RE: K&M stands-
I think
@gafftaper is spot on with these choices. The
mic stand discussion popped up often enough in the LAB forums at prosoundweb.com that it got sticky treatment in the Lounge forum. It comes down to the 2 Axioms of Audio - "buy once, cry once" and "the wrong product at the right price is still the wrong product." K&M stands justify their price with longevity and quality.
I still use K&M stands and booms that I purchased new in 1980. From that era I only have 1 Atlas stand remaining from original
purchase and none of the cheap stuff I bought later. The price of stuff I threw away was 100% expense; but the continued use cost of my K&M stands gets lower every year; when I bought those stands almost 40 years ago they cost $40, so I've spent a buck a year to own them. The $20 stands I threw out in 4 years cost me $5/year to own. I can't think of any other mic or accessory stands that will survive the way Konig & Meyer do. Replacement parts exist (although sometimes on a slow boat from Germany) and USA distribution returned to stability a few years ago - it doesn't make sense to
purchase lesser stands.