Have you ever tried a mind machine? You know, those cool hand-held computers that present you with flashing lights and brain wave tones? Basically, you put on headsets and special glasses that have LEDs in them, close your eyes, hit the start button and WOW! Yeah – those are the mind machines I’m talking about.

I own several models – Voyager Mind’s Eye (used to be Voyager XL), Voyager Galaxy, Proteus, and Sirius (Used to be Orion). My favorite is the Voyager Mind’s Eye. Here is my personal evaluation of each:

Voyager Mind’s Eye -
Cat’s Meow - has the most spectacular displays because it can go from, for example, 3 hz to 20 hz instantly – other machines ramp the frequency incrementally or smoothly over a few seconds. Fairly easy to operate it comes with a great user’s manual that gives lots of info about mind machines. 50 built-in programs.

Cat’s Pee-u - Most expensive unit. No visual display. Aging technology. Unit is programmable from a PC but software is DOS only.

Voyager Galaxy -
Moon shot - Simple and utilitarian, very easy to operate. 30 built-in programs. Has manual mode. Visual display window includes program number and frequency and mode. Good starter set.

Mooned shot – Manual mode only adjusts upward rather than up and downward – you can ramp from 2-30 hz but not from 30 back down to 2 hz. Not programmable.

Proteus -
Star Wars – Best techie machine because it has so many options. Can be connected to a Thoughtstream biofeedback machine to operate the A/V display with thought – very cool and interesting. Includes 50 built-in programs plus software to create your own programs (199 will fit in the machine in addition to the 50 built-in). Two-color liteframes (blue/red). Also includes a visual display for frequency, mode, and program.

Star Warts - No A/C option – AA batteries last for months, however. Transitions between frequencies and modes are so subtle and soft that this machine does not present explosive visual effects. Software is tedious and requires a bit of a learning curve – available in Windows format only (no Mac or Linux). Not a good starter set because of its complexity.

Sirius -
Big Easy – Fairly simple and easy to use. GREAT manual mode – best of any I’ve seen. Inexpensive. Includes 23 programs – one of which is a random program that will play as long as the machine is on and has power – fun. Visual display window is identical to the Voyager Galaxy’s. Good starter at a low price.

Katrina – soft transitions preclude explosive visual effects. Not programmable.

My favorite is the Voyager Mind’s Eye. It really is the Cadillac of mind machines. The technology is a bit aging, but it really puts on a show.

All the above machines will do programs with music (known as polysync or audiostrobe technology) in which the machine is programmed to go with special music. Most of these musical programs are just amazingly beautiful and the lightshow that accompanies them is spectacular in my experience. I love them.

I’ve developed a comparison chart for anyone who might be interested. www.1derworks.com/comparisons.php.