I have been unable to find reclaimed shot, but I can buy new 11 kg bags of shot (#5 through #9) from a gun store (there aren't many in Toronto) for ca$24.
My speaker stands are the six-column Lovan Reference models; I'm guessing that filled with lead shot they would weigh close to 150 pounds. It just strikes me as silly. (I'm using silica sand, which damps the stands' midbass ring.) The density of lead does not preclude the inevitable transmission of vibration from the speaker to the floor, and thus to my rack and cd player. The reason? I'm guessing because the stand itself is still rigid. If you shake the top of the stands, the bottom shakes. Rigidity is generally considered a good thing for speakers stands, though; otherwise they might launch themselves backward during particularly percussive passages (i.e., the soundstage would recede dramatically).
What have I been using my lead shot for? I've kept it in the canvas bags it's sold in, and used it as a 'footer' for my cd player.
Why?
My thinking about cones and such is this: the best case scenario is that you get a 1-to-1 transmission of vibrations from the rack; without any spurious multiples. This has always seemed to me to be aiming a bit low. Without holding any advanced degrees in material science or frictional dynamics, it seems reasonable to me that a collection of small, dense objects held together in a bag could dissipate a lot more energy (vibration) as heat or whatever than could an object that is inherently rigid.
My first experimentation in this area came after I noticed the sensitivity to vibration in my old Audio Aero Prima. I used vibrapods for some time, but ultimately they seemed to be editorializing. Further, I had noticed that the cd player itself vibrated. How does one get rid of these internal vibrations, let alone isolate from external problems?
Long story short, the bags of lead shot seemed to do both. Using two bags laid flat, nearly the entire bottom surface of the player was damped. Vibrations from the outside world were diminished significantly, but not eliminated. The bag of shot is not inherently rigid, but when supported by the shelf and compressed by the weight of the component, it is quite dense and as such the larger vibrations (any that are not dampened between the shot) still get through.
The next step was to combine isolation with damping. My final arrangement with the player was vibrapods supporting a granite plinth, on top of which rested the two bags of lead shot supporting the cd player (feet removed). This arrangement was a staggering improvement over stock. Noise floor was banished, dynamics popped to life, and the slightly syrupy warmth yielded to warm instrumental timbre and a pleasant-but-still-revealing overall balance.
I am using the same setup under my GamuT CD-1. The differences are there, but not nearly as dramatic as with the Prima, for obvious reasons.
I have intentions to bring home Pulsar Points, Roller Block Jr's, BDR Cones, and some other options for a big What Hi-Fi-style comparison, but I'm not really inclined towards endless tweaking these days, and I have my doubts that there are huge differences yet to be made. (famous last words, I know)
