Argosy Studio Desks

[junya-eskimo]

Thinking of getting one of the DUAL 15 desks....

Anyone got any objections?

thanx

Jun

[gainstages]

i think they are great, but check out sterling modular at vintage king before you make up your mind for sure, as they may be a great alternative.

[lowfreq33]

Argosy makes good quality products, but often the cost is greater than or equal to having a carpenter build you something custom that looks cooler and may suit your needs better.

[TornadoTed]

Originally Posted by lowfreq33

Argosy makes good quality products, but often the cost is greater than or equal to having a carpenter build you something custom that looks cooler and may suit your needs better.

Couldn't agree more.

[Infernal Device]

I have a dual 15. I love it. Everyone who walks in is like "WHOA".

However, it is not the highest quality, it is like furniture from Target. Also, it left me with 3 bags of trash and 60 pounds of cardboard. A little wasteful.

Very easy to follow and put together. Very nice people to deal with.

It gets dusty quickly.

The footrest kicks ass.

There. good points and bad points.

[True North]

I had a custom unit built for me to my specific specs for less than half the argosy equivalent.

If you can , find a local cabinet maker and get the unit built to your specs.

[steins]

Argosy is quality stuff. After moving the studio and its furniture 2 times the past 4 years, it still holds up pretty well.

Stein Tore

[gainstages]

anyone know of a good carpenter in the atlanta area? I'm looking to replace my studio furniture in the next couple of months. I like the argosy and sterling stuff, but love the idea of having a few things tweaked and getting it made locally.

[junya-eskimo]

Originally Posted by gainstages

anyone know of a good carpenter in the atlanta area? I'm looking to replace my studio furniture in the next couple of months. I like the argosy and sterling stuff, but love the idea of having a few things tweaked and getting it made locally.

HEY HEY HEY..THIS IS MY POST...FIND YOUR OWN. ..ehhe Just kiddin ..

I was thinking to get a carpenter in and do one for me, but what they supply fits me just fine..

I will check out sterling modular...

And whats this i hear about a foot rest ?


Jun

[plexisys]

Originally Posted by gainstages

anyone know of a good carpenter in the atlanta area? I'm looking to replace my studio furniture in the next couple of months. I like the argosy and sterling stuff, but love the idea of having a few things tweaked and getting it made locally.

Try JAB Woodworks Home

I have not used them but I've seen some custome work they did in a friends house. It was very nice. You will probably have to show them an example of what you want.

[smoore98]

I got a V90 series and I would have to agree that they look nice but the quality of them is actually only one step higher than some target furniture. There is a LOT of packaging. I am getting mine wired up and finished this week so hopefully I can tell you more in a few days. I thought it would be more impressive but now that I have put it together, I am not really that excited. I would have preferred to put that money towards a good custom wood shop (even a great cabinet maker) who could custom-build true solid-wood desks. That would bring it up to the level I would have liked to have seen in this desk. I just think there are not that many choices out there and that is the reason a lot of people have these.

just my 2 cents.

Scott

[junya-eskimo]

Don't tell me they are made of chip board ?????

[yarrick19]

Originally Posted by Infernal Device

It gets dusty quickly.

And this is the furniture's fault?!

[Gone]

Don't tell me they are made of chip board ?????

They sure are!

I have been amazed someone has not come along and gone head to head with them. I bet O'Sullivan (Wal-mart furniture) could build and sell the ProControl desk I have for $399. I think it must be the size of the market that prevents this.

The build quality is crap. Anyone who says different is either defending a purchase OR doesn't know quality. Or should I say has a different opinion of quality than I do.



David

[steins]

Originally Posted by dpasch

They sure are!

I have been amazed someone has not come along and gone head to head with them. I bet O'Sullivan (Wal-mart furniture) could build and sell the ProControl desk I have for $399. I think it must be the size of the market that prevents this.

Of course it is. If IKEA saw a future in studio furniture, we could all get nice desks for $99.

Originally Posted by dpasch

The build quality is crap. Anyone who says different is either defending a purchase OR doesn't know quality. Or should I say has a different opinion of quality than I do.

