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Product REVIEWS
BRIGHT STAR REVIEWS
BRIGHT STAR ISOLATION SYSTEM
The Rack of Gibraltar is an open equipment stand whose rigidity and strength outclass the competition. From my brief encounter with Barry Kohan at CES, he came off as serious, with a flair for tackling technical issues without compromise.
Significant sonic gains were in soundstaging and dynamic range and contribute to a dramatically heightened acceptance of the illusion of live music. Being able to penetrate to the inner recesses of the soundstage places the mind a step closer to the gestalt of live music. The Isolation System reduced the veiling, or screen of fog, that interferes with the spontaneity of reproduced music. It removed the "lid" from "canned" music to the extent that I could gaze into the hall through a cleaner window. Once I was transported into the hall I could delineate the decay portion of musical transients much more clearly. It was as if the noise floor of the reproduction chain had been lowered. Hall ambience was resolved to the point that I seemed to be peering into the soundstage through a higher–powered telescope. Spatial outlines were more incisively focused. The same sort of heightened resolution extended to dynamic shadings.
The ebb and flow of musical phrases packed a bigger dramatic punch. The crucial range from soft to moderately loud bloomed with greater conviction. I felt closer to the source, to the fountainhead of the music’s essence. From the sweep of a large orchestra to the intimacy of a solo instrument recorded up close, the music sounded cleaner, more expressive, and more solidly grounded in a 3-D perspective.
Final Thoughts – My experience with Bright Star’s Rack of Gibraltar and the Total Isolation System strongly argues that to elicit the full sonic potential from most audio gear requires proper isolation and resonance control.
The Bright Star system can be seen as an environmentally safe haven for audio equipment, a place where insidious external and internal vibrational energy is safely dissipated. I can no longer tolerate the thought of using most of my gear outside of the Bright Star isolation niche. Do yourself a favor; pamper your equipment. You’ll be glad you did.
< span class="style3">Stereophile Vol 16 No5 May 93 - Dick OlsherAIR MASS 3 and BIG ROCK
I was so excited, at the recent CES, to see the Bright Star Audio Air Mass 3 pneumatic component base. For a mere $99 I could see what pneumatic suspension could do for my system.
Does it perform? Absolutely! Spectacularly! Stunningly! From the first cut of the first disc it was obvious that the Air Mass made a remarkable difference in my system. The Air Mass is one of those fundamental system improvements that illuminate – by its removal – a distortion that we’ve been accepting as an inherent component of recorded music. Without the Air Mass images are far less dimensional and robbed of much of their harmonic character making individual voices or instruments much less distinct. Without the Air Mass the clarinet and bassoon are absolutely stripped of their air, body and life. With the Air Mass the system’s low-level resolution was greatly improved and it was better able to maintain the coherency and detail resolution. Ambience retrieval is also significantly improved. Images are more dimensional, their auras more realistic, and the ambience of the recording space around each image is more clearly rendered. The Rapsodie Espagnole is a startling example of how completely images, and the soundstage, can be re-creat ed with the Air Mass in the system.
With the Air Mass the image center, the image of the violins themselves, remains locked in place and can be easily identified as the source of the sound. Without the Air Mass, the image center is much less distinct and in at the extreme, can be lost. The Air Mass improves the specificity of not only the images as a whole, but the image center, or the sound source, as well and when combined with a Big Rock, it offers both mass loading and additional damping that the competition doesn’t.
It might have been simpler to just state that the Air Mass improved my system’s performance in nearly every way. My listening notes bear this out, referring several times to "an increased level of emotional involvement," or the discovery of several previously overlooked "spectacular sounding" albums.
So add my voice t o those singing the praises of pneumatic isolation, and mark my recommendation of the Air Mass as "unconditional." This nifty, simple gadget, based on valid engineering principles, does wonders for a system.
The Abso!ute Sound No 106 Brian Damkroger
THE ULTIMATE ISOLATION SYSTEM
I've been studying equipment racks, feet and support systems for a while now. I've known about isolation for a long time...after all, Navcom and Sorbothane feet were moderately good at isolation, but they never sounded very good as audio component feet compared to Audiopoints, for example. But Bright Star's Ultimate Isolation System uses a much better isolation method combined with mass damping and RF/EMI reduction. When I replaced the Audiopoints with a Bright Star UIS the sound quality of the amplifier took yet another step forward in terms of how sophisticated it sounded. Backgrounds became more silent and detail became more audible without any artificial enhancement. Soundstage depth improved enough that it made me question what I was hearing from a solid state amp - only tube amps do depth this well...supposedly. It may be that solid state amps just need the benefit of isolation and damping to approach the "tube standard" of depth performance.
