Talk but not walk?


Hi Guys

This isn't meant to start a fight, but it is important to on lookers. As a qualifier, I have my own audio forum where we report on audio issues as we empirically test them. It helps us short cut on theories and developing methods of listening. We have a wide range of systems and they are all over the world adding their experiences to the mix. Some are engineers, some are artist and others are audiophiles both new and old. One question I am almost always asked while I am visiting other forums, from some of my members and also members of the forum I am visiting is, why do so many HEA hobbyist talk theory without any, or very limited, empirical testing or experience?

I have been around empirical testing labs since I was a kid, and one thing that is certain is, you can always tell if someone is talking without walking. Right now on this forum there are easily 20 threads going on where folks are talking theory and there is absolutely no doubt to any of us who have actually done the testing needed, that the guy talking has never done the actual empirical testing themselves. I've seen this happen with HEA reviewers and designers and a ton of hobbyist. My question is this, why?

You would think that this hobby would be about listening and experience, so why are there so many myths created and why, in this hobby in particular, do people claim they know something without ever experimenting or being part of a team of empirical science folks. It's not that hard to setup a real empirical testing ground, so why don't we see this happen?

I'm not asking for peoples credentials, and I'm not asking to be trolled, I'm simply asking why talk and not walk? In many ways HEA is on pause while the rest of audio innovation is moving forward. I'm also not asking you guys to defend HEA, we've all heard it been there done it. What I'm asking is a very simple question in a hobby that is suppose to be based on "doing", why fake it?

thanks, be polite

Michael Green

www.michaelgreenaudio.net


michaelgreenaudio

uberwaltz

You said that you believe MG failed in every aspect of managing this thread. Michael's not an audiogon mod and btw the Mods have done great on this thread. There aren't any questions here Mr. Green avoided. He didn't give the answers Prof or whomever wanted so some of you decided to judge MG based on this. That's not being objective.

jf47t,

It’s odd to read this thread that is mostly about Michael’s character instead of the OP.


You seem to have missed that Michael’s OP was an attack on the character of others - calling them out as "fakes." (And he continued to imply people on this thread - e.g. me - are faking it).

Why is your tolerance so high when Michael does this, and so low if anyone challenges Michael to back up his arguments, I wonder?

No one is chasing MG around on the forum attacking his character (I notice he managed to recently turn a speaker thread into yet another bunch of self-promotion...)

But since THIS thread is one started by MG, and he did not behave very well to people who didn’t just accept his claims, then it’s not a surprise that his posts have been scrutinized for their character.

I don’t doubt at all that any number of people can report wonderful interactions with MG. I’m sure - if you he sees you as open to conversion - he can be a great guy. But of course it’s easy to be nice to people who are thanking you for your help and pearl’s of wisdom.

It’s another test of character, for anyone not just MG, to be able to discuss differences of opinion in an intellectually honest manner and not dismiss anyone voicing disagreement or skepticism as "negative" people or trolls.

Which Michael continually implied (and sometime explicitly).

I see and listen with Michael almost every day. We live 5 doors away from each other.


And I’m sure you get along great. But none of that speaks to MG’s actual posts in this thread, which were evasive, dismissive if not outright insulting.

(written to uberwaltz)

There aren’t any questions here Mr. Green avoided. He didn’t give the answers Prof or whomever wanted

Holy cow. I asked for clarifications, and asked specific questions. Michael Green admitted he wasn’t even answering them, didn’t even feel it incumbent on him to do so at all. If you asked me specific questions and I respond with the equivalent of "I'm not going to answer your questions, you don’t get it, and btw you exemplify the problem" you wouldn’t accept my characterization "well, I just didn’t give the answers you wanted." No, that’s disingenuous - as if to put the onus on you, like YOU are in the wrong to not accept those as answers. The fact is I just wouldn’t be answering the questions AT ALL. Michael was not answering my questions AT ALL. Either early on, or when I asked about capacitors. Everyone noticed. Why don’t you?

You are taking pages right out of Michael’s playbook here. Spin something in a disingenuous manner - always imply blame to the respondent.

Prof I have indeed read this whole thread and you and kosst ARE trolling MG. You can twist and turn as much as you wish but you ARE INDEED TROLLING Mr. Green.


Here is what your post shares in common with Mr. Green’s posts: You can cast such aspersions, but you can’t - don’t even bother - to back it up. Calling people names like "troll" without actually showing how their arguments - what they have actually written - deserves that name, is rather undignified. (Whereas I only applied that term to Michael’s post insofar as I showed exactly why the *content* of his post justified that term).

Do you care to back up your name-calling and actually show how my questions to Michael was "trolling?" Point to any argument I’ve made here to be unreasonable?

