FutureShop has been an authorised dealer for Atacama Audio since the brand's early days in hi-fi furniture. This article is based on a first-hand visit to Atacama's Midlands factory, where FutureShop's team met the people behind the engineering.
Our Verdict
Atacama is genuinely an engineering company first and a furniture company second, and seeing that in person at their factory makes the resonance-control principles behind the Evoque Eco SE2 and Apollo Storm feel considerably less like marketing and considerably more like the engineering discipline they actually are.
Quick Take
- Atacama has its roots in precision subcontracting for Rolls-Royce and British Aerospace, and the engineering mentality from that background is visible throughout the factory.
- Bamboo shelving was adopted in 2011, sourced from a single Vietnamese plantation. The material is carbonised to match oak in hardness, then vertically laminated with bamboo resin for structural integrity and warp resistance.
- Solid oak shelving was introduced in 2013 when Atacama acquired Apollo HiFi. The Apollo Storm used AA-grade Northeast European slow-growth timber and won the What Hi-Fi? award in 2018.
- The SE2 rack models add AVRDC resonance deflection channels machined into the shelf underside, bronze isolation coned spikes, and contoured shelf edges, each designed to route mechanical energy downward and out of the system rather than letting it accumulate.
- The newer vinyl-focused accessories (turntable wall shelf, record storage coffee table, and Apollo Storm Vinyl Top Shelf) extend the same oak engineering into dedicated vinyl listening furniture.
It was mid-morning at Atacama's Midlands-based factory, just before the morning bell rang. Dennis relinquished his break to welcome Adam and me to the operation. There were stacks of wooden boards, racks of steel pipes, the hum of machines. But most of the crew had vanished at the sound of the bell.
How Atacama Uses CNC Precision to Build Hi-Fi Furniture
Dennis is a chatty fellow. He was still explaining the wonders of the £130K CNC machine that Lucasz was operating when Caroline (the nice lady who takes our orders) walked back past after break, making an open-close gesture with her hand behind Dennis. Adam and I realised we had barely spoken a word.
The CNC machine is a crucial part of Atacama's engineering process. This is how they shape precision-cut bamboo and oak boards into audio-grade shelves for your hi-fi to rest on. Operating a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine is a challenging craft, and Atacama has the privilege of having talented operators. Machining precision parts without error takes more than a ruler and pencil.
From Glass to Wood: Atacama's Evolution into Hi-Fi Furniture Craftsmanship
But, in the early days, Atacama couldn't see the wood for the trees. It was one of hi-fi's most renowned cable makers that turned Atacama on to, well, on to wood. As the story goes, Atacama insisted that said cable makers used their original glass shelves for their demonstrations. It was sharply dictated that glass is to hi-fi what dogs are to cats.
So, like the bamboo chosen for their furniture, they bent with the wind but did not break. Carl Sambell, Atacama's MD, invested in the gear to carve a new path in woodworking (nice pun). Eco-friendly bamboo became the focus in 2011. The bamboo is sourced from a single Vietnamese plantation where income benefits their community. This also means fewer colour-match issues.
In 2013, Sambell Engineering acquired Apollo HiFi and branched out (another nice pun) into solid oak options in their Storm range. By 2018, the Apollo Storm won the What Hi-Fi? award with their AA-grade (the highest possible) timber from Northeast Europe.
En route to the metal work area, we passed Lucasz again. The shelves he'd just CNC-machined were being sanded and stained.
Atacama Hi-Fi Furniture Range Explained: Models, Materials and Features
Let's quickly break down the range.
There are five standard models. Carl explains, with the pride only an engineer has for their endeavours, the design features that distinguish them (more on that later). The following list explains:
- Oak shelves
- Steel supports
- Finishes: Natural / Dark / Premium black (new)
Apollo Podium
- Oak shelves
- Oak supports
- Finishes: Natural / Dark / Premium black (new)
- Bamboo shelves
- Steel supports
- Finishes: Natural / Dark
- Bamboo shelves
- Steel supports
- AVRDC Resonance deflection channels
- Curved shelves
- Finishes: Natural / Dark
Elite Eco
- Bamboo shelves
- Bamboo semi-closed supports
- AVRDC Resonance deflection channels
- Finishes: Natural / Dark
The above are available in different sizes to fit your setup, and Atacama can customise sizes for special use-cases.
The Engineering Behind Atacama Hi-Fi Racks: Materials and Resonance Control
Atacama sees itself as an engineering company more than a furniture maker (after all, they cut their teeth subcontracting for Rolls-Royce and British Aerospace). Here are some of their resonance-controlling design principles:
- Bamboo
- Micro-porous nature acts as a shock absorber
- 'Carbonising' process makes it hard as oak (hard, but not too hard)
- Vertical composite glued with bamboo resin for no-warp, structural integrity
- Oak
- The oak shelves are joined blocks, which prevent morphing
- High-density, slow-growth AA-grade NE European timber (hard, but not too hard)
- AVRDC (Advanced Vectored Resonance Deflection Channels)
- Precision-machined channels cut into the shelf underside
- Redirects harmonic energy to the leg supports, down through the isolation spikes
- S.I.S.T dampening gaskets
- Fitted to the top and bottom of the steel supports
- Two dampening gaskets reduce 'ringing'
- Aluminium Top and Lower Caps
- Coupled with internal studs
- Conduct resonance to the floor spikes
- Tuning Counterweights
- Nickel-plated bronze inverted frustum-shaped counterweights
- 'Tunes' out the resonance from the leg supports by threading along the internal studs
- Bronze Isolation Coned Spikes (SE2 models)
- Optimised spike interface
- Cone-tipped longer spikes maximise energy transfer
- Soft bronze material slows energy
- Contoured Edge Bamboo Panels
- Precision shaped to prevent constructive interference from resonant standing waves
With audio-grade furniture, it's all about resonance control. Atacama handles this every step of the way, from your components, down to the floor. The precision-designed shelves direct resonance toward the top caps, through the frustum-tuned studs, into the isolation spikes to the floor via each shelf level.
