Stage North America

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djdeejay

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Hi guys,

Id just like to say I bought a set of these so called 'white man scam' speakers people are referring to by "Stage" about a year and a half ago (October 2007) I got the ones with the 3 white cones in, floor standers which came with rear bookshelves too.

I too couldn't find any information on them and I was looking for some info again as i came to buy a new amp and I wondered what might match as i was running an old Yamaha but this has now gone down to my restaurant and im looking for an upgrade (or at least something with HDMI on)

Anyway the only things i could find were links to some suspicious threads which got locked on here.

So as a genuine low posters on AV forums and no the white man van trying to talk to product up id have to put straight the ultra square and sceptical and say these are not a scam - at least not a scam in the sense of paying for something and not receiving it.

Let me say now I am an mix engineer and producer - which actually makes you think of sound a bit differently to a hi-fi lover. For a start off theres no way id be paying thousands and thousands for speakers because i'll let you know now - when your paying £80 a square meter for speaker cable, in the studio we're using patch bay cables that cost a few pounds that the sound is travelling through.

Anyway thats for another thread - i appreciate what sounds good to my ears, funnily enough my favourite in ear headphones are Creative EP-130's - i even sold my £200 pair of shures because they were not as pleasing to listen to music with - so with that in mind perhaps that would stop anyone who prefers a different type of sound from loving these speakers.

To be fair ive been trained to listen to flat speakers - i spent 5 years of my life listened to music on NOTHING but uncoloured studio speakers which do not make any adjustments to sound like ALL hi-fi speakers do - its just dead. I got used to this, and like cutting sugar out of your diet when you do listen to something on hi-fi speakers it sounds bizarrely sharp and top end it (I refer to it as an ultra hi-fi sound) none of the top end speakers really sound natural at all, despite people referring to them as natural and uncolorued - its very far from that.

Back to these white van speakers then. They look fantastic, they sound as good as anything you could buy for £150. Perhaps Stage dont exist (to be fair mine had Canada written on the cardboard boxes) but they honestly sound pretty damn good. They've got 3 woofers and a sub in the sides! Yes thats ridiculous for the price - or maybe we're just over paying ridiculously for top end hi-fi...maybe thats the scam?

One of the speakers arrived and one of the woofers was blown, but "the white man van" replaced it for free. They've now worked flawlessly for two years. I think I may have paid over £200 actually because i got a centre speaker too.

Upon opening them the internal wiring was far too thin to be fair, but that could be easily replaced.

I dont really know what you class as a scam, even if some bloke in London is bashing these out - hes doing a pretty damn good job. incedently those Creative headphones i was on about - there are lots of Chinese fakes of them, and they really do sound horrendous, that is what i would call a scam - but I honestly don't think you could buy a set of speakers for £200 from Richer sounds or anywhere else that sound better than these - but they also look beautiful as well.

The bloke rekoned he'd set them up in a premiership footballers house and they were happy with them - probably a load of rubbish to be fair, i was sold with the white cones they fitted in with my black and white design of the room at the time. I partened them up a morduant short sub from richer sounds and i honestly dont think id ever have a reason to bother upgrading this speaker package - I can't image house it would sound much better without me spending a hell of a lot more money that I have.

Call me sceptical about speaker technology anyway though - it hasn't changed for years and years...if a speaker sounded amazing 10 years ago (such as a decent set of missions my old manager has do) theres never any reason to upgrade....TV's age and get better - until they find a new way of moving air, charging ridiculous amounts for "new speaker technolgoy" that doesn't exist is the biggest scam of all.

Make of that what you will - im one of the those happy people who gave geniune feedback for someone on ebay who probably doesn't exist anymore i just feel that the scepticsm can be a bit too much on the internet sometimes, although as i said - im not really sure what you were suggesting the scam would be - that the speakers wouldn't arrive (they did) or that they were not worth £150-£200 (id suggest they easily are - they could have been using components from those horrendous speakers Tannoy/Radio Shack used to sell in the 90's for £50 - now they really did sound like speakers the white van scam people would have sold!)

