Audio accessories maker Analog Cases has announced the availability of its XTS Stands in two sizes.
XTS Stands are extendable, designed to be resized to accommodate a wide range of music production gear, ranging from smaller-sized effect pedals all the way up to larger Eurorack modular synth system cases.
They’re made with 100% solid sheet metal construction, so that up to 25 lbs/11.3 kg can be supported. Two XTS Stands sizes are available, to meet specific studio requirements. The small-sized XTS Stands are adjustable to any length between 6.6” and 10.4”, while large-sized XTS Stands are adjustable to any length between 10.5” and 18.25″.
In the case of large-sized XTS Stands, multiple pieces of gear can be held side by side by adding a separately-sold XTS Flex Tray, also available in two sizes — 13.3”/33.8 cm (capable of holding two or three small pedals or synths) and 17.7”/44.9 cm (comfortably accommodating a Digitakt alongside Elektron’s Digitone digital synthesizer, two SP-404 MKIIs, two medium-sized pedals such as Strymon’s BigSky multi-algorithm reverb or TimeLine multi-algorithm delay and looper, or up to five smaller-sized pedals).
Pricing and Availability:
Small- and large-sized XTS Stands are available now, priced respectively for $42.00 USD and $49.00 USD, while the 13.3”/33.8 cm Flex Tray and 17.7”/44.9 cm Flex Tray (for large-sized XTS Stands) respectively retail for $29.00 USD and $34.00 USD.
total ripoffs of KVGear:
https://kvgear.com/pages/beware-of-knockoffs
Here we go.
This should be interesting.
Looks like KVgears designs
Looks nice! They remind me of the KVGear ones.
i guess synthhead didn’t like my last comment linking to the statement from Mike on the KVGear website talking about how this is a total ripoff of their products…?
Don’t be a jerk. Mike’s opinion of a competitor is totally irrelevant. And your reporting on Mike’s opinion is doubly irrelevant. You’re free to buy KVGear’s products if it makes you happy
calling me the jerk while acting like one yourself is really mature. and my “reporting” (just a comment on an article) is quite relevant. why are you so triggered by it? and in fact i have bought many KVGear products and will do so again because their products are excellent.
(ps: “cat fight”? really? god i love this comments section! HAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!)
You can even find the same design on Amazon for as low as 9 dollars
Too bad it had to start with a cat fight. The stands themselves seem useful.
No, that’s exactly why I came here!
I knew after reading about this on Synth Anatomy that this would be a fun comments section and I wasn’t disappointed.
Gotta love Synthtopia for that.
To be fair, they are pretty similar to the KVgear ones. However, it’s a stand. Plenty of similar ones about.
Kvgear’s statement didn’t really help though and just stirred things up more. Probably what they intended though as most people (outside the US) haven’t even heard of KVgear.
I’m not sure in how far these things are patentable, and thus how for you can go in calling similar designs ‘unauthorized’.
But it would come to a surprise if XTS thought of this all by themselves, and claims so. If it’s not patentable then anyone can make them.
Surprisingly XTS seems to be a bit more expensive than KVGear.
Have a look at https://kvgear.com/pages/beware-of-knockoffs
The laptop stands on Amazon are like 10 bucks and do exact same thing just a fyi
What are they? Or what do I search to find one. I need a cheap stand.
I get emails from Analog and I ordered one of these a few weeks ago when they first announced. It’s built like a tank. I’m not really too familiar with desktop stands from other companies, but I think these are great quality, especially for the price.
This is Mike Rafferty, founder and chief engineer at KVgear. Analog Cases XTS stands are knockoffs of KVgear Utility M1 and Utility L1 stands. This statement is based on a thorough analysis of published information from Analog Cases, which includes dimensions, high resolution photos, videos and PDF line drawings.
Our passion for synths led us to originally develop this design. It was the result of a long process of sketching many different options and configurations, experimenting with mockups, modeling several concepts in CAD, and then creating engineering prototypes. Throughout this process we refined the design and stripped it to its essentials. The simple design which resulted from this process was unique.
There are important differences between Analog Cases knockoffs and the original KVgear designs. KVgear stands are more expandable, easier to transport, feature higher quality knobs and thicker rubber trim, and are less expensive. KVgear stands include mounting holes for optional accessories such as an add-on upper tier, Adapt Wings to act as tier extenders, and Adapt Wings to act as kickstands for exceptional stability. We offer more shelf sizes than Analog Cases. Customers have the option of upgrading to an extra long telescoping tube at the time of placing an order.
We have created several other innovative synth stand designs during the past 10 years and we hope consumers will continue to support us. All of our stands are manufactured in the USA and are backed by the longest warranty in the business. We stand behind all of these claims and encourage people to check us out.
……………..
They dont ship outside of US?
you get this error, when you place an international adress [Germany, for my case] “Your order cannot be shipped to the selected address. Review your address to ensure it’s correct and try again, or select a different address.” ..