New Hi-Fi Furniture from Atacama: Turntable Mounts and Vinyl Storage
As if a range of five shelving units is not enough, Atacama continue to innovate with three vinyl-focused furniture units. If anything needs resonance control, it's a turntable (see below).
To tell us all about them, Carl joined Dennis and us. Did we mention the pride Carl takes in his engineering? Aside from learning about what went into these products, it was fun watching Dennis and Carl bicker over who was doing the talking. Carl won.
Apollo Turntable Wall Shelf: Vibration-Controlled Shelf for Audiophiles
A solid, elegant-looking oak wall shelf in the Apollo range. The three main parts come flat-packed for ease. The shelf fits the bracket, with a slight 'deflection' for effortless assembly, with Philips screws (we all have a Philips screwdriver, don't we?). A triangular support relieves the deflection for a solid installation.
If your hole drilling skills are slightly off, Atacama offer the optional isolation platform with adjustable spikes and spike shoes (turntables perform ideally when placed on a platform). Ingeniously, the platform comes with solid MDF guides to perfectly locate the spike shoes.
Apollo Record Storage Coffee Table: Stylish Vinyl Furniture for Hi-Fi Lovers
Does anyone buy magazines anymore? So, what do you keep under the coffee table? Answer: records. Anyway, you're more likely to play records again than leaf through a five-year-old copy of ELLE.
Another piece that seems to be part of the Podium range. If oak is your thing, this will make a cool living space feature (just don't knock over that bottle of Shiraz when flipping through your collection for Nana Mouskouri's album to please Mum). The base has been thoughtfully machined to keep your vinyl upright without slipping and can hold around 200 records.
Apollo Storm Vinyl Top Shelf: Easy Access Vinyl Storage for Turntables
The new Vinyl Storage shelf for Apollo Storm 10 is now available. The top shelf features an aperture for around 70 of your favourite vinyl albums to stand right beside your deck, and the shelf below includes a non-slip mat. It's a handy way to pick your next record without bending down. Be careful not to rifle through too enthusiastically and cause the needle to jump.
Which Atacama Rack Is Right for Your System?
Having seen how these racks are made, the differences between the five models are easier to understand in practical terms.
If your priority is acoustic performance and you want every resonance-control feature Atacama offers, the Evoque Eco SE2 is the bamboo rack to choose. The AVRDC channels, contoured shelf edges, and bronze isolation spikes are all present, making this the most acoustically engineered option in the bamboo line. The standard Evoque Eco is a step down from the SE2, omitting those features at a lower price, and suits systems where the priority is value and a clean aesthetic rather than maximum resonance management.
If your aesthetic preference is solid oak and a warmer, more traditional look, the Apollo Storm is the natural choice. It uses the AA-grade Northeast European timber and steel support combination that won the What Hi-Fi? award in 2018. The Apollo Podium uses the same oak shelving with oak rather than steel supports, giving it a more enclosed and visually warmer character that suits traditional living room settings.
The Elite Eco sits at the top of the bamboo range with bamboo semi-closed supports alongside the bamboo shelving and AVRDC channels, providing the most visually coherent all-bamboo aesthetic with the full acoustic engineering package.
For vinyl-focused setups, the Apollo Storm Vinyl Top Shelf for the Storm 10 keeps around 70 records at arm's reach beside the turntable, and the turntable wall shelf with its optional isolation platform is the cleanest solution for keeping the deck off the rack entirely, which is the most effective resonance management approach for any high-mass or sensitive turntable.
For more on the acoustic principles behind speaker stands and isolation in the Atacama range, our guide to five ways Atacama stands improve sound quality covers stand height selection, mass-loading, and how the rack and stand interact with the rest of the system.
Atacama: High-Engineered Hi-Fi Furniture From the Heart
Atacama has engineered a solid collection of high-performing hi-fi furniture. We use them ourselves. The range of designs and finishes fits into both contemporary and traditional living spaces.
With the day almost done, we went up to the office for tea and a slice of home-baked cake courtesy of Caroline. Adam sat nattering with the girls while Dennis shared with me his experiences appearing for children and weddings wearing screen-accurate Imperial Stormtrooper duds. It proved that, despite having a warehouse full of wooden shelves, he doesn't have a wooden heart.
Browse the full range of Atacama hi-fi racks and speaker stands at FutureShop. Not sure which model or configuration suits your system and room? Get in touch with our team and we will help you find the right Atacama solution for your setup.
