Do you live under a rock?...every Home Depot, Menards, Fleet Farm, etc carries sand..opt for the commercial grade stuff...I would pass on cement mix myself...good luck... |
DO NOT USE CEMENT TO FILL YOUR SPEAKER STANDS, it is a very poor material for damping and vibration whcih is what you are looking for a stand to do. Use a mixture of sand, which is one of the best dampening materials and cheap and go to the local firing range and get used (fired) lead shot, rather than the little balls of lead shot since they fired lead will mix well with the sand and then fill you stands with that. |
Cement sounds ok except it reacts with the mositure in the air. Eventually it will harden inside your stands making it impossible to remove. Most likely, hardened cement has its own resonant properties, like stone. If sand is hard to find, try a pet store for a few bags of aquarium rocks as used for fish tanks. |
Hey guys, this thread has became one of the funniest I could ever read!! I'm still laughing!!!! Thanks to everyone for the good mood I'm now. And yes, as stated by Rosstaman, here in Sicily we perfectly know any possible use of cement!!! |
Make sure to get the Cryo'd cement! Don't just settle for the straight audio grade, as has been suggested! You'll just have to upgrade later on and that stuff is not easy to resell here on Audiogon if it ain't Cryo'd.
Seriously, if you haven't handled cement powder before be aware that it's not the most pleasant stuff to handle. If you decide to try it wear gloves and long sleaves or you will find it will suck all the moisture from any skin it comes in contact with and your hands will be as pleasant to touch as a sun-dried dead fish for the next few days. Also definitely wear a dust mask and work outdoors. As has been said, the powder is very fine and gets everywhere, and some of the ingredients can wreak havoc in your lungs. |
Cement will cover with dust that is very hard to remove anything that is not protected. It tends to cloud when you pour it so be carful not to breath it as silica sand is similar to fibergass particles, very bad. |
The wallpaper decorator had visions of being in the cement mix after seeing Carmela !! |
BTW padames, if you visit a local diving/scuba shop, you'll find coated lead shot that is sometimes used for ballast bags. In most cases the shot is coated with a substance like copper or even a light wax to reduce toxicity. Usually more expensive than uncoated lead shot, but it will not reduce as many years from your life.
Cost is approx. 30% more than uncoated. |
If you use cement, make sure not to get some using a fine powder. You think sand will make a mess
Also, try not to get lime base. Sounds more expensive than sand. However, if you own a company making cement or know where you can get for cheap & have a good back, knock yourself out. |
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Rosstaman- Yea but they cost an arm and a leg..... |
Only the Sopranos use cement in their speaker stands. |
sounds like a nice country....... |
Buscis2 is right!
If you go this route make sure you use the Audio-Grade cement or you can run into problems.
Sincerely
I remain, |
Use Caution padames, some cement mixes contain lime. If used in a metal stand you actually create a corrosive action, especially in high humidity conditions. In a wood stand the lime content will actally draw the natural oils from the wood and over a period of time will cause premature cracking, splitting, etc. Lime can be pretty nasty stuff. |
There is an English product Atabites made of a very heavy metal. If your speakers are not shielded I would recommend to keep Atabites fill away from drivers at least 20cm.
Cement is OK and even better than playsend(playsend is too light IMO). |
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