Skylan vs. Sound Anchor speaker stands? Comments?

I was under the impression that Skylan stands are metal, excepting the base and top platform. Is this not correct?

On the other hand, Sound Anchor stands are 100% metal, yes?

What would you think of a 3/4" birch plywood stands...basically a boxes divided into upper and lower chambers that would allow the upper chambers to be filled with compacted sand? The bottom would be open, with AudioPoints on the bottom corners. Consider the stand is only 9" tall.

Its been a while since I visited Noel and owned a pair of his stands but I believe the posts are made from a Vinyl composite and the bottom and top plates are of MDF but the best thing to do is email him or call him to discuss your needs. He is a great guy to deal with and will custom fit a stand to your specifications.

No metal in the Skylans except for the support rod that runs top to bottom in each post, and the spikes. I like the Neoprene pads but have not experimented with alternatives. I still have Blutack stuck to the bottoms of a pair of speakers -- I hate the stuff.

There are different schools of thought about what to fill stands with or, indeed, whether to fill them at all, not to mention how full to fill them. One thing I think you want to do is dampen them so they don't ring, but clay cat litter should do that as well or perhaps better than sand or lead shot. Should the stands be as heavy as possible (thus lead shot)? Beats me.

Tvad, I sure do want to know what your new speakers are, but I know you'll reveal in good time. Standmounts, eh? Bit of a surprise.

Oops, I see you did reveal. Good choice.

Grant - not to hijack your thread, but have you considered looking for a pair of Osiris stands? I've owned two and thought them outstanding. Sorry, could not compare to either you are considering though. They also have a flat metal platform and require some fun-tak or your temporary adhesive of choice. When not used to support your speakers you could place a glass of Guiness safely atop the stand and short of anything above a 3.0 I'd bet it would stay there should the ground start shaking. You may loose some beer though. They would not be comfortable long term bar seating, but perhaps after a pint and a shot or two you would not notice the difference.