Sand or Lead shot

Ken- Check out Star Sound products. They have a product, MicroFil (sp?), that I had very good results in my turntable stand. I had been using sand, but MicroFil did improve image focus and dynamics. Good luck.

Due to its toxicity, I wouldn't mess around with raw lead.
I've heard about coated lead or maybe it was brass shot. In any case, no sonic benifit is worth the risk of dealing with raw lead.

Using sand should suffice for audio stands. For speaker stands l would use both materials, albeit shots of various materials can and will become very costly. I don't think there will be significant improvements using shots for an audio stand. Use the money for isolation platforms or component footers. Good luck with the stand!

I agree with, and second what Jcbtubes said. I use the Micro-Bearings with great results and highly recommend them. A bit pricey but worth it. “One bearing, thinner than a human hair and smaller than a grain of sand (.0087 millimeters each), multiplied by many billions provide additional conductive mass. This increased density improves the audible(and inaudible) sound quality and performance of any equipment rack and/or loudspeaker stand by reducing detrimental vibrations.
One quart of Micro-Bearing Conductive Steel weighs in at approximately 9 pounds. Being round in shape, coupled with the extremely small size, permits the mass to become uniform in grain structure with no air pockets positioned between the bearings”.
I’m in no way associated with this product, I simply find that it works very well.

Unless you have cement sub floors, I would not bother with lead shot (even in a mix). Silica sand is a very good all-rounder and it is inexpensive. Even though it's sand you should still wear a mask or kerchief when working with it in the open.

Be certain to purchase sterile/dry "Silica" sand.