Were the snack trays metal or wood? What size were they" If they were the conventional 14" x 18" size, and if they were made of metal, no wonder the speakers sounded like garbage.
You'll notice that most speaker stands have relatively small platforms on which the speaker sits. The object is to have the speaker bottom a little larger than the platform so as to avoid having any reflective surface in a position to affect the sound from the drivers. If you had the speakers on big ol' metal trays, they were very definitely affecting the sound.
