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
What is important is whether your ears are sensitive enough to guide you in the tuning.  It is no use talking about tuning if one cannot detect subtle differences in the sound, sound stage, etc.  

Hi Michael

I read your tuneland post and found it extremely enlightening. But it stopped!

I see that there are many aspects to tuning a room, but knowing what to tune and the products where necessary to use is the challenge. I imagine it is going to be a very iterative process.

I really like what you are talking about here and “get it”. I have two questions.

- For those of us who do not have dedicated listening rooms and cannot, repeat cannot, place all manner of boxes, platforms, blocks, panels, topless gear, etc... in/on our living room walls and floors. What is the answer? Many of us cannot place even one box, platform, or panel in our living spaces. Your solutions, as viewed online, unfortunately use these additional devices which are “banned” for some of us 😁

- I find the room correction software used by Lyngdorf in their 2170 one piece solution to be a great alternative and at least part of the solution. It is unique to Lyngdorf and the best digital room correction I have used. It removes sound degrading room interplay and assures your speaker sounds as intended by the builder. Love to hear your comments on digital, and invisible, room correction.
This should be an interesting thread to follow and/or take part in especially when it further develops :-)

Hi AGon

It's cool being here, you guys have been great! I want to and am going to continue my posting if that's ok with you. I've been enjoying it very much.

I know with a subject like Tuning when you get into it you realize how big of a picture it is. It's a completely different listening paradigm than the Plug & Play world you have been use to.

This last week I have been flooded with your emails, so I'm trying to figure out a way to respond and as well get you started, and also help you start or finish your projects. I have a recommendation. If you are starting your tuning quest think about starting your own thread on TuneLand and we can meet there more system specifically. If that doesn't work for you I will do my best to give as much of the answers I can here.

Also, for you doing your room projects, I'm excited that you have contacted me and I'm thrilled to be part of your room design.

Hi Amg

Thanks for visiting TuneLand. Back in 2004 I had to face the fact that I was not going to able to be everywhere and answer every question as they came up so I started TuneLand the forum as a place where I could build the basics of tuning and do the Q&As and also give a place for folks to have their own tuning threads. The first forum (now archive) grew to over a few hundred thousand members so fast that I was overwhelmed. There were several great friends who helped keep up with the flow, but after time it was too much. I had to seriously rethink how to help folks. I started the newer forum and things settled down to a more manageable pace, sometimes lol. Now I do a lot of short stuff on Facebook, while I and web guy build both the forum and website to accommodate.

Here's another older step by step

http://tuneland.forumotion.com/t13-tuning-step-by-step

In this one you can see some of our actual testing setups. I need to put a disclosure here. These pictures are based on our testing and not for the public to try at home. Always consult and use a certified electrician when making electrical changes to your audio system.

There are many of these articles and threads on TuneLand. As Harry Pearson said to me "I never get finished". He would start a concept or writing thought but by the time it needed to be published he was out of gas on that review and always wanted to come back and finish but rarely did. That's how TuneLand seems to me sometimes "it's all there" just putting it all in one place is massive job, because there are endless variables when you consider that everyone is wearing a different and unique set of ears. However if you look on TuneLand at the basics it's all very simple. Someone can get a simple tuning system and be done with all the super tweaked out stuff.

I'm now working on the Rev Combo step by step, which is where most folks buy in at. It's a very powerful yet affordable way to do a high rez tunable system that covers outlet to ears.

Michael Green

www.michaelgreenaudio.net