My experience with the Bright Star Audio UIS has made me a convert to isolation. If you have cones or some type of soft feet under your components and think/thought they sound a lot better than the stock feet, the Bright Star system could more than double the perceived improvement when you changed to cones or other feet.
What we have here in Bright Star's product may be the best commercially available reasonable cost component support system that is available to audiophiles. The Bright Star Audio Ultimate Isolation System addresses isolation, damping the component's vibrations (either produced within the component or attempting to enter the component externally) and reduction of RF/EMI.
The Bright Star UIS consists of three parts. Each part can be purchased separately or together as a UIS. Different sizes are available to accommodate different sized components. Air Mass is best used on a rack shelf or on top of a low amp stand. You can use the Air Mass alone to achieve a high degree of component isolation but it really comes into its own when used with a Big Rock and Little Rock. Besides acting as a mass damping device, the Big Rock mass loads the Air Mass to lower the resonant frequency of the Air Mass quite a bit. This lower resonant frequency improves the isolation performance of the Air Mass enough to make adding the Big Rock quite worthwhile. The Little Rock further mass loads the Air Mass for another reduction in resonant frequency. The Little Rock is definitely an effective contributor to the overall success of the Bright Star system. With all three pieces of the UIS and my 55-pound amp, the mechanical resonant frequency of this isolation/damping system is in the 1.5 Hz range - very, very low.
Bright Star makes their own rack system with the same granite-look colors and lots of space for each component so each one can be UIS'ed. The Rack of Gibraltar series ranges in price from $599 for 3 components, which weighs 46 pounds empty to $1999 for a 6 component rack that weighs 202 pounds empty. Gibraltar 3 (three shelf positions - $599) and Gibraltar 5 (five shelf positions - $999) are supplied with Big Rock platforms as the shelves themselves. Big Rocks are optional for other Gibraltar racks. Air Mass and Little Rock are also optional.
That's about it... Bright Star Audio's Ultimate Isolation System is one of my "standout" products for 1996. The improvement heard from Bright Star's system can, subjectively, as much as double the improvement you hear from the best of other support systems and significantly more than double any perceived improvement from soft replacement feet or inexpensive cone-type feet. I can't tell for certain whether a $300 Ultimate Isolation System 3 or $478 Ultimate Isolation System 2 sounds better than a $2,200 Vibraplane. The Vibraplane may well offer superior isolati on compared to an Air Mass alone. But the Vibraplane has no mass damping and no ability to block RF/EMI. The Bright Star UIS does more than other isolation-only products for comparable or much lower cost.
SoundStage! Feb 1997 - Doug BlackburnBRIGHT STAR ISOLATION
I won’t keep you in suspense. This is the greatest single improvement I have heard - Fully the equivalent of upgrading a component.
This product caused me to rethink and redesign my installation immediately upon hearing the results of but one Isolation System on the CD player alone. Bottom line: I’m isolating every critical component.
What the system did to the sound was not subtle. I never needed to go back and forth questioning what I heard. Coherence – the instruments are more precisely defined, emerging from a quieter background. Instrumental tone is more natural, relaxed and distinct. The "naturalness" and ease of the sound was ultimately what impressed me most.
Soundstage became broader along the rear wall, smack into the corners. It removed a lot of digitalis: the silvery hash associated with some CDs and also a lot of digital glut heard during crescendos of large orchestras. Within the reverberant space I could better make out placement of v oices and instruments. Whereas before, only ambient sounds came from the rear corners of the room, I could now hear specific sounds. I heard more detail within the orchestra, which previously had only been part of the general sound. The tympani rolls were never this deep or well defined.
These kinds of results were repeated on CD after CD. Even Martin Denny’s birdcalls seemed real. There’s absolutely no mistaking what’s going on hear – there’s no going back.
How about on a piece of electronics? On an Audio Research SP-9 preamp, the isolation system eliminated about half the brightness that had become an annoying coloration of that unit. Strings sounded less screechy. Soundstage deepened and widened. Tympani rolls got tighter and deeper. Improvements were obvious.
