Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Briefly: -------- I ordered these stands to hold a pair of satellite speakers on a 7.1 setup and I am currently using them but the few design flaws have created major problems and, while I am using them now, I would not order them today, knowing what I know now. But, here it is, what I hope is an objective review. Packaging: ---------- They were delivered in a nice box. All parts were packed tight and secure with all wooden panels well protected against scratches. Assembly: --------- It shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes. It basically consists on attaching the 2 pillars to the base and then adding the top to the assembly. It's 8 screws per stand. A Phillips screwdriver is needed. I was impressed how everything fit perfectly. There were no chips, cracks or scratches. Looks: ------ These are surprisingly good-looking if black finish is what you need. To the extent that you can avoid chipping on scratching them, they don't look 'cheap' at all. The bottom place allows for the speaker wire to come from underneath but there's no groove so, if you are placing the stand on a hard floor, it would destabilize it but carpets should be okay. Plastic wire covers will hide the wires if anyone would ever look 'behind' the speaker. Design Flaws: ------------- * BASE* There is no way you can hide the wire by running it under the base because there is no groove carved in the base for that purpose. If the stand sits on a flat, hard surface such as a wood floor running a wire underneath would destabilize the stand. If the stand sits on a carpet you MIGHT be able to squeeze a thin wire under, if you are using the provided spikes. * WIRE PATH * Assuming that you found a way to run the wire under the base, you will find that it's impossible to pass it through the speaker platform hole, unless it's a very thin wire. It was impossible to run a 16 gauge speaker wire through that hole. * SPEAKER PLATFORM * If you wire was thin enough to pass through the wall, you will have to deal with the hole being in the center of the platform. The only way you can have the wire going through that hole without destabilizing the speaker is by placing the speaker on its back, facing the ceiling or, if the speakers are small enough, place them on the front half of the platform, possibly destabilizing the stand. I am currently using these stands in the same way I'd be using a stool to hold the speakers. The wire does not go underneath the base and it does not pass through the holes in the base or the speaker platform. There are no mounting options but I manage to keep the speaker in place with a little Velcro - it works. Overall: -------- Even though the packaging is tight, the assembly is easy and the materials appear to be of good quality I would not order stands of this design again for the reasons I stated above. Therefore, a 2-star rating is warranted because in Amazon's rating system 3 stars mean 'I like it' and I don't.