Thinking of getting an Onkyo 607 from Richer Sounds at the minute, if i do, or pick the Sony I will take some photos for everyone of a setup im very happy with thats cost me bugger all really! (Ive got a Samsung 40" 1080p which cost me £550 when they were £1200, some "white van speakers" which look like £1000 and probably sound like £400, Yamaha Amp which cost me £100, Apple TV which cost me £80 and has over 400 major HD files streamed directly to it, SKY HD which i got for free, and an Xbox Elite I managed to upgrade from and old xbox for without losing any money...all in all a setup which looks like it cost £6000 for under £1000!)
 
Thank you for providing me with one of the funniest reads Ive had in a long time.
 
P.S.

Id just like to add one thing...

They did have a website - Stage - High Quality Speakers

It was live in 2007 - and lots of models of speakers.

Wouldn't it be a bit over the top to go this far...and get photos like that done of the quattro speaker (which I have) if you were just selling them from white vans or over ebay?

That website went offline around the time they started appearing on ebay - maybe they really did go bust - perhaps they are made by someone in a warehouse in London - they certainly weren't worth $2000 as suggested by the original PDF though!

Strange enigma i agree - they did come in branded boxes too, with lots of info on, and they've got stamps on the back with wattage information and everything else - would true white van scams go this far too...i know much it costs to print up properly branded retail boxes! - more than £150 to sell the speakers in!!

And by the way im not hre to talk up the speakers in case you think im one of the white man vans - check my posts from years ago all geniune i live in Chester if anyone wants to come by and listen to them. You cant even get them on ebay anymore anyway...
 
If you search this forum or the HiFi System forum, you will find long discussions about 'Stage North America' speakers. I think we even managed to find a website for them; Chinese of course. These speakers are listed as costing something like $2,000 to $3,000, and they are right. The problem is, it is HONG KONG Dollars, HK$2000 = US$258 = UK£156.

And of course that is Suggested Retail Price, not the common selling price. So, these speakers are probably worth less than £100.

Part of the problem with these and all 'White Van Speakers' is that they are misrepresented. That, and of course, they sound like crappola.

Steve/bluewizard
 
If you search this forum or the HiFi System forum, you will find long discussions about 'Stage North America' speakers. I think we even managed to find a website for them; Chinese of course. These speakers are listed as costing something like $2,000 to $3,000, and they are right. The problem is, it is HONG KONG Dollars, HK$2000 = US$258 = UK£156.

And of course that is Suggested Retail Price, not the common selling price. So, these speakers are probably worth less than £100.

Part of the problem with these and all 'White Van Speakers' is that they are misrepresented. That, and of course, they sound like crappola.

Steve/bluewizard

Probably true, but honestly they sound fine and they look great...

I tell you what does sound crapola though - the sound from my Samsung TV, now those speakers should be from the back of a white van...truly appalling!
 
So as a genuine low posters on AV forums and no the white man van trying to talk to product up id have to put straight the ultra square and sceptical and say these are not a scam - at least not a scam in the sense of paying for something and not receiving it.

:D Call me ultra square and sceptical.... but this still smells like a scam to me. With so many other decent speakers to choose from and so many reputable places to buy them, I wouldn't touch these with a barge poll. :smashin: A scam isn't limited to not recieving the goods after payment, a scam also includes Ultra cheap units in a big square box being sold for £100's more than they cost and various spirious websites and posts singing their praises and suggesting they are actually worth £1,000's. When they arn't and there is no dealer back up. The nature of some scams is simply to make people feel they are getting a lot for their money. ie. Big boxes, lots of drivers, the element of doubt that these might be worth a lot more and then they forget to actually consider what they are buying £200 is a lot of money, most people would consider spending it wisely, but with the smoke screen of 'getting a bargian' and the big flashy showy boxes etc, you have what I would call a scam.

I dont really know what you class as a scam, even if some bloke in London is bashing these out - hes doing a pretty damn good job.

