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.
* Now available - New Aurora premium atabite fillers , available in Black/Silver or Black/Blue at an extra cost of £27.99 per tub (only 1 tub needed to fill two stands)
"Decent stands are vital for getting the best performance from standmount speakers. They ensure drivers are at the correct height, provide vibration damping and offer a sturdy pedestal for your noise-makers. The problem is that they invariably look like the tools mechanics use to lift up cars.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a stand that offered all the sonic improvements without making the lounge look like a garage? Say 'hello' to Atacama's Aurora 6s.
Get inventive
What we have here is a tear-drop-shaped base plate, on which stands a clear-glass column and a heavyweight top-plate. The best thing about these stands though, is that you can fill the main column with anything you like, so long as it's not a liquid or alive (which put paid to our ant-farm idea).
This isn't just an exercise in style, though. Atacama has developed a rubber 'gasket' that goes on either end of the glass column to reduce vibrations, and there are gel pads on the top-plate for isolating and steadying the speaker. There's even a second tube in the centre of the main column for cable management. The good news is that, while whatever you use to fill your Auroras will alter the sound, we didn't find anything that made them sound less than excellent.
Even empty they impress with a fantastically clear, detailed and open delivery. Opt for the pretty, distinctly un-hi-fi glass pebbles (as pictured) and the clarity remains, but extra weight and rhythm is added. Move up to Atacama's own filler, Atabites, and sonics improve again, with even better focus and accuracy.
Different speakers will favour different fillings, but if you make a decision based entirely on styling (think different-coloured sand - very stylish) the Auroras will still be providing your system with a sonic boost to rival the best in this category."
What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision
