Does only Flexson do stands for the new Play 5?

chrisbanner wrote:

I have always wondered why there aren't multiple manufacturers of Sonos stands - surely there is demand for this product out there?

I find Flexson to be overpriced and heir customer service is awful (no responses to repeated email inquiries). Moreover, as far as I can see their new Play 5 stand isn't yet available in the US.

Does anyone know of any other options apart from Flexson for a 2nd gen Play 5 stand?

When I search for the floor stands I indeed only see Flexson, but my guess is that there will or are more companies selling them, best shot would be at local dealers or hifi shops near you.

http://www.electronicsforless.ca/manufacturers/flexson-181/index-3.html

This is a mount for the new play 5s and a Canadian site

I used Bose FS-1 Bookshelf Speaker Floor Stands... a pretty nice match

The Flexson stand to my knowledge is one of only two stands currently designed specifically for the Play:5 2nd gen. There is another company that is making wood stands for the Play: 5 but the reviews have not been good and even their online pix don't look very good. I have other Flexson products and have always found them to be well-designed and well-built. The new Play:5 stand is no exception -- except for one glaring omission. The stands are only for positioning of the Play:5 in landscape mode. You cannot use the stands with the speakers in portrait mode. I can't understand why Flexson would do this when Sonos has gone to such lengths to make the Play:5 Second Generation speakers playable in portrait mode -- even putting accelerometers in them so that they automatically sense and reconfigure the speakers depending on the position. Indeed, the speakers are specifically designed to be used in portrait mode when used in a stereo pair in a relatively small room. (They work great as a stereo pair in landscape mode in larger rooms). In a small room, the portrait mode provides greater separation and fantastic imaging. That is one of the reasons I moved up from a set of first gen Play:5's. Except Flexson has only designed their new stands for landscape mode. And they don't even put this on their packaging or clearly signal this in their advertising. However, even Flexson recognizes that they screwed up. I called the company and spoke to a representative who told me they are designing a new stand that will permit the Play: 5 to be used in either landscape or portrait mode. The rep made it clear that they are not going to create a new piece of hardware for the current stands that would allow a retrofit -- something that strikes me as very easy given the modular nature of the stands. But you can bet they won't publicize the new stands or sell them until they have sold their inventory of the current, deficient stands. (I'm actually amazed a company employee actually admitted to me that they recognized they blew it and were doing a re-design). What does that mean for the would-be Sonos Play: 5 2nd Generation speakers? It means that there is no stand out there that has been custom built for portrait mode. And if you think you and just use another high-end stand, think again. Unlike classic bookshelf speakers, the Play:5 2nd Gen speakers are all and thin: they have a relatively small small footprint for their height and they have a relatively high centre of gravity. What that means is that if you put that on other stands, they will be extremely unstable and the look weird on ordinary stands -- so it would be an expensive and unsatisfactory fix. Trust me, I have tried. Your only recourse is to put the speakers in portrait mode on a bookshelf or on the floor. Not good. So, if Sonos wants their customers to take full advantage of the amazing capabilities of the Play: 5 2nd Generation speakers in portrait mode, they need to create their own line of stands. Or perhaps there is another enterprising speaker designer out there who can fill this small but important niche? Over to you Sonos!

I know this is an old thread, but in case you are still checking, Flexson has come out with a stand that will work in portrait mode for the Play 5 (Gen 2). I wish they had developed something that could be used either position interchangeably, but it has to be one stand for vertical, or another stand for horizontal.

I've just purchased 3 Alphason stands for the new Play:5. They work in either portrait or landscape orientation and are very easy to assemble. I prefer them to the Flexson stands because they're a little chunkier. The Flexson stands are very thin and spindly looking with a Play:5 on top, in my opinion.

A complaint vs the Flexson is that you can't position the speaker in portrait AND landscape. I looked at the Alphason and they look like a good alternative. I wonder if they ship to the US as Flexson does not.

I'm in Australia, which means that while I was able to find a local importer, I ended up paying a steep premium on the UK price to cover their import/shipping fees... but since it's the only vibration-reducing alternative which allows me to change my mind about orientation, you just kind of bite the bullet and do it.

Perhaps a little clever googling around with your locality might reveal a US importer as well. The Alphason site is very UK-centric, even with their dealer locator unfortunately. If all else fails, and you're willing to pay for shipping to the USA yourself, there are several re-shipping options you can look into (like Borderlinx) but check on amazon.co.uk to see if there's a seller which ships to the USA first. There wasn't one which shipped to Australia, but your mileage may vary.

Good luck 🙂

While Flexson themselves may not ship to the US, their stuff is on Amazon, and can be ordered through them. And some stereo shops might carry their stuff. I've pretty much stopped going to stereo shops these days, even Best Buy/Magnolia stores, and get most of my stuff online.

I've never looked at Alphason, so I can't comment on their availability here in the US.