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!
