Do different speaker stands can really make a big sound improvement?

When I bought my ProAc Response 2's 25 years ago, they came with matching custom-made MDF stands that looked wonderful but sounded awful.  I finally found a used pair of Sound Anchors, and it wasn't until then that I was able to stop fiddling with the speakers and really enjoy them.  There's no question in my mind that speaker stands make an enormous difference.  Personally I would take the manufacturer's recommendations seriously if at all possible in terms of space and available funds.  It would strike me as very odd if a company as old and reputable as Harbeth were promoting "snake oil" solutions.  They have every interest in making sure their customers hear their products at their best.

My Townshend podia make a huge difference. Not quite your question but those podia can have a stand set upon them. For example:

Yes they do.

Check to see if Resonant Woods of New Hampshire is back in business (they were without a wood shop last time I checked which was 1 year ago). They are similar and high quality but a bit cheaper than TT. 

Proper joinery / quality wood work is expensive and like or not, buying the appropriate stands for your Harbeth's is the price of entry.

Comparisons with other speaker brands / stands is irrelevant.

I always thought that important purpose of the stands is to remove vibration from the speakers themselves from the floor. But if we consider that the problem is also that vibration from the stands is transmitted back to the speakers, then it is logical that the heavier the stands, the better. However, my speakers sounded fine both with metal stands not filled with sand, and with stands made of heavy MDF. I have Buchardt S400 MK2 speakers, the original stands of which are just three thin wooden sticks. But I installed them on Q Acoustics Concept 20 stands, because they are heavier than the speakers themselves and have an anti-resonance design like their speakers of this series, thinking that it would be better. I also added sorbothane spacers between the columns and the stands. I am happy with the result. Of course, my system is far from high-end and changes of this level may not be audible on it at all. Experiment for a start simply with the weight of the stands, find something heavier than the speakers and something lighter and compare. If heavy ones are better, then it makes sense to select the material based on damping properties. If not, leave the light ones made of wood, the design will be beautiful. Well, the main purpose of the stands is to allow you to place the speakers not on a shelf, but in the correct way.

Akg 

nice very nice....