what about sugar for filling speaker stands?

[admin_exported]

What about the use of various kinds of decorative gravels or mineral chips for filling stands, as a cleaner and hopefully humidity free alternative to sand filling?

I don't feel like cooking the sand, etc.

Are there materials that should be avoided due to bad acoustic characteristics (glass?)?

 

[Anonymous]

Im thinking about this as well, the thing with using dry sand is is the smallest filling stuff, so the sand will completly fill the speaker legs, and be the most heaviest. other types of filling, e.g stone, would leave gaps in the legs, and maybe vibrate, and not be as heavy aswell. think its gotta be sand for best outcome...

 

[Anonymous]

Just got a new idea: what about sugar??

 

[Anonymous]

or cement in powder form? (not wet)

 

[Anonymous]

Seems like a bit of a daft thread to me..........

 

[Anonymous]

Why that? I need something, I don't feel like cooking the sand and anyway I didn't find sand at the local construction store. I tried to find large bags of rice in various supermarkets but I could only find not so cheap basmati rice, etc. The only cheap and widely available things I can think of are sugar and flour but flour is too fine and will cloud the whole room.

 

[Anonymous]

dry cement may be the answer ... I think it may be better, heavier and cheaper than sugar or flour or rice or sand ...

if you use a food item, you can get all sorts of nasty bugs / maggots and sugar attracts ants

I have attabites (the recommended stuff) in my stands, but they cost approx £24 per bucket ... luckily, my stands (used) came with the attabites

 

[chebby]

Ok I have some new stands so what is an 'atabite' and why is it better (at £24) than kiln dried sand from B&Q (£3 for more than enough + 75p for a plastic funnel + yesterdays newspaper to cover the floor?)

I read about someone using some brand of 'Kitty Litter' or similar. Any good?

Assuming the stands are heavy enough already, then what is wrong with shoving some foam rubber pipe lagging tubes up the stand's hollow pillars? The right diameter will stop the legs ringing and no faffing.

If this is a bad idea can anyone tell me why?

 

[Dave_]

Sugar and cement will absorb moisture and consolidate, which may became a problem should you ever need to empty the stands.

Cement is also corrosive!!!

 

[visionary]

sugar will attract moisture so not good in my view.

Chap at my local Hifi shop suggests buying kiln-dried sand from a toy shop, i.e. sandpit sand but I haven't got round to it yet

 

[visionary]

MENISCUS:Seems like a bit of a daft thread to me..........

that'll be a negative meniscus then?

 

[visionary]

chebby:
Ok I have some new stands so what is an 'atabite' and why is it better (at £24) than kiln dried sand from B&Q (£3 for more than enough + 75p for a plastic funnel + yesterdays newspaper to cover the floor?)

I read about someone using some brand of 'Kitty Litter' or similar. Any good?

Atabites are the filling supplied and recommended by Atacama

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:

Ok I have some new stands so what is an 'atabite' and why is it better (at £24) than kiln dried sand from B&Q (£3 for more than enough + 75p for a plastic funnel + yesterdays newspaper to cover the floor?)

atabites think it is better because it does not attract moisture

 

[Anonymous]

daveh75:
Cement is also corrosive!!!

Cement is not necessarily corrosive; it depends on the type of metal it is in contact with. An alkaline environment will normally protect mild steel; e.g. the reinforcement in reinforced concrete beams etc. As most stands are made from mild steel corrosion should not be an issue.

Mind you if you do have some water/moisture you might never get the cement back out!

No matter what the material you use if there is no moisture there will be no corrosion.

 

[Joe10155]

Having used "atabites" in my Partington stands I suspect that they are a waste product from the manufacture of steel wire nails. I certainly found a few nails/bits of nails in my tub of atabites.

When you look at the sharp end of a nail you will generally see that the point has been formed by shearing bits off the end of the wire thus creating the sharp point. I think that "atabites" are the angled bits of metal that are cut off which are then collected (processed?) and repackaged for sale as a filler for speaker stands.

 

[chebby]

Joe10155:When you look at the sharp end of a nail you will generally see that the point has been formed by shearing bits off the end of the wire thus creating the sharp point. I think that "atabites" are the angled bits of metal that are cut off which are then collected (processed?) and repackaged for sale as a filler for speaker stands.

Ouch! (I don't want anything like you have described ever leaking onto my carpet.)

Sand it is then.

 

[Anonymous]

Joe10155:Having used "atabites" in my Partington stands I suspect that they are a waste product from the manufacture of steel wire nails. I certainly found a few nails/bits of nails in my tub of atabites.&nbsp

Good profit margin then at £24 a tub!

 

[Joe10155]

chebby, perhaps with potential for leaks it's another good reason for granite slabs under neath

I must say that thankfully the bungs on my stands are still nice & tight.

 

[Anonymous]

visionary:
MENISCUS:Seems like a bit of a daft thread to me..........

that'll be a negative meniscus then?

All I mean is that kiln dried sand and the chopped up nails called attribites are the industry standard and are tried and tested and proved to do the job well, so why would you tried to put al sorts of other junk in your stands to probable detrimental effect...................

 

[idc]

If atabites are bits of nails, then they are not bad value at £25 off Amazon for 9kg. From what I can work out that is cheaper than buying 9kg of nails to fill your stands with. My Atacama stands came with long poly bags to put the sand in.

 

[proterra]

I went to my local Supplier of fishing and shotguns and they sell lead shot by weight. Great for speaker ballast.

 

[idc]

Proterra, how much is 9kg of lead shot?