what's better than a milk crate? lol

Buy paving stones in 12 x 12 oe larger. They are 2-3 bucks each about 2" thick and can be stacked to height.

thanks for suggestions, i will look into them.

There were some cool DIY stands made by a reviewer on 6 moons, can't remember what they were called. They were made from Ikea parts -- legs were from a stool I believe, and platform was a square cutting board. They were holding up a pair of Mark & Daniel monitors and looked great! The parts to use and assembly instructions were provided.

Google is your best friend for such matters as DIY.

I Google'd DIY speaker stands and got plenty of info including step by step instructions and materials list.

Arranging them to the height you prefer using them at ought to be decided upon first, then proceed accordingly.

The aspect or inquisition of or on, "What's the best... XYZ?", is an effort in futility.

This hobby, like any other, is so prone to user identification and disidentification, the ONLY answer to the querry of 'what's best' will be utterly determined by YOURSELF.

In any area, with any device, and in any arrangment....

Fortunately today, there's absolutely tons of good to very very good, stuff around, regardless the application. Many DIY projects were or are replicas, or reverse engineered clones of current well performing items. other DIYs are based on the same techniques as one will find in the 'ready rolled' high dollar originals.

it's more the approach for your application that i feel is the path you should ascribe to, than anything else... ie., coupling or de-coupling, those squeakers of yours. Both aspirations can be done with the same stand (s)... if you make 'em or buy 'em.

One thing I've found about stands and racks... the harder the materials being used, the more critical is the technique for damping them. heft... mass... sheer weight.. and damping are the factors which make a good support.... usually.

Currently on Audiogon: 1 Pair Atlantis 15 inch steel speaker stands, $45 obo.
There is more than one opinion on speaker stands. Most audiophiles will tell you to raise the speakers so the tweeter is at ear level. By doing this you are moving the speaker away from a room boundry (the floor)and this may affect the tonal balance.
Another method is to use a lower stand and tilt the speaker back to align the drivers with your ears, but not affect the tonal balance.
I own a pair of Meridian speakers. The factory stands are low to the floor with a built-in tilt mechanism. Nothing is lost with this arrangement.
The Klipsch Heresy is smaller than your speakers at only 21" tall and they are designed to sit on the floor because they have a base that tilts the speaker back.
I have also used speakers under 24" tall flat on the floor and if the electronics is good enough there is no loss in soundstage heigth or width.
So, sometimes using nothing is better than a milk crate.