Pangea Speaker Stands Build | DS300, 28 Inch

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PANGEA SPEAKER STANDS BUILD | DS300, 28 Inch

I was looking for a pair of relatively affordable speaker stands with a somewhat beefy looking build to use with LSiM703's. As noted by others in the past, the speaker stand market in the US is kind of thin, at least where practical and affordable aftermarket stands are concerned.

I've been looking around off and on for the past year or so, but nothing particularly striking. Earlier this year, I tried to find some Sanus UF26 stands. They're beefy, but out of production. The closest thing they have to the UF26 now is the SF26, which is a lesser build, but similar design to the UF26 with its round pillars. I tried the SF26, and they went together nicely and are okay when mass-loaded, but beefy they are not. Here they are next to the more substantial UF26, which, as I understand it, also has a resin baseplate, not a thin metal one.


For this go around, I thought the Pangea ones may suit my needs, and although I read a few rough reviews on them - talking about how they're not particularly well built for the money, and are a bit ting-y and hollow - I decided, after talking to Voltz about use of them and his thoughts, that they'd be worth a shot.

My plan was to mass load the Pangeas with play sand as I'd done with the SF26.

To confirm, these do indeed have a cheap feel to them out of the box. The build quality is okay, but, for example, I wasn't impressed with the connections. They seem flimsy and I got the impression through the build process that it would be easy to deform them by overtightening the screws. I used Loctite on the screw threads to help ensure a secure connection with moderate torque. One other thing I noticed is that they don't have an isolator for between the base of the pillars and the baseplate like the Sanus models have, though I imagine the Sanus ones probably have that in part because the base is curved, not flat. Still, I think it serves dual purpose in helping keep any fine particles (sand) inside the columns, preventing leaks, and serving as a bit of an isolator.

Okay, so the build process is fairly straight forward. One could probably pull these together fairly quickly, but I opted for a few extras, so I worked in two sessions over the course of two days. Some of this was partly because I ran out of sand; I'd used about half the bag in a previous project. One bag of 50lb Play Sand should be enough to fill all eight pillars, and was less than $4.

Overview of Parts, Tools and Materials
Some of the tools and materials I used. The foam pads I had on hand from previous projects. These are great knee savers and also help protect your flooring, or in this case, the stands, since I built these outside on the driveway. The cardboard box the stands arrive in will probably work just as well.


View of Pillars
Top and Bottom plates, respectively
Note the wide gaps in the top opening (left) - this makes it easy to fill with sand or shot. When I did the Sanus SF26, there were only small holes, so the pillars took ages to fill, and I fashioned a tube funnel for that job using a toilet paper tube and laundry container to control the flow (this is why you see the laundry container and paper towel roll in some of these photos - that was my loading apparatus)


See those holes on the long edges/sides of the bottom mount plate? (ref photo above, right pillar) I wasn't comfortable having these open with something as fine as sand, so I opted to add Dynamat here to seal the holes




Dynamat Top Plates & Bottom Plates
I also took this opportunity to Dynamat the Top Plate as well, as it is ting-y/ring-y.
I added some to the Bottom Plate as well, but it could have taken more. It's still a little too ringy for my preference. (More on this in the follow up comments below)




Reaming Dynamat
I poked holes in the Dynamat with a scribe, and then reamed the hole with a small flat blade screwdriver to clear the way for access to the screw threads.


Test Threading Screw
Test threaded the baseplate screw to clear the way for the hardware. I did this prior to assembly for a couple of different reasons. One, I didn't want the Dynamat to contaminate or strip the Loctite from the threads of the screws. Without doing this, I felt that the Dynamat would essentially act as a wiper. Two, I wanted to make sure everything was ready to go so there'd be no cross-threading errors, etc.


Hardware with Blue Loctite, ready for install


Pillars positioned on end, with bottom plate in place


Partial Assembly to Hold Things in Place
Install all eight bolts and cinch up, but do not tighten completely yet. The pillars will most likely not line up perfectly, and if you're anything like me, you'll never be able to enjoy your listening/viewing sessions if you notice this after these are already place. So the idea here is to get things tight enough to stay in place when you flip the assembly right side up, but loose enough to be able to make fine adjustments by way of twisting the pillars slightly until everything is lined up to your satisfaction.


Right Side Up


Alignment Check
Note how they're toed in? Easy fix. This is why we don't tighten the screws completely yet. Just give 'em a twist to straighten them up and align.


Tighten the Baseplate
Once you are happy with the alignment tweaks, carefully flip the unit upside down again, and tighten all eight screws firmly. Do not overtighten.

