I can't find anything particularly interesting or original on what to fill speaker stands with. Just the usual lead (toxic, advice is don't use it) and sand. In addition there's Atabites for Atacama stands - tiny shards of steel sold in bags.
http://www.atacama-audio.co.uk/p/atabites-smd-z-7hd-inert-filler
So what about various tiny pieces of metal like screws, nuts etc? Anything that can be bought cheap in quantities?
And how about stone dust which I've seen mentioned? That's available from builders merchants.
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Dansand-No-Weed-Block-Paving-Sand-Stone-Dust---20kg/p/131899
Any bright ideas for something cheap and a heavier alternative to sand?
Looking for some interesting discussion here, including what's the optimum level for filler - 1/3, half, 2/3 etc.?
http://www.atacama-audio.co.uk/p/atabites-smd-z-7hd-inert-filler
So what about various tiny pieces of metal like screws, nuts etc? Anything that can be bought cheap in quantities?
And how about stone dust which I've seen mentioned? That's available from builders merchants.
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Dansand-No-Weed-Block-Paving-Sand-Stone-Dust---20kg/p/131899
Any bright ideas for something cheap and a heavier alternative to sand?
Looking for some interesting discussion here, including what's the optimum level for filler - 1/3, half, 2/3 etc.?
I use cheap rice! I don't think any moisture can get in, although it would be a right mess if it did...completely filled up, but I have no idea if that's what I should have done.
Geoff
Geoff
Came across some data for densities:
Lb/ft3, kg/m3
Iron oxide 180, 2883
Iron chips 165, 2643
Steel chips 150, 2403
Concrete 150, 2403
Crushed rock 134, 2146
Glass cullett crushed 120, 1922
Brick 110, 1760
Sand dry 100, 1602
Carbide powder 100, 1602
Crushed marble 95, 1522
Gravel 80, 1280
Lb/ft3, kg/m3
Iron oxide 180, 2883
Iron chips 165, 2643
Steel chips 150, 2403
Concrete 150, 2403
Crushed rock 134, 2146
Glass cullett crushed 120, 1922
Brick 110, 1760
Sand dry 100, 1602
Carbide powder 100, 1602
Crushed marble 95, 1522
Gravel 80, 1280
Lead isn't toxic as long as you don't eat it or otherwise ingest it. Personally I'd probably go with oven dried sand.
Tom
Tom
I use sterilized play sand from the home club. Easy to fill the stand with, doesn’t make noise when it vibrates, and is cheap. Use the sterile stuff so no weeds grow!
Garnet 80 Mesh Garnet Blasting Media £10.99 10kg
2,10 g/cm³
If you are an Aquarius its also your birthstone 🙂
2,10 g/cm³
If you are an Aquarius its also your birthstone 🙂
Sand is good.
Now, a flock of people will take buckets to the beach.
"Look Ethel!.... there's another one of those madly-obsessed audiofools"
If the stand diameter is enough, I will try leads for diving belts that comes in diferent size weigth then feel the free space with sand, cost should stay good enough and maybe one day you will try diving. Maybe metals balls for amunition or little balls for balls bearings ? Little fishing leads may be too much expensive.
Anyhow fill trash plastic bags in order you can adjust weight you can remove or to change material.
You might want to avoid rice moths or sand for cats that is toxic to breath.
Anyhow fill trash plastic bags in order you can adjust weight you can remove or to change material.
You might want to avoid rice moths or sand for cats that is toxic to breath.
Sand works well. I go down thes treet and get a bag of playground sand from home despot. Then on a bright, sunny, hot day i pour the sand out on a big tarp and keep moving it around until it is totally dry. It can be messy to do.
dave
dave
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I think folks here are over-thinking something that does not matter. I would like to say, uninformed but well meaning, as there is no selling any magic sand.
Make the stand stable. I went through all that magic stand stuff. Isolators, spikes, mass. Lots of hocus pocus about the speaker moving, coupling or decoupling from the floor. Nothing. Several dealers have tried to convince me of some vast clarity. I listened. Nope. My current stands are ceramic elephants. No depleted uranium needed. Record players need isolation. That I agree with.
It is rather funny. Everyone switched to tiny monitors and then need stands when they take as much room as a floor stander. Actually the best stands I ever made were my subs. You can even cross a little higher as it is then a plain old monkey coffin 3-way.
Make the stand stable. I went through all that magic stand stuff. Isolators, spikes, mass. Lots of hocus pocus about the speaker moving, coupling or decoupling from the floor. Nothing. Several dealers have tried to convince me of some vast clarity. I listened. Nope. My current stands are ceramic elephants. No depleted uranium needed. Record players need isolation. That I agree with.
It is rather funny. Everyone switched to tiny monitors and then need stands when they take as much room as a floor stander. Actually the best stands I ever made were my subs. You can even cross a little higher as it is then a plain old monkey coffin 3-way.
The gold standard as a damping filler is barium sulphate powder. It's an inert material used for a lot of things including as a radiocontrast agent for X-ray imaging, and a brightener for white paint and paper. It is also used to treat the wedges in an anechoic chamber to make them more sound absorbent. Barium sulphate has a weight of 280lb per cubic foot or 4500kg per cubic meter. Buy it from any industrial chemical supplier and it is relatively cheap.
I would fill any cavity you want to damp, because any void left can inadvertently become a Helmholtz resonator.
I would fill any cavity you want to damp, because any void left can inadvertently become a Helmholtz resonator.
If you do not need the weight, old mattresses, or similar foam would work too.
Or get scrap MDF (or similar chip board) from a workshop. That works too.
Cardboard from old cartons, discarded packing material, aplenty in this season?
Or get scrap MDF (or similar chip board) from a workshop. That works too.
Cardboard from old cartons, discarded packing material, aplenty in this season?
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Actually metal has its own issues, starting with weight and magnetic fields.
Some people can feel the need to move their speakers around to get the best position, that stuff is heavy...
Some people can feel the need to move their speakers around to get the best position, that stuff is heavy...
My go to was a tumbled glass bead media used for “sand blasting”. It came in a 50lb bag, and was sold at industrial supply houses like Aklands Grainger, etc.
Can I ask the purpose of filling the stands? Is it to make the speakers less easy to knock over or for some other reason?