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Re: Best Speaker Stand Filler?

Posted by David Aiken (A) on May 23, 2003 at 00:27:35

In Reply to: Best Speaker Stand Filler? posted by DD on May 22, 2003 at 23:01:29:

I actually recommend avoiding adding mass and instead stuffing the stands with polyester batting. If you can get at the full diameter of the column, you can roll it up to the right diameter and force it down using a long bladed screwdriver or thin dowel. If you only have a small hole, you can cut it into thin strips and poke it through, tamping it down as you go. I think you get better bass extension without mass but mass will give you weightier bass which I don't think sounds quite as natural and will lose you the last bit of bottom extension. That's your choice.

If you want mass, I'd go for a fine silica sand or one of the fine steel powder products like the people who sell the Sistrum racks recommend depending on how much mass you really want. I've used sand but not the steel powders. I'd personally go for sand rather than something heavier because it's easy to overdo the mass and sand is cheap and effective. Both are easy to use if you just pour them into the stands using a small funnel and fine silica sand is readily available though the steel powders seem to be only available on order from suppliers. Pet shops sell silica sand for use in the bottom of bird cages if you can't find it anywhere else. Just make sure there's a good seal at the bottom of the stand because fine silica sand is very fine and can leak through quite small gaps.

Lead shot, unless it's coated with something non-toxic, does present some minor health hazards when working with it and can present a problem if you have children or animals in the house and any gets loose. I used it once but eventually got rid of it and I wouldn't use it again because of the health issues. It's also easy to use as far as filling and removal goes. It's also much more expensive than sand. I don't know where it rates in terms of cost compared to the steel powder products.

David Aiken

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