You might not care if they are knocked up for £20 by some bloke in a garage in London, who is laughing all the way to the bank when people pay him 10 times what they cost to produce. but I do! :D

One of the speakers arrived and one of the woofers was blown

Upon opening them the internal wiring was far too thin

So they arrived broken and you feel they are not built to a good standard yet you still wish to recommend them ??? Cheers ! ;)
 
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grin: Call me ultra square and sceptical....

Wouldn't dare! :D:D
 
You might not care if they are knocked up for £20 by some bloke in a garage in London, who is laughing all the way to the bank when people pay him 10 times what they cost to produce. but I do! :D

And how much profit margin markup do you think your favourite mass produced brand are making - probably more than the "white van man" is! :D:D
 
Somehow I doubt it.

Once you include tax, insurance, marketing, R&D and all the other overheads legitimate companies have to pay.

Are you trying to suggest that someone is making these speakers and selling them on for less than they could as they are just a nice guy??
 
Somehow I doubt it.

Once you include tax, insurance, marketing, R&D and all the other overheads legitimate companies have to pay.

Are you trying to suggest that someone is making these speakers and selling them on for less than they could as they are just a nice guy??

Not at all, im just suggesting that you proclaiming someone making a profit is a scam, when they certainly wont be making as much profit as your big name brands do.

On top of that the point your trying to make here is that they dont sound like they are worth £150-£200 and the point im making is they truely do.

Theres lots of speakers in this price range at richer sounds, which remember are already heavily reduced in price once they get there - which sound no where near this good.

So surely the were originally a scam when a set of TDL's cost £250 originally, now cost £150 and still don't sound as good as these so called white van man scams...
 
Not at all, im just suggesting that you proclaiming someone making a profit is a scam, when they certainly wont be making as much profit as your big name brands do.

I never said making a profit is a scam. :confused:

On top of that the point your trying to make here is that they dont sound like they are worth £150-£200 and the point im making is they truely do..

I don't think they will be worth anything like £200 as I think they are a modern twist on the basic White Van Man speaker scam as explained above.

Theres lots of speakers in this price range at richer sounds, which remember are already heavily reduced in price once they get there - which sound no where near this good.

Are you sure? Unfortunately as there is no company name, no legal trading address and no listings for Stage North America speakers I have no way of contacting them and asking to listen to a pair so I can't even start to investigate if they are any good or not... Oddly I am required to shell out over £200 based on nothing but the posts on here and the size of the box :D


So surely the were originally a scam when a set of TDL's cost £250 originally, now cost £150 and still don't sound as good as these so called white van man scams...

Whilst I may not have the time or knowledge to explain the normal procedures retailers follow with RRP etc, I know for sure that selling items at less than RRP is totally different to a scam. IIRC when any price is shown as discounted ie.. "£50 - RRP £100" that the item must have been sold at the RRP for a certain period of time I think it's 28 days??

I don't claim to be a retail expert, that's not my area of business.. but that's not the point. If the bloke making these wants to get a set reviewed then I am sure he could send a set to AVF's excellent review team for consideration :) Then buyers may be able to make an informed choice..
 
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Are you sure? Unfortunately as there is no company name, no legal trading address and no listings for Stage North America speakers I have no way of contacting them and asking to listen to a pair so I can even start to investigate if they are any good or not... Oddly I am required to shell out over £200 based on nothing but the posts on here and the size of the box :D

Because they've supposedly gone bust. Anyway ive offered to let you listen to them here! But theres no point you can't buy or get hold of them anymore anyway.

Anyway your missing the entire point - surely the point of a white van scam is that its supposed to obviously be a scam? The old, ive got these left over on the back of a van and then when you get them home you've paid £200 for a set of £60 gales from Richer sounds, or Radioshack speakers and you instantly know you've been ripped off and they sound terrible.

Where as i dont feel like ive been ripped off, the speakers sound great - I dont think any of the speakers in Richer sounds are worth £150 either as they obviously make a profit on them...but these sounds just as good as them.