David

So, who then makes quality (as in "better than Argosy at an equal or lower price"), studio furniture? Links?

Stein Tore

[Mydog_Nixon]

I have had great success with KK audio. http://www.kkaudio.com/

[Style&Function]

Hello
I own a company based out of Miami Style & Function. All of our products are 100% custom made to order. All 100% cabinet wood with your choice of many beautiful finishes. Attached is a console we did that is simialar to the dual 15. This is just to give you an idea. We can build it however you like. Feel free to email me with any questions. akalusomal@styleandfunction.net Also we ship worldwide and our prices are very competitive :)

[Style&Function]

One more note our site: Style & Function Pro Audio Furniture is currently being totally redone, mean while if you like you can log into ebay and type 280163215862 in the search tab which will take you to a few more console designs. Thanks!

[Infernal Device]

Originally Posted by yarrick19

And this is the furniture's fault?!

Well, kinda. I have two pairs of black speakers on top of the desk that do not get as dusty (along with other things). It is just that matted surface that seems to collect it.

That is such a minor thing, but it is all I see when I look at it.

[Jeff D.]

I have a dual 15 mastering version. I've had quite a few custom cabinets made over the years, and those are stronger and heavier for sure. But the lines of the Argosy look right, the monitor sits at exactly the right height, the rack openings are nice and are set back perfectly, and it doesn't tip over.

I can't say all that about the custom racks I've had made.

Also note that the Argosy pricing includes shipping.

Jeff D.

[Audionaut]

I had my heart set on an Argosy desk, but I was talked out of it by two other engineers that had owned Argosy and recently "upgraded" to Sterling Modular. Chief complaints were cheap material and poor access to racked gear. I went with sterling on their recommendation & can say that it's been a breeze to assemble and use my desks & racks. I can access my "console" gear from any side of the desk via removable cloth panels. My rolling racks (facing up) have access from the front and back. Looks great, functions perfectly. I'd imagine that the more open design also improves ventilation and acoustics as a whole. Haven't owned an Argosy desk personally, but I did lust after the dual 15 in white for a while. Has a 2001 space odyssey thing going for it.

[kittonian]

One of the major things that people seem to forget when it comes to studio furniture is that when you go with the lesser priced desks they are very functional but not designed as an acoustician would. That is the major difference and the reason for a bulk of the higher cost of pieces like the AudioLot CRC and the rest of the line from Sterling Modular (they build the CRC for us).

When you use solid wood construction, have ISO boxes, and every angle is thought about from an acoustic perspective in order to avoid any early reflections, you have a huge R&D outlay to make that product a reality. Couple that with the cost of using solid wood, the add-on items such as LCD arms, monitor arms, temperature controlled fan systems, etc. and the cost gets higher. It's sort of a "you get what you pay for" scenario.

I'm not knocking companies like Argosy or OmniRaxx, I'm simply stating a point that when arguments come through such as "I can have my local carpenter put some wood together for less money" you aren't actually comparing apples to apples, especially when you look at the higher end acoustically designed studio furniture offerings.

[Brad McGowan]

Originally Posted by kittonian

I'm not knocking companies like Argosy or OmniRaxx, I'm simply stating a point that when arguments come through such as "I can have my local carpenter put some wood together for less money" you aren't actually comparing apples to apples, especially when you look at the higher end acoustically designed studio furniture offerings.

I totally agree that a lot of offerings out there don't make much acoustic sense. However, it's not really rocket science to do some simple trigonometry and work out the best angles. If you have access to CAD software you can draw up angles that work with your setup in a matter of hours...and then give that to your local carpenter. But you're right--making something look cool is only a part of it.

Brad

[gainstages]

+1
fyi, i found a carpenter who is also a music and studio nut. going over next week to check out his portfolio. he expects he can give me a nicely customized desk similar to argosy and sterling in design but with premium woods, custom color, with wood trim to match my floors, etc. he get's acoustics and can do the job for a decent amount less than what i'd pay for a stock piece.

and even better, he's willing to trade some studio time for labor, as his studio isn't as well equiped as mine.

nice.