21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Potentially life-changing, November 25, 2008
This review is from: Photosonix Nova Pro Light & Sound Machine Sensory with Colortrack Glasses (Health and Beauty)
In a world of overpriced consumer electronics that are often obsolete and/or broken in less than two years, and which are commonly so costly in terms of in frustration that the customer deserves to be paid, the work of the Photosonix company stands out as a stellar exception to the rule. Yes, it is somewhat on the expensive side for a gadget, but it can be worth far more to you than you paid.
As I write this, I have just finished a light and sound session using the Nova Pro. I feel utterly relaxed but my mind is alert. I feel like I have had an energizing nap, despite the fact that I was seated upright and awake during the thirty minutes of use.
I have had the machine for ten solid years of regular usage, and have had no technical problems with it at all. But more importantly, I feel that I have benefited from using it immeasurably, emotionally and intellectually. As a person who has also practiced traditional meditation, for example, I have been thrilled to discover the Nova Pro allows reliable and almost instant access to the states of mind that can be difficult to achieve unaided. And since the settings allow infinite possibilities for tinkering with setting, so I have only scratched the surface of the discoveries I can make with it.
The creators of the Nova Pro have diligently incorporated brainwave research and theories into the design of the pre-set programs. I found that after a couple of years of use, I honed in on custom settings that I found most useful. But I occasionally go back to the presets because so many are interesting and powerful (though a few are just gimmicky or annoying).
However, I would have potential buyers reflect on the possibility that the value the Nova Pro has for you may depend, to some degree, on what you expect of it going in. I am not referring to a placebo effect; rather, that if you expect the results to be very different (e.g., like an LSD trip, an immediate 30 point IQ gain, etc.) from what they are, it might be disappointing.
One suggestion might be to do a bit of reading on the subjects of neurofeedback, hemispheric synchronization, and so on, so that you have some idea of what all the fuss is about. I started with Michael Hutchison's books; perusing the Amazon recommendations listed along with his books might be a good start.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tripping The *Light Fantastic*.............. : D, December 1, 2010
This review is from: Photosonix Nova Pro Light & Sound Machine Sensory with Colortrack Glasses (Health and Beauty)
If you are serious about Sound & Light therapy, & you really want to get maximum results, get the Nova Pro 100 *with* the Color Track glasses. No other Photosonix S&L glasses will deliver quite the same effects.
The Nova Pro 100 is a great Sound & Light machine, & using it does work to alter mental states. It is a lot of fun to experiment with. I used a teacher's David Pal S&L machine last Summer, which also comes with white glasses, & I liked it. I liked the wider variety of programming & impressive memory space in the Nova Pro 100, however, & after a week of research, I got the Nova Pro 100. I believe I made the right choice, vs. getting the David Pal, or the snazzy Procyon I was eying...
Physically, the Nova Pro 100 machine is *very* solid & durably built, & there is nothing cheaply made or flimsy about it. The built in rechargeable battery is another huge plus. It's built into the unit, & you do not need to buy anything separately, as you will with other cheaper S&L units...which ultimately raises their total price. There are plenty of buttons, & wheels, & jacks, & ports, features & settings, to control & customize your S&L experience. Including 2 sound & light jacks, so that with a 2nd set of glasses & phones, you may share (tweak?) with a friend. Even though it's a scientifically complex machine - getting it up & running takes only minutes. You're supplied with as much of the audio science behind it as you'd like to read, but you will *not* need a physics or neuro-psych course to operate it. Photosonix put a lot of practical, serious thought into their design, & I like that. Unlike so many electronics made today, this is not the kind of technology that will become an obsolete investment within a year.
Scientifically, I don't know how the Nova Pro audio programs clinically compare to the David Pal machine, but I have got mileage out of both. I found the sound programs on both machines to be useful. My teacher, who is far more cool than I (& co-author of, "I Ching Made Easy: Be Your Own Psychic Advisor Using the World's Oldest Oracle") reports seeing all kinds of colors & 3D patterned images, objects, & places while using S&L with just white glasses. For some reason however, I never did. I saw a lot of neat spinning geometric images & designs, but they consistently offered a very 1 dimensional experience. Somehow, I was missing out on something...
I started to become bored with The True White glasses after about a month. The audio is said to be effective even without glasses. But to me, it seems counter-intuitive to apply the same color of light to all audio programs, used to achieve different, if not opposite, results. The True White glasses, are both figuratively & literally (re the yellowish color seen through the eyelids), very "vanilla"...... And, unless you hit a sale - Color Track glasses are $200 to purchase separately - so you may well be better off purchasing the Nova Pro 100 with the Color Track glasses, right off the bat. Ultimately, you may really wish you had. It helps to buffer sticker shock that there is a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.
So... I splurged & got myself the Photosonix Color Track glasses for Christmas. My teacher indicated color S&L glasses are produced mostly for their entertainment value, vs. therapeutic value - re energization, relaxation, & meditation. He is right that we really don't 'need' color to derive therapeutic value from S&L. But I have become a believer in "color therapy"... I'm highly sensitive to the different effects of various colors on mental states. So I decided to give Color Track glasses a shot, & I'm glad I did.
The Nova Pro 100 - when used with the Color Track glasses - becomes like using a whole different S&L machine... The difference is so marked, it defies the English language. I not only get color therapy benefits from using different frequencies of light - but suddenly, the visual patterns they generate take on a far more widely expansive, intricately detailed, animated, 3D effect, with a *profound* degree of depth the white glasses did not produce. I have a great time experimenting with the different colors & brightnesses, in combination with audio. Your overall S&L experience will depend on all 3 - the audio, the color setting, & the brightness. Have fun with them, & see how your outlook, thoughts, & feelings change. Like my teacher, now I can see all kinds of detailed 3 dimensional experiences & even colors the LED lights aren't physically showing me. It's amazing. Perhaps it has to do with the difference in the type of LED lights that are used. The standard Photosonix glasses have large LED bulbs, but the Color Track glasses use multi-colored mini lights combined into 1 single component per each eye. The True White glasses will give useful results, & the mono-chromatic glasses no doubt will too - but the multi-color glasses are so profound they induce amazed ramblings, superlatives, & expletives....... : D Combining S&L with Reiki, or crystal meditations, could prove interesting.
There's an "audio strobe" feature by which you can plug in your CD or MP3 player into EXT jack on the machine - & strobe the glasses' lights to your favorite music. I have not used this feature yet, but am thinking of trying it out with Pink Floyd's "Pulse" show. :)
As for cons... The "Intensity" button on the Color Track glasses should really be 2 buttons - one to increase, & one to decrease, brightness. Pressing just 1 button & "waiting 2 seconds" (which on mine, really is 4) to turn brightness up or down leads to too much confusion & distraction in the middle of a session. That issue admittedly produces some unexpectedly neat effects, but better control over brightness is needed.
Also, if you get the Color Track glasses, they're heavier than the other standard or premium Photosonix glasses. Be sure to put the headphones on first, or use them lying down, because you'll need to do so to hold the glasses in place.
So, to sum it up... If you really want to get the most out of your Nova Pro 100 - the multi-color glasses are a must. In combination with Nova Pro 100 audio programs, the overall effect is a really pleasant thought clearing, mind renewing, emotionally cathartic, mind expansion session. Think of it as "rebooting your brain"...just the same as you might restart, or defrag, your PC, so that it runs more smoothly. If you resonate with Light & Sound therapy, this kit really is a great investment in your personal well-being.
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