Experience Loading Speakers w/ sand or shot

The Von Schweikert VR4 Jr's take lead also. I would use lead shot vs sand. It is easier to use. Stephen

I did so with Totem Sttafs. I think it's important to note that Totem's provision for loading is different than Von Schweikert's. Loading in Totem's is strictly for purpose of lowering the center of gravity, whereas VS's is for resonance control. I sent an inquiry about mass loading to Totem when I bought my Sttafs. You may want to do the same for the Forests, but I assume the response will be largely the same. They told me that the Speakers are tuned and optimized with no loading present. They recommend 5-10 lbs of loading only. I used lead shot, which IMO is much beter than sand. I've used sand in speaker stands and it can be a little messy, and I just have something against putting "dirt" in my expensive new speakers ;-)

use anything but lead..dont risk the dust or contact(our skin absord the toxins) with you or your family.

Lead dust? Oh, let's not get carried away. Lead shot is perfectly safe unless you eat the stuff or get shot by some. Just wash your hands after handling it.

Better yet, you should try the micro-bearings from Star Sound instead of sand or lead. They're quite expensive though but worth the cost.

the toxins that enter the air from lead shot are just as toxic as those from paint containing lead. ask any MD

i used cat litter in my Arros. I think that the info from Totem said to use that or lead shot. I just don't want my Great Pyrenees to knock the little things over.

Jay,

Not true. The lead oxides in paint (white lead) can be an issue as paint is available to be abraided off by touch, damage, etc (think of wiping your hand on lead paint & then eating something without washing your hands)...this assumes the surface hasn't been painted since the 70's. Lead shot in a container (speaker stand) isn't available to touch & won't be 'evaporating' anytime soon. I would load the stands with lead outside & wash up afterwards...after that..not an issue.

i used cat litter in my Arros. I think that the info from Totem said to use that or lead shot. I just don't want my Great Pyrenees to knock the little things over.

Just purchased some used Von Schweikert VR-4jr's that had the added lead shot. Was a struggle to move them with the added weight, close to 200 lbs of speaker and box.
You need to consider how you'll remove the lead, if you ever sell or move em.
The VS manual sez sand is a poor choice since it attracts and retains moisture. A bad thing for speaker insides.

Saw one 'Goner mentioning stuffing a trash compacter bag into the hole before adding the shot. Sounds like a good idea to me. Elsewise you'll have to turn the speaker upside down and shake it out.

I would be concerned about putting this in a speaker as you have just created an internal acoustically reflective interface in the speaker box and changed the compressability by replacing compressable air with much less compressable sand (air volume modified). This will change the back pressure on the woofer cone and will alter the resonance frequency of the woofer.

I am surprised any speaker manufacturer would actually recommend this (unless the box was designed with space for the sand).

It is also well known that sandy or unconsolidated top soil can turn to liquid during earthquakes (low frequency vibrations).

If you think that having a liquid inside your speaker is good then by all means use sand...perhaps the sound will be more "liquid".

See these two URL's for more info

http://stilton.tnw.utwente.nl/people/rene/animations/3-big03m.mpg

http://stilton.tnw.utwente.nl/people/rene/Granular.html

many countries have outlawed lead shot for the vapors alone.

By selecting appropriate sand grain size then you might be able to tune the sand to sing along with your favorite tracks....

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8014

LOL

In my Vienna Mozarts, I used #9 shot that I got in 25-Lb bags from a sporting goods store. It is coated with bismuth (or something) so it's a little safer to handle, but use gloves and/or wash hands afterwards - and you only do it once.

"It is also well known that sandy or unconsolidated top soil can turn to liquid during earthquakes (low frequency vibrations)." These materials do NOT turn into a liquid in terms of their physical state - they BEHAVE like a liquid with respect to their motions. Big difference!

Avoid earthquakes. They are very destructive to SQ.  Why is sun coming up later in the day it is springtime now .