Mass loading speaker stands

[shep1968]

I have soundstyle Z2's and am thinking of filling them. Couple of questions. Can this be done with Z2's as it says nothing on their website. There are holes in the main support so i think you can. What material would you use? Will atabites fit through the aperture or should i use sand or cat litter? How full do you fill them?

 

[Anonymous]

I use kiln dried sand, sometimes called blue sand.Its been dried out to remove all the moisture.Its the cheapest option at a fiver for a bag. You can fill the stands and there is no rule about how much you put in.I have mine filled to about 6 inches from the top in each.You can, in theory, tune the bass slightly depending on how much filler you use.

 

[Thaiman]

too much sand will slow the bass so like Fraziel said a bit at the time until you happy with the sound, most stands now a day are good enough without any mass loading imo.

 

[gregory]

for goodness sake do not use cat litter,any moisture absorbed will turn to slush after a few years.i agree with thaiman,most stands are well designed today not to need any filling.

 

[d_a_n1979]

I've used sand and atabites and atabites have made the sound so much better each time.

More expensive but in the long run it pays off. Go for Atabites

 

[Anonymous]

Quote from the latest WHF Ultimate Guide to Systems: "The Z2s offer impressive tortional rigidity.... while the low mass means minimum energy storage. The resulting sound is crisp and better defined."

This certainly concurs with my impression, having moved my speakers from my granny's 1960's folding serving trolley onto my new Z2s. My interpretation of the above is that filling the Z2s would actually have a negative effect on the sound, i.e. it would increase mass. Am I right?

 

[shep1968]

Seems like the best thing i can do is nothing then. Was hoping for a little more clarity from the system but i guess a lot of that is down to poor speaker positioning.

 

[Anonymous]

You can get good results from the Z2 by tuning it using the position of the rubber feet on the top plate. Somewhere between 15 and 20mm from the front and back of the plate with the feet also adjacent to the plates edges width wise. A remarkable transformation in sound can be achieved with the midrange snapping in to focus and the bass tightening up. Treble gets crisper too. The closer to the central stand pillars, the more resolved the sound, but at some point it gets too much with the bass getting an upper mid boost too far and the low frequencies dissapearing into the resonant void

. (The feet at the corners of the stand gives a limpid, full blown quality that some systems/rooms may like.) For the really dedicated, place a board of 18mm plywood under the stand and use metal spike cups for the stand/board interace.

 

[gpi]

[quote user="tractorboy"]Quote from the latest WHF Ultimate Guide to Systems: "The Z2s offer impressive tortional rigidity.... while the low mass means minimum energy storage. The resulting sound is crisp and better defined."

This certainly concurs with my impression, having moved my speakers from my granny's 1960's folding serving trolley onto my new Z2s. My interpretation of the above is that filling the Z2s would actually have a negative effect on the sound, i.e. it would increase mass. Am I right?[/quote]

Brill! My granny's tea trolley was always filled with boiled egg sandwiches and stale custard creams. Oh, and strong tea in china cups the spoon would stand up in.

 

[Anonymous]

I was wondering whether to go for sand or atabites for the stands I buy.

I happened to pick up a pair of pristine Atacama SE24 at a knock down price.

So problem solved atabites it is.

Does anybody know how many tubs I'll need for my SE24's ?

BTW, the stands cost me 99p on ebay - SOMETIMES you CAN grab a bargain on epay !!