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Filling speaker Stands?

I have a modest system. Continually look for ways to improve it's performance even to a slight degree. I have read many posts about improvements than can be achieved by filling the hollow spaces of some speaker stands with some type of material....sand, kitty litter, lead shot, and some others. Here are the stands I have......
https://www.sanus.com/en_US/products/speaker-stands/sf26/ 
These stands are of metal construction. There are 2 upright support tubes which are approx. 2" diameter. The stands sit on a carpet floor with spikes. On the top plates are a layer of Sorbothane and PSB Imagine B speakers sit on top of that. The 2 metal supports are attached to the base and top plate with just threaded holes about 1/4 " diameter. Pouring some type of dampening  material would definitely require a funnel.
The reason I ask this question is that, when I thump on each upright post, it rings for several seconds. A dampening fill would minimize this but would filling those posts really benefit the speaker performance to even a small degree given my modest setup? I don't know. Probably, few have experimented with this type of scenario.Thanks for any advice.



jrpnde
phomchick's avatar
phomchick
209 posts
 
@geoffkait
Yes, I said I used sand, but I also said I used expanding foam (Gaps and Cracks Insulating Foam Sealant) to seal the tubes and keep the sand where I wanted it.
To add another data point, when Infinity built the IRS V speakers, they filled the midrange/tweeter wings to make certain they were non resonant. They were charging $50,000 in the mid 1980s, and could use almost any material they wanted. Did they use lead shot? BBs? Steel ball bearings? No, they used sand.

miketuason
337 posts
 
How how can a lead be toxic if it’s going to be sealed permanently?
dill
2,525 posts
 
It boils down to cost of the filling material verses the possible difference in sound. Depending on how large the cavity is to be filled, lead can be expensive and I am not sure one can hear the difference between fill material. Some day you may want to empty them to move, sell or ship them.
Lead shot - heavy - expensive - toxic (lead dust when pouring)
Steel shot - not quite as heavy - expensive
BB's - very expensive - heavy
Small pebbles - cheap - somewhat heavy - needs a larger opening
Play Sand - cheapest - easy to pour - might sift if the stands aren't sealed.
Kitty litter - not recomended
route-66's avatar
route-66
56 posts
 
I have the same stands you're talking about in the 24" height for my KEF LS50's. I filled mine with 'play sand' from Home Depot. This sand is clean, dry and very fine. 

Regardless of what another poster in the thread suggested, you want to fill the stands completely to the top because you want them to be as acoustically dead and stable as possible. Even though these stands are bolted together, I've found that the base and top fit so well that none of the sand can escape through the joints.
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,351 posts
 

Regardless of what you use and if the stand is not sealed, it might be a good idea to use a plastic bag inside the stand, then nothing comes out for any type of stand construction. It won't be easy finding the right size bag, so you will need to make it. Get a large heavy duty garbage bag. Cut one side off and use packing tape to close the cut seam. A precise measurement is important. Use the other side of the bag to make a 2nd one.

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