Pendragn, there have been more than a few posts regarding the various possibilities for filling stands. Try : Sand or Shot? in the search box.
Advice on stand mounting, please
For the past 13 years or so I've been using a pair of Musical Fidelity MC-4 "large bookshelf" speakers (am I the only person in the world with these Martin Colloms-designed beauties??), screwed to the top of a pair of 18" lead shot filled steel stands. Now, a pair of Tyler Acoustics Reference Monitors are on their way to me and I've just ordered some 24" high steel, sand/lead shot fill-able stands for them. I'd like to avoid screwing the new speakers to the new stands, but I wonder if there's a sonic penalty involved in not coupling them securely. What do you guys think? What's the best interface to use between the stand's steel mounting plate and the speakers?...felt pads, sorbothane, spikes, something else? Also, do you prefer sand or lead shot to fill the stands? Many thanks.