So, I found myself needing some gear for a community theatre thing I was helping out with last month. Nothing massive, just a small stage setup in the local hall. We needed some decent speaker stands and a few bits like cable protectors because people would be walking around near the stage.
First thing I did was dig out some old stands I had in storage. Cheap things I bought years ago. Got them set up, put the speakers on, and one of them immediately started to wobble. Like, seriously wobble. Tightened everything I could, but it just felt flimsy. Didn’t trust it one bit, especially with kids potentially running about.
Getting the Right Stuff
I decided enough was enough. Can’t risk a speaker falling on someone. Went online and had a look. I remembered seeing some Adam Hall stuff before, looked pretty sturdy. Found some speaker stands from them that looked solid, and also spotted their cable protectors, the Defender series I think they call them. Ordered a couple of stands and a few lengths of the protector ramps.
When the boxes arrived, I unpacked everything. The stands felt way heavier than the old junk I had. Proper steel tubing, decent locking mechanisms. Put them together, which was straightforward. Felt really secure once they were up.
Setting Up
Then I tackled the cable protectors. These things were also surprisingly heavy, made of thick rubber. They had these connector bits, so you could link them together to make a longer ramp. I laid them out where the main power and audio cables needed to cross a walkway near the entrance. They clicked together pretty firmly. Ran the cables through the channels – easy enough. Once they were laid down, they stayed put. No slipping around on the floor like some cheaper ones I’ve used before.
- Unboxed the stands and protectors.
- Assembled the speaker stands – simple screw fittings.
- Positioned the stands, checked stability (much better!).
- Laid out the Adam Hall cable protectors.
- Connected the protector sections together.
- Ran the necessary cables through the channels.
- Checked everything was secure and tidy.
The Result
During the setup and the actual event days, the gear just worked. The stands held the speakers perfectly still, no wobbles, no worries. The cable protectors did their job; people walked over them all day, trolleys rolled over them, and they didn’t shift or break. Cables stayed safe.
It sounds basic, I know. Just stands and ramps. But it reminds me of why sometimes paying a bit more for the non-glamorous stuff is worth it. I remember years ago doing a small outdoor gig, used a cheap mic stand. Halfway through the singer’s set, the boom arm just gave up and slowly drooped down. Had to dash on stage and tighten it mid-song. So embarrassing. It’s the simple, foundational gear failing that causes the biggest headaches sometimes. Getting reliable basics, like the Adam Hall stuff proved to be this time, just lets you focus on the actual event without sweating the small stuff.
