The Magma Riser Laptop Stand is a very stable platform for your laptop or controller.
The Magma Riser Laptop Stand is different to most stands aimed at DJs, in that it is an X-shaped design, which is inherently stronger than the “sideways U” usually seen (for instance in another Magma stand we’ve reviewed recently, the Magma Traveler laptop stand). It’s also designed to raise your laptop or controller to a shallower height and with less angle than most other designs.
In this Magma Riser Laptop Stand review, we’ll explain how the stand is assembled and disassembled, and report how it fared with both a lightweight laptop and a heavier DJ controller on it, so you can decide if this kind of design might be better for your needs than a bigger, heavier stand.
Magma Riser Laptop Stand review
The stand comes in a box which contains a canvas-style branded nylon zip bag and the stand itself. It’s really light, weighing only 800g, and is made of quite thin painted metal (our review model was red but you can get black too).
It’s actually with heavier gear that the stand comes into its own.
There are four rubber feet, one on each of the corners of the metalwork, and the legs are riveted to each other and to the top plate. The top plate has two pairs of four steps underneath it so you can adjust the stand to four heights of between 3.9 and 9.8″ (10 and 25cm), and the topside of the plate has all exposed metal covered in adhesive-backed foam pads to protect the underside of your gear.
Assembly just involves pulling the legs apart and slotting the top bar of the “loose” leg into the height adjusters of your choice. As soon as that clips into place and you put the stand on a surface, it all becomes instantly rigid – more so than typical DJ stands, due to the fact that this is the most stable type of stand by design.
I preferred it in a lower position, where I found it extremely stable with little ‘give’ in any direction.
There is nothing to hold what you put on the stand into place, apart from the foam; the angle is slight and the height low enough for this to be generally unnecessary. However, I felt that my MacBook Air was more “perched” than “placed” on the stand when it was in a higher setting, and preferred to use a lower setting for that reason.
It’s actually with heavier gear that the stand comes into its own. Not only does it become even more stable (weight simply spreads out through the structure making it über-solid), but unlike with other designs of stand, this one truly is rigid – there’s no sideways or up/down give at all.
For a controller where you might be manhandling the jogwheels and hitting the pads with a bit more force than is strictly necessary at the height of a performance, that extra stability is a good thing to have.
The stand is as easy to fold up and put away as it is to assemble, and once it is in its bag, it’s the lightest and smallest of al the stands we’ve reviewed so far on Digital DJ Tips.
Conclusion
If you DJ in a place where the DJ set-up surface is just a bit too low for your controller, this is the best choice of all the stands we’ve reviewed so far, because it is super-sturdy, very light and child’s play to set up and put away. Likewise, if bending down your laptop keyboard at your gigs is giving your back grief, here’s a solution for you. As a bonus, it’s pretty cheap.
It is super-sturdy, very light and child’s play to set up and put away.
But if you’re looking for a stand you can tuck behind other equipment that’ll perch your laptop high in the air, angled sharply towards you and held securely, this isn’t it – it’s a “low riser” style and can’t be put at more than a slight incline on any of its settings. It also has no lip at the front to physically hold your gear on it.
It’s best thought of as a mini-table, which is what ultimately marks it out from most laptop/controller stands. If this type of thing is what you’ve been looking for, the Magma Riser Laptop Stand is a good example of it, and we can recommend it.
Video
Summary
We like:
- Lightweight and portable
- Inherently strong design
- Very sturdy
We don’t like:
- No way of securing anything onto it
- Not ideal if you want something that tucks behind or under other gear
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Product details:
Size & weight: 9.8 x 9.8 x 0.6″ (250 x 250 x 15mm), 1.8lb (0.8kg)
Price: US$39 / £38 / €47
Buy from: Amazon (US), Juno (UK), Juno (rest of Europe & world)
What do you think?
What did you think of our Magma Riser Laptop Stand Review? Is this the right stand for you? Do you already own it, and if so, how do you find it? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Now go to:
Reloop Laptop Stage Review & Video
Review & Video: Magma Control Stand
Review & Video: Magma Traveler DJ Laptop Stand
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Tags: dj laptop stands, dj stands, laptop stands, Magma, magma riser, magma riser laptop stand review
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Still can’t beat the stand for $3.99!
[ link ]http://raphaelpungin.com/dj-laptop-stand-for-3
Err… Wouldn’t this do damage to your cables/plugs after a while – the way you’ve set it on top of them…
Otherwise a great, cheap idea.
[ link ]Useful idea, but I’d hate to think how long the video would be if you were to explain something complicated!
[ link ]Yeah a bit of self editing might not have gone amiss here
[ link ]looking stable…i like the fact you can adjust the height…
IMO with the new 3d printers technology we will see some very interesting designs soon..
thanks for the review !
[ link ]Ah, the picnic table… I thought the point of a laptop stand was to allow people to use the space under the laptop for their controllers etc.
[ link ]well atleast i personally am looking a laptop stand to raise my laptop on a better position @ my home setup
That’s why im considering of buying this !
[ link ]Phil would you recommend this stand for bigger controllers like the S4?
[ link ]Yes, no problem.
[ link ]Awesome! Thank you very much!
[ link ]not a fan of the X design because it can cause problems for fitting underneath any other hardware.
I use the Ultimate Hyperstation Laptop stand because I have a heavy laptop and the thing is strong enough to hold anything from a small laptop to a CDJ.
[ link ]I have this stand and I’m very happy with it.
[ link ]I play with my S4 and is very usefull. Sometimes I have priblems at some DJ booth because there is not too much space behind the controler to put it, and I have to mount it in one side, but it is very confortable to carry inside my bag.
Hey Phil (and everyone else as well
),
Just wanted to pick your brain a bit on this:
If I bought this stand, where would you put it in the DJ booth? The booths here in Japan typically have a analogue mixer, with two vinyl decks for the serato users, then two cdjs beside those.
If I’m bringing this magma stand for my controller and another one for my actual laptop, any ideas on placement?
Always thanks
[ link ]Thanks Phil, nice review.
[ link ]I’m looking for stuff lire that, for my speakers. Would be great to adjust the height of the speakers whether I’m working or standing up DJing.
Any idea?
Never thought of using it that way! I guess you could.
[ link ]Do you know some desktop speaker stands?
[ link ]Many on the Web are DIY, but I’m looking for solid stuff.
Yeah. I’d love some sort of foot or two raiser for my speakers.
[ link ]If I had a controller I’d look into one of these, DJ tables are just so short sometimes.
[ link ]I’ve seen these up close; pretty impractical due to its inability to put anything hands on (like your second controller or mixer) under it. It’s pretty much as good as carrying a collapsible, super sturdy cardboard box around with you (which is alright is that’s what your into and haves lot of stage real estate). Honestly, this thing doesn’t even compare to the crane stand. Yes, it is expensive; although you get a tank for what u pay for, it can hold up a 200 pound / 85~ kg human being, can conform to any angle or style, and can be used to smash skulls with ease (if Chris brown ever crashes your festival show and wants to start a fight)
Just sayin;
[ link ]-Robbie Jacobs
I’m still using a folding metal cooling rack from Target as a laptop stand. $12.99. Expands to fit larger gear. Can fit midi controllers underneath.
Best $12.99 I ever spent.
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