Best Fill For Speaker Stands

It's poisonous if you eat it. If you handle it safely, ventilate or do it outside, then make sure it's all sealed up in the stands, it shouldn't be a problem.

All your electronics have lead in them in the solder and such. As long as you don't go around licking the circuit boards it shouldn't really be an issue (until you have to dispose of your gear).

I don't like the idea of using lead to fill speaker stands either, but if you're careful and intentional about handling lead it should be fine. I just think sand and the like is deader, even if not as heavy as lead would be. Deadening the stands is IMO the goal more than just adding tons of extra weight, plus they'll be PLENTY heavy with sand IMO.

 

- Nanny ALERT!

I have both and use guns. Are you now going to tell me how dangerous are guns -
I use vinyl instead of clay targets. Why waste a good terra cotta plate.
My kids are a better shot than I!

 

Apple and oranges. I'm not talking about solder joints. I'm talking about lead dust. There is no 100% safe handling of it. It carries risk, period.

Use it or don't. The health risk is fact.

My dad used to reload guns too, working with all the lead. He used to joke how it will kill him someday when it gave him cancer. 40 years later he died of cancer that metastasized all over his body. Very ugly. Did the lead dust kill him or have anything to do with the cancer? Maybe yes, maybe no. But he knew something about that. He was a Biostatistician doing cancer research for his entire career.

I own a P226 and a PPK myself.

I don't care if you use it or don't. I just wanted to put it out there for people looking for advice about filling stands, that using lead is not safe. Not everyone understands that.

 

I have found and decided to try black aquarium sand I found at a pet store. It looks like it has a real fine consistency that will flow easily through a funnel into the stand tube sections. I will do it later tonight or tomorrow morning.

http://www.petco.com/product/115883/Petco-Black-Aquarium-Sand.aspx

 

Please don't smoke for 40 years and then one day decide to fill 2 speaker stands with lead shot or you'll die

 

I just finished with loading the acquarium sand into the stands. That was so much easier both pouring and compacting than anything else I have used except for the Black Gold product and and better than 1/2 the price of Black Gold. Mission accomplished.

Thanks for all the recommendations and especially the aquarium sand which I had never thought of

 

Ditto. Worked for me

 

got some play sand at Home Depot, filled up the base stands for my Vandersteens when I had them. Seemed to work pretty good, tightened up the bass. Cheap, non-toxic, easy to do and didnt have to worry about it every again...

 

I used sand and lead mixed 50/50 by weight for many years, but one of the local audio salons in town sells ground up nickel that seems to be the cats meow.

 

Faced with the choice between lead and kitty litter, I'll pick kitty litter each time. No amount of lead dust in my home is worth it. The kiddo has a 0 lead level and I intend for her to stay that way.

 

Picked up some Sanus steel foundation stands. Anyone have experience with or with out filler? First experience with speaker stands. Lord knows I have plenty of cat litter

 

The best combination is small lead shot, the same size as what comes in lead pouches that attach to scuba weight belts. You can pick these up in like 5-10lb. fine mesh pouches. Add to this playground sand you buy at Home Depot. Playground sand because that sand has been "cleaned".

Add a little sand then add a little shot and repeat the process.

Do not bother with cat litter, the idea is to mass weight the legs.

 

Thanks

 

I'm still promoting the aquarium sand. Much nicer to me than cat litter and I believe heavier and denser.

 

Rice. Uncooked. Target MR-24 stands.

 

I used sand for sand boxes sold at the Home Depot for my now departed Vandersteen 2Ce Signature stands.
Recently, I purchased a pair of spiked stands for my Chartwell LS3/5A's from a fellow on Craigslist. He was in a very nice upscale part of town and the stands looked great for the price. I do remember he said the stands had lead shot in them. I haven't attempted to open them, and they appear well sealed. Needless to say, the speakers sound superb on them. Should I get rid of the lead shot? mmmmmm

 

Looking very sharp my good man!

 

Thank you very much! This system is my pride and joy.

 

Love me them LS3/5A mini-monitors. Must sound superb!

 

The 15 ohm impedance is a great match for the 16 ohm tap on the Marantz. Great synergy going on. The recent Peter Paul, & Mary reissue remastered by our Host sounds amazing on them.

 

Fan-effing-tastic

 

"Play Sand" - available at many hardware stores.
Here's what the bag I bought looked like...

 

Yep. That's what I used on the Sound Anchors that came with my Vandersteens.

 

I filled mine with a mix of dry sand and a good amount of tiny ball bearings.

 

Are you not concerned about possible bug (weevil) infestations in the rice. It's not that uncommon.