More detail is heard because it is freed from the hitherto un-noted background noise. Dynamics are improved because the sound stands in starker contrast to the quiet. Isolation becomes more effective the closer it is to the component. If, for example, we rely solely on an acoustically dead rack or stand we are still not preventing air-borne or self-generated vibrations from affecting the sound. The Bright Star system fits neatly with this philosophy since it absorbs vibrations at the chassis. I have never before heard the degree of improvement that I heard when using th e Bright Star isolation system.
I did notice a difference in my system – and it wasn’t that subtle either. After I put my CD in the isolation system and listened for a week there was no going back. Once I had gotten used to the improved sonics, I wanted it that way all the time. This is one tweak that really works.
The Audiophile Voice Vol1/2 - Russell NovackBRIGHT STAR ISOLATION
When I used the Bright Star system with my CD player or CD transport I noticed immediately that several aspects of music reproduction were improved. Bass lines became easier to follow and had greater impact. The midrange became more focused. The quiet between notes was quieter and ambient sounds were more obvious. The attack, sustain and decay of individual notes became more noticeable. Imag es in the soundstage were more precisely located and the space around the performers became more apparent. Treble was cleaner and more precise sounding with better definition. Overall, music sounded more relaxed, taking one step closer to reality.
If you’ve got a good system forget that silver interconnect or garden hose speaker cable. For less than either of those shot-in-the-dark tweaks, Bright Star’s isolation system will make a real and welcome improvement in CD playback. Highly recommended.
The $ensible Sound No 48 - Bob BottmanBRIGHT STAR ISOLATION
Several months ago, Positive Feedback was approached by Barry Kohan of Bright star Audio to review their vibration control system. Since I had heard about these units I was very anxious to give them a try.
I put the Little Rock on top of my amplifier. The sound was much tighter and more controlled with the Little Rock in place. What next? It was time to put the Big Rock under my amp. I heard a much more noticeable improvement. The music was tighter and more precise. Overall, a pleasant step forward. After putting the Bright Star system in, it sounds like I spent $5000 on a new amp.
The Bright Star Audio combination is the best isolation product that I’ve found, it could really improve your sound.
Positive Feedback Vol3 No5 - Clay SwartzBIG ROCK and LITTLE ROCK
My initial experience with the Big Rock is still the most instructive. I placed my Quicksilver KT-88 amps aboard after playing two orchestral pieces. Bass, which tends to be soft on these 60-watt monos tightened up considerably. Dynamics were punchier. Images were more securely positioned, with better focus. This scenario pretty much repeated itself with various other components. The Forte Model 4 amp used the system and benefited with a greater weight to performances, less congestion and improved pitch definition in the bottom. Resolution was much improved.
I was skeptical when Bright Star’s Barry Kohan suggested a Big Rock between my Lead Balloon and my SOTA Cosmos. I assumed this part of my system was isolated and massed out. Wrong! The noise floor dropped precipitously. Images appeared in space with stability and control only hinted at before. With my Cosmos "Rocked Out", the articulation between instruments and the ambience retrieval told me this isolation system was in my system to stay!
Plain and simple, the Bright Star isolation system works – and works well.
The Abso!ute Sound No 95 - Neil A. Gader
The Big Rock really works as advertised: the noise floor drops noticeably, the music is better focused with greater top-to-bottom control. You won’t have to convince yourself your hearing an improvement-you’ll know it during the first record played.
Michael Fremer
I’ve played around with turntable isolation platforms for more than two decades, and this is by far the best to date. In fact, the Bright Star is one of the few units that makes a difference in my dedicated equipment room – which is a separate room from my speakers.
The Big Rock equals or surpasses the effect of using a wall mount shelf to decouple the turntable. It does a fine job of damping out low-frequency air conditioner vibration in apartments, and the impact of heavy trucks moving along a major nearby road. In any decent real-world setup the Bright Star is a real gem, and the benefits are immediately audible. You will hear what your turntable and arm can do for the first time.
Anthony H. CordesmanTHE BIG ROCK 19 PLATFORM
Realizing the full potential of the SAMA modification requires attention to the placement of the turntable and motor assembly. VPI’s Harry Weisfeld suggested trying the Bright Star isolation base. Combining the Split Plinth arrangement and the sand footing results in exceptionally good damping and isolation of drive motor vibrations from the turntable. This results is a more realistic musical presentation: greater low-frequency dynamics, a more natural upper midrange and cleaner upper octaves. Low frequencies more closely resemble those found on the master tape. Dynamics were less constricted, full-bodied and better detailed. In short, the music holds together better.
