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Setup

For this and the other five footer reviews I will be using my upstairs system. The CD player is a Cambridge Audio D500SE, the amplification a Classe CA-101 power amp with directly mounted EVS Ultimate Attenuators for adjusting volume. The speakers are a pair of Magnepan MMGs and the cabling by Nordost: Red Dawn interconnects and Flatline Gold MkII speaker cables. The CD player and amp are on top of the DIY Rack we built earlier. The rack shelves are pretty good themselves at controlling vibration so in order to have a more representative shelf I placed a standard shelf on top of the DIY rack supported only by the tips of the four rack pillars. A few taps on this shelf nicely confirmed that we now have a sufficiently resonant platform for our tests. Our primary assessment will be based on three footers under the CD player, two in front and one in the back. This arrangement will ensure consistency throughout the footer reviews.

Following my experience with placing BDR Pyramid Cones, I've placed the Pulsar Points directly under 1) the CD drive mechanism, 2) the power transformer and 3) in a position to complete a stable triangle. The picture above shows the original arrangement which proved less effective than the 1, 2, 3 arrangement I just described.

Performance

My first impression of the Pulsar Points was during last year's Montreal show, when I heard their effect in a Nordost demonstration. Lars Kristensen was convincing in his demonstration of both the aluminum and titanium versions. To my ears and under show conditions, there was an increase in clarity, better vocal projection and what seemed to be a slight increase in volume. Obviously the volume setting of the amp did not change, what did change was my perception of what I was hearing: Greater detail and increased dynamics. I remember the titanium offered a further increase of the above but also an increase in refinement. This demo soon led to my purchase of an aluminum set for my own one-on-one audition and use.

So, a year later I find myself writing this review about a set of Pulsar Points I've now really come to appreciate. Remember what I said about my perception of a slight increase in volume? Well yes that's true, but think of it as an increase in contrast; as if you removed a soft filter and exposed the true, vibrant colors underneath. The Pulsar Points allowed me to hear a bit more of everything. The sound was fresh and alive. This was not a lazy-boy chair kind of an experience but rather one that kept you on the edge of your seat. Spatially the sound stage was better focused and more coherent, more "you are there" type of an experience. With the Pulsar Points in place the bass was extended, solid and better defined. The background grew darker allowing more information to surface.

Compared to the Vibrapods, the Pulsar Points were better. They had better resolution and impact; the points were more precise and sonically richer. Compared to the BDR Pyramid cones, the Pulsar Points were a bit better too. They seemed a bit faster, with somewhat better slam, and they had more verve; more of that "get up and go" quality I prefer. Now that's in my system - you may have different praise to tell.

One word of caution, the Pulsar Points are quite commanding of your attention. This is good, but in some systems it might just tip the scale and make the sound too forward and aggressive at times. A system that is to start with already a bit bright and forward may not benefit as much as a well-balanced system with inherent refinement.

Conclusion

Silver bullets? Well, no - but close. Nevertheless, Nordost Pulsar Points are my favorite resonance and vibration control devices at their price point (the aluminum version). They are very effective in reducing resonance and low-level mechanical noise. The effect is like opening a wide window into a rich, full of contrast, solid sonic picture.

If you can, get both the BDR Pyramid Cones and these Nordost Pulsar Points. Then try each out and see which are better for you. Don't rush it, use the 30-day trial period of your friendly local dealer and then decide. In my case the nod goes to the Pulsar Points, but then that's just me. I would really like to hear from you what you think.

Comments

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Neil W.	Hi, I have just installed the Pulsar Points under my Bryston SP1 Pre amp/processor and what a difference they made. I received them as a free gift for subscribing to a HI FI magazine. Previously I was using Vibrapods and cones under the Bryston and still use these under my DPA cd player (for the time being). What was the difference? Well, for a start there was more detail which greatly enhanced image placement.Dinamics were also improved quite noticably.I must add that these improvements were not subtle-they were instantly noticeable-even by my tone deaf wife! I will definately be trying them under my CD player.One final point.I agree that if the system already sounds bright or lean,these Pulsar Points could tip the balance too far in this area with the sound becomming too "thin". I have also tried these under a Tube Technology Fusion CD player with excellent results. Regards, Neil