What are people's thoughts on the Flexson floor stand for the Play:5 Gen 2?

What would be the point of buying a desktop stand if you can just set the speaker on a desktop? I mean, beyond the fact that the desktop stand allows you to angle the speaker upward slightly? Seems like an expensive gimmick at first glance.

My mistake for referring to the stands as made by Sonos...I meant Flexson. The Flexson Desktop stands are primarily intended to angle the speakers up to ear level if sitting on a low countertop or angle them down if above ear level on a shelf. Obviously, I altered the intended use to suit my needs. I'll explain my use of the stands to give you a clearer understanding.

My main listening and viewing room are one in the same. I actually use a Sonos Surround setup (PlayBar / Sub / Play 3 x2 surrounds) and Sonos Music setup (Horizontal - Play 5 Gen2 x 2 /Sub) in the same room. My seating position is front center of the TV and Sonos Music setup.

As I mentioned in my link Flexson had not yet introduced the vertical stands when I purchased the Play 5 Gen2 speakers. I required stands for the Play 5's to flank left/right of the TV that would not occupy any more space than a comparable Flexson vertical stand. I happened upon the garden pedestals I described in the Link. Problem solved for stands for the Play 5's.

I later came across the Flexson Desktop stands and thought they might improve the sound stage with a slight angle. Without going into a lot of detail I conducted listening tests using a Db meter (set for speakers) on my iPaD with and without the stands after TruePlay tuning The measured results were better with the Flexson Desktop stands. Results will vary depending upon room dimensions and makeup (i.e. hard or soft).

As you didn't like the Flexson vertical stands I therefore mentioned the Flexson Desktops and how they might be used in a situation where space was a consideration had one used a garden pedestal as I. Correctly, the Flexson Desktop Stands are of no value if Play 5's are used in a vertical position. I hope this provides clarification and proves that I'm not some gullible "nut job". LOL

[/quote]
No, if you believe the quoted from another thread here, by another member:
"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 tall 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 they look weird on ordinary stands -- so it would be an expensive and unsatisfactory fix. Trust me, I have tried."[/quote]

A couple command strip adhesives on the bottom can always be some good security measure.

I am very happy with my Flexon stands for Play:5 Gen 2. They take minutes to assemble, and match my black Play 5's perfectly. That are well made and look great. It IS too bad they can't be set vertically, because it is fun to listen to the same music from both prospectives, although I think the vast majority of listens prefer the horizontal setting anyway.

Has anybody tried these stands from Alphason? http://www.alphasondesigns.com/all-sonos-brackets/alphason-sonos-play-5-gen-2-floor-stand-mount---black.htm

Pictures and description suggest they can be used both vertically and horizontaly.

The vertical placement permitted does seem to make these more useful than the Flexson stands, which only allow horizontal placement. Given the inherent instability of the unit in vertical placement, there probably needs to be a way to secure it in some way to the stand, and the stand needs to be bottom heavy for stability, although the base looks wide enough. I am not sure that these things are apparent from the link.

I agree with Kumar...I would not trust Play 5's in a vertical mount on the Alphason stand. It just doesn't look to be secure given the Play 5's design and weight. Otherwise in horizontal mount they appear to be OK.

Just curious...Why do you want to mount your Play 5's vertically? Is it due to available space or just aesthetics? Hopefully you realize that positioning the Play 5's vertically makes their output mono. That's fine if you are going to make them a stereo pair (for a more focused sweet spot) or use as surrounds. As a single speaker you would have degraded sound.

That's fine if you are going to make them a stereo pair (for a more focused sweet spot) or
Or perhaps in a smaller room - in any place where the room with speaker interaction delivers better sound via vertical placement, which is a recommended alternative only when used as a stereo pair.

Only because I am used to hifi kit, I prefer the vertical look and I must say that the picture of the speaker vertically placed on the stand makes it also look like the serious hifi speaker that it is - and as such, obviously to be used as a pair. Subject to stability/safety concerns being met of course.

I can't recommend the Flexson stands, because if you raise them too high, then the screw gets loose where you can't adjust them anymore. I now have to keep the stands at its lowest, unfortunately. Flexson needs a new type of adjustable stand that works better. The only thing that I like is that they are very attractive, but not practical.

Interesting. Neither of the pair I have are adjustable.

I didn't realize, or forgot, that they have adjustable versions.

Yes, they do have an adjustable version, but you can't raise them too high. They can break very easily.