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“Stylish, brilliant performers-the days of the ugly speaker stand may well be numbered”
April 2008 edition, What Hifi sound & vision magazine
"Even empty they impress with a fantastically clear, detailed and open delivery"
April 2008 edition, What Hifi sound & vision magazine
"Hats off for some original thinking"
April 2008 edition, What Hifi sound & vision magazine
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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
To view larger versions: click on the thumbnail
images above.
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SERIES
NEXUS