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Begin Mass Loading
From my experience with the SF26 stands, I was planning to use an old laundry container and a funnel to fill the pillars, but I found that the Pangea design let me fill pretty much directly from the bag of sand without too much bother, so the container and funnel wasn't really necessary. I would note here that the first time I did this with the Sanus stands, the sand was bone dry, and it flowed more easily. This time, the sand was not as dry as I would have liked. A bit impatient, perhaps, but here in November, it would take too long to pour the sand out on a tarp and sun dry. Maybe a project for the Spring or Summer next year if I think about it. Hopefully it won't cause any serious issues inside the pillars through the Winter.


Install the Top Plate
Tap the pillars to settle the sand, insert any Time Capsules or stuff you have to hide from the mob or gov't, and install the Top Plate. Loctite here optional. I did not use it. One note about installing the Top Plate - cinch the bolts down here, but do not tighten firmly yet. One thing you may notice is that the Top Plate may not seem squared with that of the Base Plate. I just get the Top Plate close, and then look down over the top plate and line up one of the edges with an edge of the Bottom Plate, and then I twist the Top Plate until it's in alignment with the Bottom, hold in place as best I can, and tighten one or two of the bolts. Check again. If satisfied, tighten the other bolts. If not, loosen the two bolts slightly, readjust and check again.


Finished Stands
The stands feel nice and heavy now. I don't have a scale handy, so I can't say how much they weigh, but I'd estimate 25lbs - 35lbs. When I rap on the Top Plate with the handle of a screwdriver, they're no longer tinny or ring-y sounding. It's more like the effect of tapping on a denser surface now. It's not quite as sharp as tapping on concrete, but very much improved.

msg

Here's a short video with a demonstration of the differences that Dynamat and Mass Loading can make to the hollow, ring-y effect of thin steel.
(Apologies for the portrait perspective; wasn't thinking much on the presentation at the time)

https://youtu.be/SDqssPtTZOk

msg

OTHER NOTES & THOUGHTS
When I was testing the damping methods I would employ, I started off trying Dynamat installed in the Pillars as others have done. I found it awkward to apply, essentially having to cut strips of Dynamat, lower them into the void without them sticking prematurely, and then finding something I could use as a "follower" to press the strips against the sides. I tested this with one strip about 15" long, and used a straight-edge narrow enough to get in there. It was okay, but I noticed that it really only damped in the area where the Dynamat was applied. Having the benefit of the experience with mass loading the SF26es, I knew that I wouldn't be completely satisfied with that, so decided to proceed with mass loading with Play Sand. In the interest of keeping things even, I still went ahead and put these 1-1/2" x 15" strips in each of the Pillars. Others seem to have found satisfactory results just with Dynamat, wanting damping without the weight, but I knew I wanted weight, too.

PROS

• Somewhat affordable; Amazon offers the DS300 28" model for $200 with Prime shipping. (This is actually through Audio Advisor's Amazon storefront). The 24" model is $170, but that's too short for my preference.
• Easy assembly, no special tools required for basic build
• Nice appearance for use with larger bookshelf speakers

CONS (If you can call them that)

• I find the floor spike placement uncomfortably narrow for use with a larger bookshelf speaker like the 703. I plan to cut some MDF boards the same size as the baseplate. I will add a sheet of mastic or Dynamat to the MDF, and then bolt it to the baseplate where the OE spikes would go, and then I'm going to add aftermarket spikes at the four corners of the MDF.
• I imagine these will be difficult to clean in between the columns.
• The pads supplied for the top plates are thing and spongy. Highly compressible. I am using Blu-tack.
• I find the Base Plates still a little too hollow and ringy. This my first time using Dynamat for something like this, and it probably could benefit from more, but instead of loading up the Base Plate more at this point, I'm going to move to the MDF addition and see where that gets me. I think I may completely cover the inside of the Base Plate at that point before attaching the MDF.

Overall, for my satisfaction, the build required some easy modifications/additions, but it was time consuming. I think I'll enjoy them all the more. You guys know how it is when you take something and make it better/yours. Just kinda adds to the experience.

Upstatemax

Nice write up!

I have the Sanus UF stands in my 2ch rig. LOVE them.

I also tried to hunt down another set for my HT bookies and like you, no such luck.

You have given me motivation to fill my stands now...

Thanks for adding to my project list!

msg

thanks!

ah man, lucky on the UF's! yeah, scarce to non-existent for sure. I thought I had a line on a couple pair earlier this year, but turns out the website's inventory was outdated. bleh.

oh yeah I think you'll like them even more after filled, but prepare to spend an afternoon sitting there

boston1450

Very nice & very detailed info step by step sir. Loved the video & those look sturdy. Please post when speakers are placed & how they do. Congrats on a project well done.

