I had just bought the Boston Acoustics Micro-90 system, which has a subwoofer and 2 very small cast-aluminum satellites. I needed speaker stands for the satellites. I wanted something heavy, rigid, and immune to resonance, so wooden stands were out. I looked at some fairly expensive metal stands, which I could have improved by adding lead shot or sand...then I thought...too bad I can't just cast the size and shape I want out of concrete. They won't tip over, they certainly won't vibrate or resonate, and they should be cheap to buy or make. I found some 33" decorative pillars at a garden-supply place - the kind of place that has concrete fountains, birdbaths, etc. They looked beautiful, kind of a classic-Greece feel, and they were perfect to use as stands. They worked beautifully....I have no complaints whatsoever about the looks or the sound. They provide an incredibly stable and inert base for these excellent speakers. I even considered having a set poured with some bolts sticking up out of the cement, and bolting the satellites to the stands - but that may be overkill :)

price and performance

looks?

What also works well are the 16" by 8" square concrete cinder blocks (the grey ones with two holes through them). Stood on end they make great little stands. If you need more height, go buy some 12" square patio stones, they are usually about 2" thick (but red). One on top and one on bottom of the cinder block will make a pedestal stand measuring almost 20" high. Each stone is about $.97 at any hardware store, so its about $6 to $8 for a pair of stands that tip the scales at 40+lbs. a piece. If you are worried about the concrete being a little rough on the bottom of the speaker, just put some fabric between the two, or go get a pair of computer mouse pads ($3 each for basic black). If nothing else they will give top notch performance and hold you over 'til the cash is there for the real speaker stands.