No doubt different speaker and stand combinations present different requirements for optimizing their synergy. So don't just assume that heavily mass-loading the pillars of stands will dampen the bad stuff and give you the best sound. Peter Comeau, the U.K. loudspeaker designer associated with lively sounding designs at Heybrook and Mission, as well as the (apparently) strongly reviewed recent budget offering from Wharfedale, the Diamond 10.1 [I believe] recommends, instead of sand or lead shot, to use KITTY LITTER. No kidding. The idea here is that all that mass leads to energy storage and its delayed release, smearing the sound and compromising the PRaT factor.
So I'd suggest bagging that sand/shot so you can cleanly experiment. Something like 6-8" of sand & shot mixed, plus a fill of the kitty litter might -- just as one example -- give you an ideal combination of stability and speed. That energy storage factor could possibly be exacerbated by having to fill a larger room from stand mounted boxes.