Exactly this.
If KVgear put more effort in actually marketing their products we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
And there’s the thing. Analog Cases’ XTS is probably the best thing to happen to KVgear.
Outside of the US they’re not very well known. Now there’s a lot of conversation about them. That will probably lead to increased sales for them too. It’s a win win for both companies.
You’re absolutely right about our lack of marketing. I’ve intentionally held back on marketing for a number of reasons, and I’ve been acutely aware of how it’s holding us back. Per a plan that’s been in place most of the year, some of those reasons were eliminated a month ago, and the rest will be eliminated soon. Once that’s done we’ll probably get to the point of marketing too much. 🙂
You’re somewhat right about KVgear benefiting from exposure due to this situation. But we are also being harmed because it’s distracting us from finishing our genuinely innovative new products that are nearly ready for production. And with that said, I need to get back to work.
i ordered two stands from Analog Cases. happy christmas and a merry new year 🙂
Weird how everyone is so upset about a bunch of remarkably ugly looking metal stands
The “knock off” comments seem like trying to create controversy just for the sake of a few clicks…why exclude people from having different options and choosing the right product for their needs. Silly
Because this way they get a load more exposure which leads to more sales!
Yeah. A bit weird and annoying seeing other companies jumping into the comments section with their own slant on things, trying to bias people? Guys, the customer is smart enough to make a decision on their own. I think that sort of thing is ultimately going to backfire, it’s not really a good look.
Ken: You’re right. It is weird of us to comment on a press release from another company. We’ve never done it before and we hope to never do it again. This is the only effective response we can think of to very weird behavior from Analog Cases. Customers can’t make smart decisions if they are being mislead. My intention in these comments is to provide truthful, quantifiable facts. If you see comments from me here that are biased or slanted, please point them out.
I described the Analog Cases XTS stands as knockoffs because that is an accurate description of what they are. Analog Cases copied our designs and then made a few simple modifications, some of which substantially reduce the usefulness of the stand. I did not state whether I think it’s right or wrong for them to copy. And I’m not excluding anyone from having different purchasing options.
I’m not doing this to create controversy. I’m doing this to expose the controversial behavior of Analog Cases. Don’t shoot the messenger. They copied our designs and then bragged loudly about how they created stands which are “innovative”, “unique”, “revolutionary”, and “game changers”.
as others here said. there are numerous other stands that seem to have a similar design or look. why not just explain the positive features of your stands without trashing Analog Cases? i don’t think Apple would go so far as to post on their site about how Android phones “copied” them. because that’s not really the point
totally inaccurate analogy: KVGear is not apple- they don’t have a bazillion kajillion dollars vs google’s kajillion bazillions, the giants in the playground. KVGear are a very small local company trying to do their thing. also this is not a case of “form follows function” – these stands are very clearly 1 to 1 exact clones of KVGear’s, just made more cheaply (and then priced higher).
303: It’s not true that numerous other stands have a similar design or look to ours. From the far side of a large, dimly lit room many stands might appear to be indistinct wedges. But once the lights are on and the stands are viewed from arm’s length, it can be seen that there are no others with a similar design or look to ours. The only exceptions are knockoffs from Analog Cases, Headliner and Innox.
Other stands on the market of this approximate size are quite different in materials, manufacturing methods and assembly technique. Their main bodies are made of routered MDF or solid wood, laser cut slotted plywood, 3D printed trusses or lattices, or bent sheet metal. Their bodies are joined by screws into ends grain of wood connector boards, screws into edges of side panels, threaded rods with hex nuts, or plain rods without end connectors. All of these are different from the KVgear design.
It is strange how a person can 100% rightfully complain about their products getting knocked-off, expose the offenders for what they are, and then be criticized for it. Makes you wonder who these people are criticizing KVGear. Seems pretty obvious they were knocked-off.
exactly. the facts are obvious, but some people like arguing just for the sake of arguing, being contrarian for its own sake, and then being so angry about getting called out for it. or they’re shills for the other company trying to discredit Mike. or it’s just “trolling for the lulz” as the kids say, stirring up chaos just for the hell of it. whatever the case it makes for an entertaining comments section!
(and since this will be my 4th comment here i’m sure someone will accuse *me* of being the shill for KVGear. i’m just a customer of theirs who uses and likes their products. no way to win. kobayashi maru.)
i just use LEGO ® to create my stands – sue me
Update: Check out our video where we compare the Analog Cases XTS stand to our Utility M1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIXOodgmRio SPOILERS: 1) the stands are almost identical except Analog Cases XTS stands have slippery plastic edge trim instead of the extra grippy rubber edge trim on the Utility M1, 2) XTS stand side panels easily become wobbly because the knobs don’t stay tight, and 3) the CEO of Analog Cases bought a bunch of KVgear Utility M1 stands and Expansion Shelves several months ago and a few months later they launched the nearly-identical XTS stands.