The Method of Tuning


System Playback has been evolving ever since the first stereos came out. Folks who have success can’t imagine listening to a system that has not been tuned, folks who haven’t been as successful in their listening tend to go off on their "snake oil" rants. People who buy from the "Recommended Component" list have their Plug & Play approach. The guys using measuring have their camp certainly, and there’s several other audio types out there that have their beliefs to add to the mix. Who’s correct? Well if we can remove our personal egos from this question, they (we) all are correct. The approach that you take as a listener is as legitimate as the next guys, to you. We try pushing our particular belief system on others because we are passionate about it. We have our likes and dislikes and we also have our own reasons why something does work or our blames why it doesn’t. The audiophile world has as many chapters as religious believers has denominations. It’s just the way our minds are built, you grew up on skippy, you peter pan, and you jiff. The audiophile world forgets sometimes just how many opinions and beliefs there really are, until they meet up on places like these audio forums and begin to mix this big bowl of ingredients together.

I’ve started this thread so I can share what I have learned through watching all these mixers turned on and being stuck in the bowl with each other and also from the point of view of someone who has "Tuned" many thousands of you, and have picked up on your own personal developments as masters of your own systems. So before we get going let me tell you something important. No one on the planet of listening "does" audio the way you do. You are unique, and you are a specialist when it comes to your audio adventure. You are all a salesman, because you want others to have that same level of success you enjoy. Audio reviewers, recording producers, component designers and end users are all in the same boat. You might have one or the other on a higher level than the rest, but that really has little relevance when your sitting there with your system and it’s just you and it.

What I would like to do with this thread is level the playing field and talk to you about the oldest technology in all of music (both playing & replaying). Tuning is the most basic and the most advanced technology in making fundamentals and harmonics work in support of each other and every single one of you (us) Tune. We may want to call it something else that sounds more HEA (high end audio) ish, but no matter what we choose to call it, it’s all about taking the audio variables and making them work together. This is what I have been doing all of my personal and professional life. This is also what you have been doing ever since you started to play or playback music.

Just some ground rules for this thread.

First have fun. No one gets anywhere in music if their not enjoying it. If your a sour puss, don’t be surprised if we call you out as one. Personally I don’t mind or care if your a sour puss or not, but speaking for myself, I only have so much time in the day, and if this thread gets too sidetracky & tacky I’ll have better things to do, like making music money, which is a ton of fun.

Second I’m a designer/manufacturer. I am Michael Green of RoomTune and Michael Green Audio. I would imagine over the years 10,000-15,000 Agoners have used my products, maybe more maybe less, maybe only 2 people here have bought some of my stuff. The point is we sell audio products and if someone happens to buy them from this thread don’t get all bent out of shape, sales happen. Also if other designers come up and share their ideas, again try not to get all bent out of shape. Every single one of you are going to have and or get ideas from this thread or about this thread, or about the length of my hair (lol). As far as I am concerned everyone who has a stereo system has a product they want to sell, either physical or intellectually. So? It’s all part of the same soup as far as I am concerned.

Third I and others who come to this thread are free to post long posts. Some topics are not one sentence topics, and this will probably be the case here simply because we will be talking all things audio. And I should throw this in, let me the OP decide if something is off topic.

And last, if I disappear don’t take it like I don’t care. I’m a busy son of a gun and sometimes need a week or 2 to get caught up. Lately I’ve been posting and boring you a lot up here, but when the bell rings for me I’ve got to answer. I work on the US during the day and overseas during the night so that only leaves room for cat naps at best. Everyone here is important and I respect that, and I apologize in advance for my tardiness at times.

I’m ready for some fun are you?

Michael Green

www.michaelgreenaudio.net

128x128michaelgreenaudio

Showing 3 responses by tjbhuler

Hi Adrian 

Hey that's cool and am very happy for your future dedicated room. When I was up and ready to build my own dedicated room the first person I consulted was Michael himself. It was based on his design I built my tunable room and I couldn't be happier with the results im getting.
Hi Michael

First of all great to see you here !! I for one have been listening to what Michael have been saying over the years about the methode of tuning. Its amazing as I began this hobby mamy years ago from a basic understanding and concept of listening and tuning my system based on first reflection, moving  speakers away from boundries etc etc. I guess most of us here have read and performed this many times. Only when Michael started talking about pressure zones/laminar flow and on how its affecting our system that took me of to another world of tuning in this hobby. Im sure hell thankful on how much you have contributed over years and giving an in depth understanding on the methode of tuning.

Now to answer about what Michael has been saying that music is always in motion, correct me if im wrong but I believe you are talking about bubbles of pressure zones within our listening area which are affected by objects that are placed within those zones. If that area is of high pressure area (near walls, tri-corner regions) the effect will be more pronounced and if that area is not so pressurized there will still be an audible change but the impact maybe lesser. Now I never realized about it untill I started paying more attention to it after reading about it more on your website. Just by moving my platforms slightly forward or back it had a profound effect towards my soundstage. Over the years of messing around my listening space using your concept has brought out the best listening expereince I have ever had in my system. Some of those recordings that sounded pretty awful now just sounds amazing.

This is where it truly got me thinking on what actually affects the most in our listening expereince (equipments or tuning) !! 
Hi Adrian

Yes in a more descriptive manner thats more or less correct. Picturing it in a more 3D fashion will be like looking at it in a form of bubbles with rippling effects towards the entire listening space in your room.

That being said now imagine placing your sensitive equipments around the area where pressure zones are more concentrated at. What is happening now they are recieving more vibrations. This will cause them to vibrate more. Hence to the next topic that Michael talks about and that is mechanical tuning whichs deepens your tuning towards vibrations that is affecting your sensitive equipments. The method of tuning them is another ballgame all together. Which has another level of profound effect towards your listening expereince.