Sand or shot for speaker stands?

I use a combination of both. I have Target R4 stands and use a bag of leadshot in each and top them up with sand.

Lead shot on its own is less successful that mixing it with a bit of sand, but the difference is subtle. Be careful to listen before and after as it is not a given that you will prefer the sound with your stands loaded. The sound can smooth out, the noise floor reduce and apparent bass extension improve. Equally the sound can become closed in and sluggish. How come? It depends on a variety of things, one of which is the floppiness or otherwise of your floor. For example a very floppy floor is best mated with light and rigid supports, whereas a rigid floor can work best with heavily damped supports.

Hi Bmp; Lead is MUCH heavier and therefore better. Orb's suggestion to fill lead voids with sand is good but messy. If you use small, eg #9 lead shot, there is not much room for sand. Using shot did wonders for my Vand. 2Ces several years ago. Cheers, Craig

All of the comments confirm my personal experience. I do mix sand with the #7 or #9 lead shot for fill. However, the type of sand makes a big difference. I find that silica sand, used for sandblasting is the best. The silica sand used for this purpose must be completely free from every possible contamination, and its sharp, but odd shape packs in with the lead to form a very dense package for damping. Redkiwi is correct in stating that the results may vary. Everything done to your system that affects resonances, can go either way. It greatly depends on your environment, the audio equipment, and even the brand and design of the stand. In short, this is certainly worth experimenting with, for the potential gain to be had for such a small investment. One last thing, I suggest you get a disposable pan from an auto supply place, the type used for do it yourself oil changes. Be sure to wear a disposable mask and fill the stands (or whatever) over the disposable pan. If the tiny lead pellets spill on your floor, wether carpeted or hard, you will regret it!

I am going to experiment with a hot lead pour- only 'cause I have access to a factory that produces and ships lead in all forms aywhere around the world (and they said they can do it). They will mix it with ~ 3% antimony (an impurity), otherwise the lead will 'shrink' too much inside the stands. You can't beat the density using this method!!- But who knows, perhaps I will get to the factory, and end up with lead shot like everyone else. Oh well, I thought it was a cool idea! If I do actually do it, I'll try and remember to let you know how it turns out. By the way- here's an interesting fact- pure lead weighs .4092 lbs/cubic inch. Goood luck!! Sutts