So what im saying is - here is the scam here? Your telling me i should feel scammed because they didn't cost £150 to make??

On the contrary Ive had them for two years and no never once thought they were not worth the money - perhaps that annoys people because they cant bear to think something sounds good and didn't cost through the roof. Theres always also that other physiological scam of "if it costs more it must sound better" - and thus "i paid more for my setup so im going to tell you yours is **** because it makes me feel better for over paying..."
 
Because they've supposedly gone bust. Anyway ive offered to let you listen to them here! But theres no point you can't buy or get hold of them anymore anyway.

It's a shame they arn't making them anymore, but then I can't help but wonder why you decided to post a new thread about these speakers, to inform everyone that they arn't a scam, if no one can buy them any longer anyway :confused: :D


Anyway your missing the entire point - surely the point of a white van scam is that its supposed to obviously be a scam?

:confused: I would have thought that a better scam is when people don't even realise they have been scammed... however I doubt that happens often ;)


Where as i dont feel like ive been ripped off, the speakers sound great - I dont think any of the speakers in Richer sounds are worth £150 either as they obviously make a profit on them...but these sounds just as good as them.

So what im saying is - here is the scam here? Your telling me i should feel scammed because they didn't cost £150 to make??

Just because there is a markup doesn't mean they are a scam.. we're going around in circles here... :suicide: All companies make a mark-up as do all retailers to cover overheads etc.. and they are looking make a profit. That's why 99% of people are in business, to make money!

Some operate in accordance with the law, in a reputable way and in a very socially responisible way. Others less so..

But what we are talking about here isn't a legit company, or even speakers from an old company that may or may not have existed, we are talking about a single person making up some speakers in his shed and sticking them on ebay and then spamming this forum with reports of how wonderfull they are and then when me and another mod stepped in whining to us that anyone searching the internet would now see the closed thread and be put off :rolleyes:


He was given ample chance to set the record straight but then disapeared... and these speakers were forgotten about until now.. so you can surely understand my scepticism.

I'm glad you are happy with them, and hope they bring you a lot more enoyment in the future, however I still think it smells of a scam.
 
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we are talking about a single person making up some speakers in his shed and sticking them on ebay and then spamming this forum with reports of how wonderfull they are

I thought you said they were Chinese? - Now whos bending the proof.

Anyway - what your basically saying here is that anyone buying a set of these speakers has been "scammed" even if they think they sound good, just because they have been made cheaply and sold at a profit - because the company doesn't actually exist (or may have done, and im about to find this out as ive got a call back from the guys linked to designing their website on the internet in 2007)

But what a minute - is this what XXXX have been getting away with for years, making truely appaling sound terribly speakers and charging a fortune for them?

Put it this way, if id paid £150 for XXXX speakers in a sale and go them home set them up and listened I would have ended up thinking and been scammed.

---oh wait, then theres XXXXX too....theres plenty of big scammers out there that fit into this profile!
 
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I thought you said they were Chinese? - Now whos bending the proof.

Please do show me where I said this??


Anyway - what your basically saying here is that anyone buying a set of these speakers has been "scammed" even if they think they sound good, just because they have been made cheaply and sold at a profit - because the company doesn't actually exist (or may have done, and im about to find this out as ive got a call back from the guys linked to designing their website on the internet in 2007)

But what a minute - is this what XXXX have been getting away with for years, making truely appaling sound terribly speakers and charging a fortune for them?

Put it this way, if id paid £150 for XXXX speakers in a sale and go them home set them up and listened I would have ended up thinking and been scammed.

---oh wait, then theres XXXX too....theres plenty of big scammers out there that fit into this profile!


No I'm saying that the original threads were closed as they were nothing but the scammer trying to get a set of glowing reviews on a reputable forum to boost his sales.

And that is all.

If you are happy then great, but it doesn't change what happened.

As I have stated before and for the last time. False claims on the internet, fake prices, fake manufacturers etc.. Nothing but a single internet seller, with no company or organisation to back them up is IMHO a scam.

