Atacama first redefined speaker stand design in the early nineties, with the introduction of the SE24. Since then, the company has focused more on their equipment rack products. That is until now.
The brief was to develop a product that was very different to any speaker stand that had come before; it had to be able to compliment the latest speaker designs, whilst coordinating with modern home interiors. It needed to have the right look and still meet the demands of the audio enthusiast. Most importantly, it needed to appeal to anyone who feels that speaker stands should add interest to a room, not detract from it.
The design approach, you could say, is certainly ‘outside the box’. The column is manufactured from a clear glass cylinder, whilst the polished glass base plate is shaped like a tear drop. The top plate is 50% heavier than a Nexus top plate and the complete assembly is held together using a chrome torsion tube which runs the length of the stand, and also doubles as cable management by allowing the speaker cable to be concealed inside.
The audiophile aspects of Aurora have not been ignored. The problem when using so much glass in a speaker stand design is the possibility of “ringing”. (A similar effect happens when you rub your finger around the edge of a wine glass.) To eliminate this problem, Atacama have looked to the specialist motor sport industry where vibration is also a concern. High performance race cars can suffer from high frequency sonic vibration particularly on suspension and engine mount components. By working closely with a specialist motor sport component supplier, Atacama have been able to develop the A.S.I.S.T. Gasket (Atacama Sonic Isolation System Technology), which is fitted to both ends of the Aurora glass column. The A.S.I.S.T. Gasket eliminates resonance within the glass column and also provides a secure interface for the top and base plates. This, combined with reducing floor contact by 25% by utilising 3 heavy duty carpet spikes instead of 4, significantly improves isolation and dampening over a conventional speaker stand.
The aesthetics of the Aurora are also very clear to see from first glance. The glass column can be filled with just about anything you can think of, (with the exception of liquids or living things!). The possibilities to colour coordinate with the surrounding décor are endless and once you get tired of the filling you have, you simply remove it and replace with something else. Some examples of fillings include coloured glass beads or sand, or even boiled sweets, it’s your choice!
Available late November 2007