Let’s begin by praising Atacama, then we can discuss how they managed to do what they’ve done.
So significantly does the Evoque Eco 60-40 Special Edition improve upon its predecessor – named best equipment rack at last year’s What Hi-Fi? Awards, no less – its effect on our reference system was evident within seconds.
MORE: Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 review
Performance
Using a reference system of Cyrus CD i and Rega Elex-R amplifier, we played Marmaduke Duke’s Silhouettes to find crisper detail, tighter and more composed low end and better-organised instrumentation.
The differences could hardly be clearer. So what on earth can Atacama have done to take such great strides? Strides, too, that cost the listener only £25 extra per shelf.
Their aim, they say, was four-fold: “to build a hi-fi support able to dampen, direct, isolate and control sonic and mechanical resonance away from the equipment”.
MORE: Best hi-fi and AV racks 2015
To that end, they have upgraded with longer legs, equipped with tuning counterweights for dampening, channels carved into the underside of each bamboo panel to direct vibrations towards the legs and replaced the steel feet with bronze to facilitate a steadier flow of mechanical resonance.
Being curious, we experimented taking apart the new and old Evoque Eco 60-40 and creating hybrids to test the new legs and panels separately.
They’re dead right, each time there was an improvement on the sound when using the original model, and each time not quite as good as using all components of the Special Edition.
Verdict
If you’re of the opinion all hi-fi racks are created more or less equal, the Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 Special Edition is about to make you rethink your position.
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