Do sand filled speaker stands really improve BASS?

[tony340]

Hi! I'm wondering whether filling my mission Stancette stands with sand will improve bass quality and depth to my Paradigm studio 20's? If so what particular sand shoud i be looking for? i have heard that hifi dealers do have a kind of sand but I'm totally dud about it!!! Also the spikes on my stands are metal, should i be getting rubber spikes or shoes for them? I mean is this going to improve the quality, otherwise its not worth the trouble! Thanks!

[johnny p]

only reason I ever thought of filling my stands with sand was to prevent the speakers from being knocked over..... not sure why or if it would increase bass!!!!

[audio amateur]

I think it can. It will provides 'dampening' which can overall help the speaker sound better, not just bass either. I don't think you need to get a special type of sand, just go to your local DIY shop. A common tip is to heat the sand as to get it as dry as possible before filling your stands with it. I'm guessing that can be done with an oven.

[hifitommy]

and the imaging. dont expect much deeper or powerful bass. still, its worth doing.

[jimib]

Good question. I just bought some studio 40's and was wondering the same thing. My question is what to "cork" the tubes with. I'm wondering about that. My tubes have holes in both ends and I'm not sure what to plug them up with. Maybe a high expansion insulating foam? Any ideas?

[basite]

... When I 'filled' the stands for my Advents with a very heavy (about 50kg) steel cylinder, it tightened the bass, it takes away a little boominess, so the real deep bass gets more 'hearable', but it doesn't become louder, the mid bass decreases (less boom), giving a more balanced result.

add spikes under the stands and the speakers to get even more results :)

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[tony340]

Sorry i have not posted on this thread for a long time... Anyways i was not able to fill my stands yet. My question is, what material can i use to fill my mission stancette stands? The DIY shops don't carry anything suitable, and the sand available at the hifi stores are ver pricey (around 40 bucks for one can) so any suggestions? Thanks

[basite]

sand being sold at hifi stores sounds fishy :D

sand is sand (it needs to be dryed in the right way, but it's still just sand), there ain't no voodoo hifi 'treatement' that will make your sand 'sound better' :D

so look at places where you can find sand too (the sand you're looking for is often used in building (for houses and so), so look there too...)

another material is lead shot, dunno where you could find that though...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[tony340]

Thanks Basite!! So the sand ur talking about must be silicon sand is it? Now since u told me about the lead shot, that seems a more intelligent choice since the density is very high and hence the weight would be very sufficient isn't it? Also the stands i have do come with a gap at the bottom, how do u think i shoukd cover this with? Cheers mate!

[TheHills44060]

I've been using #9 Winchester chilled lead shot for years in my speaker stands and that stuff really adds weight, stability and deadens any ringing in the stands. You can get them in 25lb bags.

[tony340]

Guys very urgent as usual!!!!!!!! My local Atacama agent told me not to fill the stands FULL, cos that it will deaden the sound......... I really don't understand?? The stands seem to get full very fast with the Atabites and sand... Please help.. Can i fill the stands full or not? Will this mean some difference in the sound? thanks

[basite]

experiment is what I'd say :)

completely filled stands could tend to deaden the sound a little, while improving other factors, while empty stands might liven up the sound (note: sometimes, this is not good.), while the other factors will be not as good.

it's up to you to find the right balance...

[tony340]

thanks basite!! well i filled my stands to almost full, so lets see how it will sound.. cheers

[musicman1999]

I mixed a few pounds of wheel weights in with the sand. Mine are in the back so i can't say if it increases bass but the sound seems more focused and clear since i did it.

bill

[Vardo]

I filled these stands with "sandbox sand" which can be bought at
Home Depot, I'm sure you can find some silicone based sandbox
sand at most building supplies places and such.....stands look like this:

http://www.standsandmounts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2101

Didn't make much difference in sound that I could notice, but
was used to prevent the speaker stands from being knocked over.
Lead shot is the best, but there isn't to much of that available in
the area I live in (So Cal).

[bfalls]

Depending upon the size and weight of your speakers, you may want to use "Blue Tac" to secure the speaker to the top plate. Vardo, I'd be a little apprehensive adding an additional 15lb-20lb to the tube connected to your stand's glass bases. I've never felt glass in speaker stands was appropriate. I have the Paradigm P-30 stands made using heavy steel. They have three tubes I have filled with sandbox sand.

I have two pairs, one used to mount a pair of Mini-Pods. Because of their lighter ABS cabinet it was necessary to use "Blu-Tac" to secure them to the stands and eliminate vibration. The "solid" stands and mounting made a huge difference in sound with the Mini-Pods. The other stands have a pair of T&A P30 3-way speakers mounted. They're heavy enough Blu-Tac wasn't needed. Also sound better with the filled stands. Lead of course would be heavier, but unless your tubes are very small, snad should provide plenty of bulk and coupling to the floor.

[Auricauricle]

I wonder if there is a way of setting up an experiment. Somebody tell me if this is off base (no pun, I promise), but how about setting up with a speaker on a stand, emit a tone (100 Hz, e.g.), take a reading with an SPL, and continue as you fill with whatever....While this will take away the subjective experience, maybe it will give some interesting numbers.

But then again, you know how I ramble--sorry guys, I've been carried away, lately!

[Vardo]

Depending upon the size and weight of your speakers, you may want to use "Blue Tac" to secure the speaker to the top plate. Vardo, I'd be a little apprehensive adding an additional 15lb-20lb to the tube connected to your stand's glass bases. I've never felt glass in speaker stands was appropriate. I have the Paradigm P-30 stands made using heavy steel. They have three tubes I have filled with sandbox sand.

I have two pairs, one used to mount a pair of Mini-Pods. Because of their lighter ABS cabinet it was necessary to use "Blu-Tac" to secure them to the stands and eliminate vibration. The "solid" stands and mounting made a huge difference in sound with the Mini-Pods. The other stands have a pair of T&A P30 3-way speakers mounted. They're heavy enough Blu-Tac wasn't needed. Also sound better with the filled stands. Lead of course would be heavier, but unless your tubes are very small, snad should provide plenty of bulk and coupling to the floor.


The glass plate in the stands I have are termpered and very thick.
I was concerned about the glass plate, but have never had eny
problems with the glass cracking, ect....I'd say maybe the sand
added an additional 8 pounds max.....the tubes are not filled up
to the top, closer to a little over the halfway mark. The stands
are extremely durable and look great (they should be cause they
cost alot $),

Your suggestion about using blue tack is a very good one, it's what
I use and have found it to very effective to holding a speaker in
place....