To most people the words 'elegant' and 'hefty' don't sit hand in hand. Yet looking at Atacama's HMS2 speaker stands, 'elegantly hefty' seems to sum them up in a nutshell.
Made from carbon steel, the HMS2s (HMS stands for High Mass) certainly look built to last and come in a smart matt black finish, the only colour option at the moment.
Our sample arrived ready filled with Atabite fillers, and weighed in at a staggering 48kg per pair. Each Atabite tub costs £29.99 and holds 9kg of filler, and you'll need 3-5 tubs in total.
The stands also came equipped with a set of Atacama's optional rubber pads.
Fast, wide and open sound
Placed on the HMS2s without the isolation pads, but using Blu-tack instead, our ATC SCM11 speakers produced a fast, wide and open sound with more than capable detailing.
Tonally these Atacama's help the ATCs offer a prominent and smooth midrange and sweet treble, although the bass lacks some authority where needed.
We also found that the HMS2s made the speakers sound rythmically loose and not quite as musically cohesive as we'd like.
When tested with the rubber pads in place, we found the sound lost a little more bass weight, but gained additional detail and cohesion, together with an increased sense of space.
It's a close call, but ultimately we preferred using the HMS2s without the pads for a slightly meatier bass. We'd also recommend that you use these stands with speakers costing £600 or more to get the best from them.
With the HMS2s, Atacama has supplied a more than capable stand, that will appeal to fans of detailing and those who like their vocals sweet and smooth.