The rest of your post doesn't make much sense to me.. but I've removed the company names from your potentially libelous comments.
 
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You are a mix engineer, producer and own your own restaurant, sounds like you are well off so why would you buy cheapo speakers?

Who have you produced for?
Take That - no wonder your ears ain't that good.

Obviously you are pushing these speakers which no doubt are still out there.
 
:D

Seem's he's logged off?

Some days I do really enjoy modding on here, honest! :)

I'll close this thread again...as entertaining as it is :rolleyes: :D

If Dedeejay or anyone else wants to re-open it then please send me a PM.

EDIT: Opened to give Djdeejay the right of reply.
 
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Id just like to make one last post - feel free to lock the thread or delete it even Baldmonkey if you feel it exist for advertising these speakers which cant even be found anymore.

First of all, struggling in the music industry (even if you have worked with many big names) and owning a restaurant (or any business at the minute) is certainly not a sign of wealth. For me £200 was enough to spend on surround sound speakers at the time, certainly ones which sounded much better than all in one £200 packages i could have got some grossly price inflated places such as currys that looked horrendous and sounded worse.

I have no idea if these are supposed to be a scam or not, i just wanted to point out id just them for two years, they sound a hell of a lot better than many speakers ive heard or used over the years in that price range and they still work now - I do not feel like ive been scammed at all.

It could well be the most elaborate white van scam of all time - but Ive just spoken briefly to the team who designed their website, the guys name is Jamie if you can be bothered to contact them from the link I posted previously you could ask whatever you like...he sent me this information.

"We did start work for Stage Speakers in 2007.
I have no idea what they do now... We never finished the site as of copyright issues of the speakers.

Any further questions, just call or drop me a line.




Kind regards

Jamie Sigler"

and

"As fair as I was aware the company seemed legit.
We did some shoots of the speakers/ started to build a site etc...

We did receive payment for what was done and then heard nothing else.




Kind regards

Jamie Sigler"

and just to add to that the workmanship of the materials is excellent, it doesnt look chinese, one man band, or knock off at all - piano black encloses sealed excellently would seem an elaborate choice of material for a white van scam. As would getting boxes printed up and branded - surely if you were scamming you could cut all costs possible - a plain cardboard box would surfice even "top end" companies cut back here, why would you bother to make them sound half decent either - so the customer doesn't feel scammed? Why bother paying for website design and photos to be done? Its all a very elaborate affair just to shift a few dozens units on ebay for a couple of hundred quid - to be fair there are easier and more prosperous scams out there that leave people actually feeling scammed rather than feeling they've got a good deal.

If there seems to be a problem with that, then so be it. But perhaps the other people here also felt they had a good deal and didn't need shooting down over it.

At the end of the day - our arguements could be one of two things.

Me trying to save face because I dont want to feel ive been the victim of a scam.
You trying to save face because you dont want to admit a lot of hi-fi gear is vastly over inflated and charged a ridiculous amount for when theres little difference in cheaper gear - no one whats to feel they over spent and thus were ripped off in that aspect too.

So no im not trying to big the speakers up - I didnt create a fake account on here years ago and speak about Samsung TV's, Apple TV and the various other topics ive been involved with sparingly over the last few years - just to sell some cheap speakers on ebay lol - that seems as far fetched as offering the white van scam can.

So i'll end it by saying dont buy the speakers - but also dont buy xxxx, and dont buy xxxx as im sure they are rip off merchants, ive never heard xxx make a decent system yet, including having to rip the set out of my car to replace with decent speakers (and they were a £2000 upgrade for the original owner...now that WAS a white van scam if ever i saw one) I dont know why you insisted in deleting the brand I mentioned because that was a genuine opinion of their products that a lot of people seem to share.

Anyway I dont even know what the point of this thread was in the first place to be honest - I just wanted to point out they sound alright for a couple of hundred quid thats all - delete if you want! thanks.
 
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