My ears tell me that the Bright Star is draining off or trapping excess energy that may result in cartridge mistracking. The mandolin retains its full, resonant feeling without an accompanying electronic ringing. High frequencies that were a tad muted and reticent are more open and better defined without any correspondent etching. Cymbals emerge from behind a curtain and are more dimensional. Adding the Bright Star base to the VPI turntable decidedly elevates the performance level for a minimum investment.
The Abso!ute Sound No 94 0 Myles B. AstorTHE BIG ROCK
I will not be listening to my system without it again. The effect is not subtle. Music is what the Big Rock allows. The improvement was nothing short of amazing. The sound has greater purity through the midrange and greater ease up high. Be st of all is the increased definition and snap of bass transients. The Big Rock quashes resonances to a remarkable degree. All in all, the Bright Star Big Rock is one of the most musically effective components that you can buy. Recommended with great enthusiasm.
The Audio Observatory Vol.3 No.2 - Paul A. CervantesBRIGHT STAR ISOLATION
The Sweet Spot - Placing the Bright Star Air Mass under a component does provide sonic improvement. There is better background detail, better imaging and more articulation. I normally use the Big Rock and Little Rock under all my components and have been very pleased with the results, so I suppose that nobody will be surprised when I say that the Ultimate Isolation System should be considered by anyone serious about totally isolating a component.
Positive Feedback Vol6/7 No6/1 - Clay Swartz
Positively db’s Feedback – The latest product in the Bright Star line-up is the Air Mass. When combined with a Big Rock and Little Rock this stack-up has a very low resonant frequency. Press on one corner and it bobs back and forth at about .05 Hz – perfect for isolating floor motions. Other air isolation devices, even some more expensive ones, do not get this low resonant frequency correct.
I’m now convinced that as big an improvement as clamping and Audiopoints were, Bright Star’s Ultimate Isolation System is significantly better. I keep thinking "sonic purity" when I try to come with words to describe the effect. Backgrounds are quieter, detail and harmonics are more complete…the amp sounds more sophisticated, as if it were a much more expensive component. The performance is magnified with the Bright Star Ultimate Isolation System. Bright Star has hit on the right combination. This system far outperformed the alternative turntable support systems.
What you will hear will be so wonderful that you will think that you died and went to heaven. Everything just gets better. The cost/performance ratio is so high here that a Bright Star setup should be considered mandatory. Buying a different amplifier that improves the sound this much just might be impossible AT ANY PRICE.
On a scale of one to ten, I would give the Bright Star Ultimate Isolation System a ten!
Doug BlackburnTHE ULTIMATE TNT ISOLATION SYSTEM
Harry Weisfeld called and mentioned that he was enthusiastic about the Ultimate system – very enthusiastic.
The Ultimate TNT system works like a charm. I heard a substantial improvement after installing it, hearing details that were previously inaudible but had always been present. Bass sounded more deep and taut. I could hear farther into the spaces in which the music took place. I found the added detail, the deeper tighter bass and the clarity of the highs to add significantly – and that’s what it’s all about.
What I like most about the Bright Star Ultimate TNT Isolation System is that it’s simple, affordable and it works. I can confidently predict that anyone who owns a VPI TNT will notice a substantial improvement in the performance of their turntable for less than the cost of a pair of high-quality interconnects. I’d call that a bargain.
Stereophile July 1997 - Wes PhillipsBRIGHT STAR ISOLATION
So what’s a Big Rock isolation platform? It’s probably the most easily understood tweak in the world – and it works. Yahhhh, that’s good! Everything was immediately a little cleaner, and low and behold, the electronic background, from which the music emerges had been moved back, way back. This is exciting stuff. It’s exciting because the music starts to take on a life of its own when the noise background starts to recede in a major way. Everything you hear is truer to its source – the blurring is way down. Tones grew noticeably richer with a more complete harmonic envelope. The decay of notes from CDs became more natural and ambient information was more complete.
I’m pretty impressed by what an equipment foundation can do to the sound of an audio system. It settles the sound down, like adjusting the focus of a fine camera; making everything sound a little sharper, a little cleaner and a little more lifelike. Major improvements are possible in all areas of music reproduction if one uses the Bright Star isolation system throughout.
Bound For Sound No5a/92 - Martin G. DeWulfTHE BRIGHT STAR BIG ROCK
Bright Star Audio manufactures an equipment isolation platform, the Big Rock. A CD player, turntable or other component is placed on top isolating it from outside vibratio ns. It is very elegant and very effective.
Audiotechnique - Weng Cheung