How about some sexy Italian desktop stands for your sassy French monitors? Oui — I mean sì. In a previous issue, I reported on Italian studio furniture manufacturer ZAOR and its fabulous Miza Griprack [Tape Op #114]. Now I’m here to tell you about the Miza D-Stand. Decoupling the monitor from the mixing desk or worksurface can reduce the physical transmission of vibrations to your furniture and room — resonances that can cloud the details you should be hearing from your speakers. There are more than a few solutions if all you need is an inch or two of height under your monitors, including the Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizer [Tape Op #66] and Auralex MoPad [#30], but there aren’t a ton of nearfield desktop stands available.
The little Miza D-Stand looks like a compact version of a heavy-duty monitor stand, which is exactly what it is. I think the D in D-Stand is short for Desktop — meaning it’s really designed to just plop right onto a desk. The D-Stand is sturdy as hell. It seems to be made mostly of real wood, and it does not tilt or articulate on eight different radiuses. There is no serial number (or any information for that matter) on the stand, because it will probably never break. There is no glowing pink logo on the front. Actually, there is no logo anywhere to be seen, which is really refreshing. The D-Stand has a modern, chic look, and it’s available in the standard Miza color schemes — grey/oak, gray/wengé, and black/cherry — which should match aesthetically with most other studio furniture.
The stand is rated to hold 22 lb, but it bore the weight of a 29 lb monitor without blinking. Like I said, this lil’ dude is sturdy. There are 3/8’’ thick urethane pads laminated to both the top and the bottom of the stand for decoupling the speaker from the desktop. Throughout the range of audible frequencies, I felt very little vibration on the desktop from my pair of D-Stand mounted monitors, and transients from the monitors were focused and clear. The D-Stand can be height adjusted (by twisting the opposing bases around an internal threaded rod) between 7.75’’ and 11.1’’, which sizes perfectly for most nearfield monitors on average height desks and tables.
Being modular — meaning the D-Stand is not permanently attached to the desk or the monitor at any time — it’s easy to properly position a set of monitors on just about any desk anywhere, which also makes the D-Stand portable! I played a little game called “let’s see what it would take to tip over my monitor.” (I do live in earthquake country.) With the D-Stand on the job, I found that I’d have to either intentionally push or fall on the monitor for it to take a tumble. A simple bump wouldn’t knock it over.
There are no instructions here. Intelligent design like this assumes you are smart enough to figure it out for yourself. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so I’m not going to tell you how to use speaker stands. I’m convinced that the Miza D-Stand will still look good in 20 years, and it will surely outlast multiple sets of monitors. It’s a smart, long-term buy.
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