sand versus shot in speaker stands

sonically, lead is best. I have two sets of Chicago stands, spiked on the bottom and top and they work fine. Lead can be safely handled and on the Chicago stands it was easy to seal the tops so no dust could escape.

Lead (~11g/cc) is approximately seven times more dense than dry sand ((~1.6g/cc) or similar materials. Unhappily it is not environment friendly and its poisonous.
Mass is important for speaker stands and affects mainly low frequencies performance - the heavier your stand, the less it will move. Damping it will eliminate resonances that will affect mid and high frequencies and I remember reading advice from a speaker manufacturer that you should mix both to get the optimum filling, as thin sand is much more dissipative than lead.
Some years ago, as I did not want to use lead, I have used a filling of iron small parts (~7.8g/cc) and sand in my speaker stands.
But if an audiophile is really concerned with bass and ecology he can mix sand with gold (19.3g/cc) or uranium (19g/cc) to fill his stands!

Hello, we have recently received the new Lovan Black Gold High Density Speaker and Audio Stand Filler. It is very effective and easy to use. It is not dangerous as lead, it does not absorb moisture as play sand and kitty litter. It is supplied in plastic "easy to pour" jugs. It is made up of fine black silica and ferrous materials. So far, all purchasers have had positive results.
Cheers

somehow, some didn't get the memo that lead is poisonous. it shouldn't be kept in the home under any conditions.

As a safer alternative, maybe look at steel or brass shot. Go to the Starsound website and look at their microbearing steel that you can purchase, or maybe go to a blasting supply for steel shot of various sizes. However, I believe the brass shot or beads are quite expensive.

Lead is known to be a poison and very dangerous because of what it does to your body and how it can rapidly accumulate and take a very long time to leave the body. It is especially hazardous to developing children.

If I were going to use lead, it would only be on a permanent installation, and not for stands that are going to be periodically taken apart or have the filling removed. I would fill the stands outside of my house and only use it in stands where the cavity filled with lead is air tight and able to be sealed, like on my sound anchor stands. I would wear gloves and an appropriate respiratory apparatus. Here is what I found posted by OSHA in response to a question about handling lead buckshot.

US Department of Labor - OSHA
You have questions regarding the handling of lead, which you described as lead balls or buckshot. We apologize for this delay in providing you with a response.

The OSHA standard which regulates exposure to lead in general industry is 29 CFR 1910.1025. This standard requires that employers ensure that the airborne levels of lead remain below the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 µg/m3 as averaged over an time period. Lead becomes airborne when it is heated or abraded. It is unlikely that solid lead buckshot would produce an airborne-exposure level above the PEL or the action level of 30 µg/m3. However, it is advisable to wear gloves while handling the lead shot and to always wash your hands before eating, drinking, or smoking.