F1nut

Nice work Scott. You're right that Dynamat isn't going to cut it, the key is mass loading. I hate to say it, but wet sand in steel columns is not good.

marvda1

i use sand blasting gravel.

msg

Thanks, Randy, thanks Rick. It's fun tweaking things a little and being able to share a little of the before/after effects. I'm working on some cables for these speakers so don't have them running yet. Temporarily need some longer than what I have available.

Yeah, Skip, next month will be my two year mark involved in this stuff. For this first leg, I was more occupied with getting gear in-house to get a sense of what's what, and figure out what I like, etc. I'm looking forward to refining and simplifying a bit, now.

Jesse - yeah man, I agree, and it's gnawing at me. I know better than that. They're sealed up pretty tight, as well, so it's not like any moisture is going to evaporate. Since they're not really done yet anyway, pending the MDF platform and spikes addition, I'll probably dump the sand out into two buckets and let it dry. Maybe bake it in the oven. With some cablesss. That first bag was bone dry, so I was a little surprised halfway through loading the second stand when it start getting clumpy.

Marvin - where do you source stuff like that? Presuming it's pretty dense? I just did a quick search and noticed at least at one place it was offered by an aquarium supply store? Is this like aquarium gravel? I'm also curious about lead shot, but a little concerned about having it around, though Jesse gave me some tips on safe handling. Not really sure where to source that stuff around here, either.

F1nut

Yeah, the Play Sand at HD or Lowe's is suppose to be desert dry. Guess the bag got wet somewhere. Simple fix, dump it, let the stand dry out for a day, get a new bag checking that it is dry before paying, refill. I can tell you from first hand experience that drying sand in the oven is a huge PITA.

So, what oven temp are you using for the cable baking?

marvda1

that's where i get it from pet supply stores. it is small gravel. i also use lead shot (expensive).

marvda1

F1nut wrote: »

Yeah, the Play Sand at HD or Lowe's is suppose to be desert dry. Guess the bag got wet somewhere. Simple fix, dump it, let the stand dry out for a day, get a new bag checking that it is dry before paying, refill. I can tell you from first hand experience that drying sand in the oven is a huge PITA.

So, what oven temp are you using for the cable baking?

the only thing about sand is it absorbs moisture from humidity unless you seal it say around the seams with silicon.

msg

Cool, thanks Marvin. I might take a run up to the pet supply place to have a look. I think I might have used some of that stuff in bonsai soil years ago.

F1nut wrote: »

I can tell you from first hand experience that drying sand in the oven is a huge PITA.

So, what oven temp are you using for the cable baking?

hehe, yeah, I remember you telling me that.

I'm planning on doing the cables on Broil. 1min/ft for 10awg, a little less for 12?


THIS IS A JOKE. DON'T BROIL YOUR CABLES

F1nut

Forgot, you can buy shot from any number of sources. Here's one, https://www.precisionreloading.com/

Mix the shot and sand for added mass. It would take way too much shot to fill those columns.

voltz

Nice write up Scott! Very Nice!

I haven't mass loaded mine yet, the instructions even mentioned using kitty litter but I think when I do it will be a sand mix. I know these can ring like a bell without treatment. Each of my tubes now have long strips of dynamat Xtreme on the four insides of each tubes.

msg

Hey thanks, Darryl
I think you'll be surprised at how much more solid these stands can feel with the pillars mass loaded. When I knock on them now, they feel sturdy like stone, almost. Odd to relate them that way, but that's the sense I get from test rapping.

Man, I didn't have the patience for that much Dynamat, hehe. I was getting a little irritated just with the few short strips I did

F1nut

marvda1 wrote: »

the only thing about sand is it absorbs moisture from humidity unless you seal it say around the seams with silicon.

I'd say if you have high humidity levels in your house, the AC isn't doing its job.

Seriously, I cannot see where summer time humidity would be of any concern. If it was, all your steel cased gear would suffer as well. However, starting off with wet sand is a problem.

msg

Yeah, that sand's coming out to dry for sure.

I was just poking around trying to get a sense of the density of Lead in comparison to Sand.
Sand is around 80 - 100 pounds per cubic foot, depending on the moisture content
Lead is 707.96 pounds per cubic foot.

If my math and research is correct (and it could be completely incorrect) it looks like Lead is around 7 times the density of Dry Sand per cubic foot.

Practicality check - a 50lb bag of Play Sand is an estimated 1/2 a cubic foot volume, so around 100 pounds per cubic foot, which is in line with what I'm seeing in some charts.

