Filling speaker Stands?

I posted on this very subject earlier today, describing how easy it is to be lulled into the state of mind that absorption or damping is always good. And how difficult or impossible it is to change course once one has started down that path. It’s what Acoustic Revive, a high end Japanese company, refers to in their literature as “over-dumping.” Pity the man who believed more is better and didn’t pay attention to the potential for over-dumping.

jrpnde OP
Well....I am the OP of this thread. There have been many suggestions as to how to fill stands with small openings, what that fill should be, and to what level of fullness should be. I have learned a lot based on the experiences of many.My take on all of the responses......the only way to find the best solution for me is to try different approaches. Of course, filling speaker stands isn’t as simple as trying other options such as just switching interconnect cables and the like.

>>>>>Eggs ackley! Which is why you cannot AB the various possible solutions, at least not very easily. It’s not that easy to AB one, if you ask me. How can you be sure? People generally pick the one that seems like a good idea and don’t look back. Furthermore, dry sand acts as much as a damper as adding mass. It’s the same idea as the sand-filled iso stands of yore from Bright Star. In addition, like my, ah hem, new iso stand, glass microbeads are much more efficient in their isolating action than sand ever thought of being. It’s along the lines of why woodpeckers are able to withstand tremendous negative g forces without sustaining massive head wounds.

Plus, as I already opined, isolating the speakers would be the preferred solution anyway.

Thanks for the keen psychoanalysis, Mr. Clean Slate. Can I suggest a long cold shower? And maybe cut back a little bit on the Viagra.

Whoa! What! Glubson finally blew a head gasket. Oh, well, that’s the way it goes sometimes. Of course he’s far under 60. He’s 15.

The problem is, as is so oft the case, “minimal resonance” is not really the name of the game. It’s sound quality. If you cannot hear the detrimental effects of lead on the sound then you should probably hang up your spurs. With an objective ear, not a presupposing ear, you should be able to hear how the entire base spectrum suffers. I admit lead seems like such a great idea. Not too soft, not too hard. Pierre Sprey of Mapleshade swore by lead and would carry a couple hundred pounds of the stuff out to Las Vegas for his exhibit at CES. Then one day Karakal-boom! ⚡️⚡️He finally realized lead was hurting the sound. Sometimes it takes a while for it to sink in. 😢

No, glupson, it was actually your post that had no bearing on the case. 

What if aliens come down and abduct the toddler? The chances are higher the toddler will fall out an open window or drink some Draino. You can play the what if game until the cows come home. 🐄 🐄 🐄

Look! Two 🍑🎩 just flew by.  Make a wish, Johnny.

So did anyone actually AB the system with filled stands and without filled stands? No. How about a blind test? No.

phomchick
If you use sand, only use stands that are welded, stands that have bases or parts that are screwed or bolted together might cause sifting in the cracks
I had some steel stands that rang like bells. I filled them with play sand from Home Depot ($6), and sealed the tubes with expanding insulating foam from a spray can to keep the sand in.

As is usual on Audiogon, this thread is full of nonsense: toxicm effect on the bass, don’t fill the tubes all the way, it will kill the sound, & etc.

>>>>Prolly best to file that one under WHATEVER. 😬

Generally speaking, lead is not a good material for sound. Yes, I know, it’s not too soft and not too hard and seems like the perfect material for audio applications. But in most cases, lead has a toxic effect on the sound, especially the bass, which can get all weird and unnatural sounding. If you want something to address ringing hollow fiber wool works very well, and used sparingly. Isolating the speakers is probably worth considering, too.