Sanus SF34-B1 Steel Foundation IV 34" Black

I just finished assembling these, so I thought I'd share some time saving tips.First, they are very sturdy, heavy, and the crinkle finish is nice. There were very well packed with everything in plastic bags the bases were in separate boxes then in plastic bags too. Not a scratch on anything.Assembly is pretty straightforward, and that's good because the instructions are minimal, but if you match the right screws, you're half way there.The only tool you need is a large Phillips head screwdriver. Anything requiring an hex wrench, its provided.(I didn't)It's awkward to attach the posts to the base because they're all heavy and you need one more hand. I suggest you lay it on a table sideways or in my case, the bed.I noticed the top plate has more holes than required. Maybe the top is used with other products too.But I tried turning the base so it sits off center using the extra holes (the spacing still works with the posts)This allows the speakers to sit farther forward or sideways; in my case, I wanted the stands to sit behind my TV stand so I could let the speakers go a couple inches farther forward.The speaker plate does have a 1/4" hole dead center so you can attach a speaker that has a center fitting.I have Audioengine A5+ and they do. Sanus even provides a screw and an Allen wrench to tighten them. DOH, the 5/8" screw is too long for my speakers so I'm off to Lowe's for a 1/4" X 1/2" (or some washers.) By mounting the plates off center, tightening the screw is easy.The best advice when assembling them is don't assume the feet are all the same. It's mentioned in the instructions, but it didn't ring true until I saw them in action. Because the base is curved, the feet are different on the left and right, the slot is at an angle. I recommend assembling everything, then turn it upside down and put the feet on last. if you have the wrong part, it's glaring obvious because it's lopsided.I had to mix and match, but Sanus did have four of each so it was fine.I didn't use the spikes, but they are included as well as rubber feet.As someone commented, putting sand in is impossible without drilling.(Even though the instructions say "Put sand or shot in now". DUH?I think they're plenty heavy without. And the base is sturdy.The cable routing is chintzy, but I used it. I usually take some double sided Velcro, cut it into a strip 1/2" wide by 6" long and wrap it around the post to secure the cables. I'll do that here too. You can buy it by the foot at fabric stores and it's as valuable as duct tape sometimes.

Really a 4 1/2. They are much bigger in person than in a photo. My new SVS bookshelf speakers fit nicely and look proportional to this stand. There must not be a universal standard for stands and speaker mounting though - the stands have various mounting holes that "some speakers" support, but not SVS. I used Blu-Tac to mount, which was easy enough, but 6x6 top plate is a bit small for larger bookshelves. The stated 25 lb. load spec is extremely conservative, I'd guess these would hold 75 lbs. easily. I've used Sanus TV wall mounts and have been constantly impressed with the sturdiness and documentation. These are a step under their TV mounts from an engineering standpoint, but much better than most of the junk level stands on Amazon. The two vertical columns don't line up vertically by themselves, takes some friendly persuasion, and the single screw holding the column would be much sturdier with two screws. I've really never ran into a sand/no sand debate before buying these, but can't possibly see the need for sand unless you attempted to put full towers on them. I have the stands on a hardwood floor, using the rubber feet - which are overly difficult to install into the floor plate holes, and forget sliding the stands with the rubber feet installed, as they pull out of the hole. The wire management is the most disappointing non-feature, with just a big loop at the very top, and very bottom. Adding a home fix for wire management is difficult as the very nice powder coat paint allows almost nothing to stick to it. Large black cable ties was about all I did in the end. In summary, despite the numerous areas that could be improved, they're only slightly overpriced, and the best mid priced choice.

There are very nice stands, solid, heavy and attractive. Are they good enough for an audiophile? I don't know, but they are good for me. A bit daunting when you get everything out of the package, as there is a LOT of hardware. Pretty easy to assemble ultimately if you are patient and think each step through. I paired them with a pair of black Sonos Play 5s and they look very good. No problem at all, unless you want to place the speakers vertically. In that case, the spikes that go on the top plate don't work well. Horizontally, the speakers don't go anywhere and would be pretty hard to knock over. Placed on a hardwood floor with the rubber feet, the top plate is exactly 33, not 34 inches from the floor.

Pro's - Look great - Plenty of heft - heavy even without filling - Lots of speaker mounting options - Steel top plate, bottom plate and vertical tubesCons - Lot's of side to side play (does not matter so much) - Some front to back play (matters a lot, and is the MAJOR drawback to these stands) - Cannot easily fill the upright steel tubes. (But drilling a hold in the top of the tubes might make that possible. They are clearly hollow.) - The instructions are poorly written. Plan on having to figure out some of the assembly yourself. - Cable management is just a loop at the top, and bottom, of the rear tube to pass a speaker cable through.Taking the good with the bad, I think they are worth the price. But they are not the rock-solid stands you could get if you paid few hundred more dollars.

The assembly instructions were reasonably clear and I did not run into any issues. The assembled product is very heavy and sturdy. The included plastic cable management pieces are extremely flimsy and broke almost instantly. I ended up using velcro cable ties instead, which looks ok since they are the same colour as the speaker stands.

Wish they hid the speaker wires though. Really poor Amazon packaging, its manufacturer's box was basically loose within the Amazon box. Fortunately the manufacturer's packing protected the stands during shipping. There's no easy way to load them with sand but I found them to be adequately stable when used with carpet spikes for my Klipsch surround speakers.

Instructions difficult to read. Pictures do not necessarily match the text

The only -ve is that the top plate is too small for most bookshelf speakers. I cut an MDF board and screwed on the top plate to place my bookshelf speakers.