We had the privilege of interviewing Nobuhiko Ishikawa, the BJ Electric Representative and a legend in the Japanese speaker industry, to discuss our remarkable insulator 'BUREEN'.

Ishikawa: Sound attenuation, or rather absorption, means that even if you put the larger area down, there will be more return. That doesn't make much sense. It's a good idea to put the smaller area down because it disperses the sound. Make the speaker's surface wider and direct it to this side (toward the side with a smaller area). I also thought it was a small detail that the contact area was small (lol), especially since it looks like rubber. Rubber is the worst material to use as a damping material (lol). For better or for worse, it makes everything squishy. Rubber is so bad that people say that bad sounds have a rubbery feel to them. However, this is not a joke or anything, and this insulator is the best so far. Everything has its bad points, but it's good that there are no unpleasant peaks within that bandwidth.

-Thank you. We manufacture this using gel rather than rubber. I get excited when Mr. Ishikawa says that much.

Ishikawa: Actually, insulators are not ignored; they are always used somewhere. One yen coins and coins are quite effective, and since they are pressed down from above, they make less noise. As the height increases and the overall mass increases, there is a unique vibration, right? It came out. I like things that are hard when it comes to sound, but because they are hard, the characteristic vibrations get in the way.

Stainless steel is the worst metal.

-Oh is it?

Ishikawa: It sounds like stainless steel. Stainless steel is supposed to be nice. But if you use stainless steel, the sound will be somewhat muffled. There must be some absorption (of sound). The cool part of the sound gets sucked in.

“It absorbs just where it falls apart.”

-Today, I was surprised at how the sound changed when I used it under a horn speaker like this. I know the logic, but it was very noticeable.

Ishikawa: Personally, I've been doing this for a long time, so I thought this would be the first place. It's easy to install.

-Low was so good. (Low-impedance speakers)

Ishikawa: Yeah, Low has definitely improved.

It covered up the weaknesses (of the equipment we tested). After all, if the cabinet is weak, it won't work, and it will fall apart due to the power of the woofer. We want the woofer to come out, but it falls apart, so we can't hear the woofer's original sound. Because it's a small speaker cabinet, (the sound) is scattered and lacks clarity, but I feel like it just absorbs the unevenness thanks to BUREEN.

-Does this mean that the rigidity of the speaker enclosure is important?

Ishikawa: That's right. A speaker is like a motor, and the paper cone moves using magnetic force. It's amazing how powerful it is, even if it doesn't start running. It vibrates and makes a banging noise. The paper cone wants to move, but if the box is light, it will absorb sound. If you do that, you won't get a good sound. My theory is that everything in the world is made up of vibrations, so if you use vibrations wisely, you can do a lot of things. I also keep this in mind and request cables.

“There was no deciding factor for the insulator.”

-What is the intention behind audio enthusiasts using insulators?

Ishikawa: First of all, it's imprinted from magazines (lol), but what the magazines say is that extra vibration will make the sound worse. It's called vibration damping and uses various materials to control vibrations, so anything is fine. Magazines would never write “This is the only insulator!”. There are a lot of (insulators) out there, but to me, none of them are impressive.... Audiophiles say good things and bad things.This is an evaluation from people who have the power to speak, and they say oh it's amazing and jump on it. However, the reality is that we don't know exactly because we don’t have a core product. Therefore, there was no decisive factor for the insulator. 

After all, there were many insulators that went too far. Vinyl record players make a lot of howling, don't they? It was said that vibration was the cause, so many people floated the vinyl record player with insulators. However, it gets squishy, ​​and there are other sounds that come from above, so it is not the solution.

I tried the insulator (BUREEN) on speakers, but I think this is also effective on other things.

-Thank you.

BIO ~ Nobuhiko Ishikawa, BJ Electric Representative 

Worked at a cartridge manufacturer and amplifier manufacturer. Later, he became independent and developed and designed custom-made amplifiers. He creates true high-end amplifiers and cables with luxurious components, which are well received. He is a true engineer who has been involved in the development and design of audio equipment for many years and is a specialist who is familiar with all audio equipment, including amplifiers, cables, and speakers.

Try BUREEN!