Pretty crazy when you think about it - Lead filling a bag the same size as the bag of Play Sand in the photo weighs a little over 350 lbs. Even crazier to think that one could make a pair of speaker stands weigh close to 350 lbs.

westmassguy

Very nice Scott

msg

Thanks David

kevhed72

Awesome write up, as I have been eyiing these stands for awhile. One follow up Q - one a sclae of 1 to 10....how uncomfotable are you with the spike placement and stability with 703 speakers, with 10 being the most uncomfortable. Like you said in your review....the market is pretty thin for decent stands that dont cost a ton. Look fwd. to your reply

EndersShadow

Awesome write up man....

Just a random thought... did you think about drying the sand in say the oven? Throw it on some cookie sheets at a low enough temp you dont melt it, but should evaporate that water right up....

Or am I missing something obvious?

msg

kevhed72 wrote: »

Awesome write up, as I have been eyiing these stands for awhile. One follow up Q - one a sclae of 1 to 10....how uncomfotable are you with the spike placement and stability with 703 speakers, with 10 being the most uncomfortable. Like you said in your review....the market is pretty thin for decent stands that dont cost a ton. Look fwd. to your reply

Thanks Kev.

I was thinking this morning about how I'd answer this question, and then realized that I would be doing so based on the assumption that they're not stable enough for my liking. The fact is, I haven't actually tried them with the oe spikes in place. I can do that and then see how wobbly it feels with a 703 up top, and then can better answer. I just didn't like how narrow the spike placement layout is. I'll measure the placement, as well. Might be fine, who knows.

I'm more used to the Sanus stands. The base plate on those is larger than the base of a 703, and on top of that, they have the floor spikes angled outward slightly. I feel both of these design items make the stand more stable.

The Pangeas do feel pretty solid, but I'll give it a rock both with and without the spikes and report back.

msg

EndersShadow wrote: »

Awesome write up man....

Just a random thought... did you think about drying the sand in say the oven? Throw it on some cookie sheets at a low enough temp you dont melt it, but should evaporate that water right up....

Or am I missing something obvious?

Hey thanks, Dan.

That's a thought, yes. F1 told me he did this as well, initially unsure of the moisture content of the sand, weighing before and after. Said he found it the same before and after, deeming the baking unnecessary. That Play Sand is *supposed* to be bone dry out of the bag, apparently. That was my experience the first go around, but not the second.

I still need to get that stuff outta the stands; work's been insane the past couple of weeks. I'll start with a couple of buckets first and see where that gets me, but baking it would probably do it, though it would take several "batches", ha.

EndersShadow

msg wrote: »

EndersShadow wrote: »

Awesome write up man....

Just a random thought... did you think about drying the sand in say the oven? Throw it on some cookie sheets at a low enough temp you dont melt it, but should evaporate that water right up....

Or am I missing something obvious?

Hey thanks, Dan.

That's a thought, yes. F1 told me he did this as well, initially unsure of the moisture content of the sand, weighing before and after. Said he found it the same before and after, deeming the baking unnecessary. That Play Sand is *supposed* to be bone dry out of the bag, apparently. That was my experience the first go around, but not the second.

I still need to get that stuff outta the stands; work's been insane the past couple of weeks. I'll start with a couple of buckets first and see where that gets me, but baking it would probably do it, though it would take several "batches", ha.

Yeah, I figured you'd need one or two rounds to get it all, but given your climate right now is likely similar to mine, I doubt letting it sit in the sun would get it dry enough lol....

The OTHER option, (much more of a PITA) would be to put it in ziploc bags and then into the stands... but that would take a LOT more work to get it to fit, even its even possible....

msg

yeah, had I done this in the Summertime, a day or two would have taken care of it, easy, if not turned it into glass. gets ridiculous-hot here by 11am in the summer

whew, yeah, that would be a lotta work. and makes me think of muling lol

F1nut

Baking 50lbs. of sand is a HUGE PITA and cookie sheets will not cut it. Just make sure the bag of Play Sand is dry when you buy it. If not, pick another bag.

xjghost

Nice detailed write up. Loved the addition of the video with sound!

msg

F1nut wrote: »

Baking 50lbs. of sand is a HUGE PITA and cookie sheets will not cut it. Just make sure the bag of Play Sand is dry when you buy it. If not, pick another bag.

I'll probably swing by and have another look. this bag seemed dry in the upper/outer layer.

It's going to take days, otherwise, I think, to dry out what's currently in the stands after I dump it. I do have a small concrete mixing tub, though. that would probably be better than buckets for air drying, but still.

xjghost wrote: »

Nice detailed write up. Loved the addition of the video with sound!

thanks, man - yeah, I figured it would be a good attempt at demo'ing the difference after mass loaded for damping. these things feel really solid afterward. like you've got your speakers perched on a concrete birdbath pedestal or something.

voltz

I got the 24" version and wish they were a little taller so I spiked my stands and even though I have not weighted mine down yet I feel they safely hold my 703's just fine.