener can do exactly that, without spending thousands of dollars.

Mitch:  You use sound anchors and are the rep for them in the USA. I’ve always recommended them over the years a solution for most people. Very popular in pro, less so in Consumer but should be.

Not sure I understand your comment above? Are you saying a listener doesn’t need to buy Sound anchors and can do this themselves?

@lonemountain

I am not a rep for anything.

Regarding my comment about not having to spend thousands of dollars,

@audiopoint had stated,

The company I represent does not manufacture speaker stands for less than a few thousand dollars per pair

IMO, good speaker stands do not need to cost anywhere near that amount. Sound Anchors stands are less money, and a person who is somewhat talented in wood or metal working could probably put together something acceptable for even less. Solid wood end tables or a cinder block set-up with a wood or metal plinth could even work. Some folks have built forms and cast stands out of concrete. Good stand mount speakers, with the right footers, should sound good on just about any solid support. If you want spring footers, there are much less expensive options than Townshend. Elastomers are even less money. A person can spend as much as they want, but it doesn’t have to be a lot.