It would only be intellectually honest to do so, don’t you think?

Or are you set in following MG’s example of just brushing people off with disparaging comments, rather than engaging their questions and arguments?






BTW, anyone notice there has been an influx in the thread of MG acolytes to castigate nay-sayers?

It gives the feeling a siren call went out at some point, does it not?

Prof, when Michael is up on a forum somewhere in the home hobby or professional a post is made on TuneLand and his facebook page. No sirens needed. This serves as a good example of trolling by you. You've done nothing here but try to paint a false narrative of a man who has dedicated his life to helping others.

And MG most certainly did engage in your question. If you read MG's response to you he asked a very straight forward question. He asked if you knew the sonic difference between two capacitors. Your answer set the stage for where you wanted to go with this thread. Michael was talking about people who want to try things instead of talking about them. You have been pressing to talk instead of walk. That's fairly clear to me. Plus your temper gets the best of you and others have asked you to not take things so personally. Another thing I can tell you about Michael is he doesn't like to do anger.

Prof, when Michael is up on a forum somewhere in the home hobby or professional a post is made on TuneLand and his facebook page. No sirens needed.


Well, that is essentially a siren of the type I was thinking - it seemed that somehow Tuneland people are getting alerted elsewhere about this thread, as opposed to just "stumbling upon it" while perusing audiogon. And that is what you’ve just described: when Michael posts here he alerts his followers.

This serves as a good example of trolling by you.

And that serves as a good example of your misapplication of that term.
My comment was not trolling:

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trolling

It was an honest impression that Michael’s followers and friends were being alerted about this thread from outside this forum. Nothing - as per the definition of trolling - was meant to deceive, and my general impression was essentially vindicated by the information you just posted.

And MG most certainly did engage in your question. If you read MG’s response to you he asked a very straight forward question.


He asked a question to AVOID ANSWERING my question.

I was asking the question first, remember?

Here was my question (which I had to ask twice because he kept avoiding it):

PROF WROTE: "Can you tell us exactly what measurable performance parameters change when a cap is tied down with a tie wrap? And explain why one would expect those measurable changes would be audible, especially with the character you describe?

Can you supply any such measurements for us to see, so we don’t have to just take your word on it?"

Do you actually think those are unreasonable questions to ask, if someone is claiming there is an audible performance difference between a tied and an untied capacitor? I’d hope not!

Yet, instead of answering the question, Green wanted to turn the tables and ask me about the difference between two specific capacitors. That is NOT answering my questions and I’m sure you know it. He only sought a way to try and show me as inexperienced, and use that as an excuse to not answer those completely reasonable questions.

But be my guest - show me how the above questions were, in fact, answered by Michael.

Your answer set the stage for where you wanted to go with this thread.


Yes...I tried to keep Michael actually focused on giving some answers to explain the evidence for his claims, instead of his ignoring them and finding new ways to imply I’m a fake. How impertinent of me!

Michael was talking about people who want to try things instead of talking about them.


And do you think it is unreasonable to first ask the basis on why one would try something in the first place?

Do you just try anything anyone ever suggests? Or, if their suggestion doesn’t seem to make immediate sense to you, would you not ask follow up questions, asking for a better explanation and evidence?

Tell me: what exactly is wrong with that? Because that’s what I was doing with Michael’s claims about crowding components, tied capacitors etc, but he wouldn’t answer.

But Michael and his acolytes tend to imply that if you question the claims before running out and trying them, well, that’s just not right, it’s like a bad character trait and you aren’t playing by the rules they want people to play. "If you haven’t tried it; you are in no position to question it.’

And that is a type of b.s. that deserves to be called what it is.

Another thing I can tell you about Michael is he doesn’t like to do anger.


Yes I did notice he tended toward the passive-aggressive - sprinkling assertions and implied insults (e.g. implying questions like mine made me part of the problem, implying people who were skeptical are trolls oe negative nellies, etc), and doing the passive-aggressive "Oh, if you took THAT from what I said, that’s on you!"

Once again, as I’ve said many times: I am not arguing at all that Michael Green has nothing to offer. Far from it, his tunable speakers and some of his room tuning implementations are intriguing even to me. And I am not declaring that all his tweaks are fake and don’t work. All I’m doing is, when a claim seems ever more outside anything I’ve seen good evidence or explanation for - to ask questions about what type of evidence and methods of testing are being used to vet the ideas. And I’ve also been pointing out that starting a thread implying people are being fakes who don’t go along with Green’s claims and run out to try them, is not a good way to start a civil discussion with people who may not simply accept your claims on face value, and want some reasonable questions answered first.