Michael's System

Hi Guys

As you can probably tell I have moved on from Rickie, summer has become super busy for me Our web designer has been taking up tons of my time, feels like I'm building the site myself but I guess that's the only way to fill in all the info correctly . The website is way over due so I'm glad we're getting after it. Many people have been asking to view a traditional site on tuning along with the forum.

In the meantime I've been playing my Creek Ev 50 in room #1

A new site when will it go live

Hi Sonic

Soon

If we can keep it simple and not over do I believe we can get this baby up before long.

poor web guy

Hi folks

It's been a very busy time and partly frustrating as I haven't been able to play in the rooms as much

It's remarkable how work around the place changes the sound of all 3 systems. Summer is wonderful with all the toys I'm curing but everything must be put somewhere and that somewhere, even the little changes, are noticeable enough to send a person into listening madness.

Don't get me wrong, all systems are playing but I enjoy my space more when I have everything working in a predictable way. At the same time, during times like these, it allows me to sit in one of the rooms and think about the different variables I want to dive into and this brings a smile back on my face some .

In the middle of all this clutter I found a peaceful place after putting on



The performances were great but it was the audience that put me in a state of belonging. I almost felt like I could whisper to the people on either side of me "isn't this nice" and them in return giving me a slight shhhhh and pointing to the stage as to say "shish and listen". After a while the urgent need I had to put everything back to normal or begin tuning faded. The sense of gentleness delivered me from the hobby and work, and the moment took me to that place where the worlds cares have no rule over life.

Summer summer summer and what a busy one

With projects all over the place I've had to accept my systems being screwed up . But, lets look at the bright side, this gives me a chance to play less than critical music, or so I thought

I smiled as I found...



...to put on. Tom Jones started off and it was horrible I was just about to leave the room when Dawn came on "knock 3 times" which kept me in the seat long enough to flip through the songs. That's when I heard it. It was a wall of sound that had no definition. Separation yes, but no defining substance. Lately I've been listening mid far-field in room1 with the Creek (not yet modded). Kinda boring really after a while listening to the same basic soundstage and tonal balance, but it's what it is until I have the time to start doing the magic we've all come to know so well. Still though there was something there that was speaking to me and I had to at least see. I pulled the speakers to mid-field and it was like someone stretched the instruments into shape. This is not the same Time Life junk I had turned on. Am I done, lets hope not but it's always fun to greet an old friend called back to front placement.

Downstairs I'm playing Discovery...



...holding onto my ears as the stage moves all-over the place and the dynamics should really only be played on PA speakers with stiff surrounds . I think my neighbors are suggesting I move . At lower volumes with these dynamics it's a fun trip. Not exactly the norm but fun.

Well I was thinking Simon & Garfunkel. BUT I ended up with Inara George, not a bad place to land  



thanks Drewster

Hi Michael, when you have time can you share more on the Space Cones and gizmos floating around your place? We understand the Space Cones but I'm not sure the readers are getting your rituals. We didn't till we saw it in action.

Hi Guys

for those saying "where in the heck is Michael"

Don't worry I'm here

This summer we have taken on some goals and projects that have been in the behind the scenes works and have taken up much of my and Coop's time. Hopefully we will all enjoy the upgrades and have even more fun tuning once these start to be implemented.

It all comes down to time and Gene, Harold, Andy and myself have been working hard to make the web presence and forum into something that helps other listeners take those next and needed steps in this hobby we all love so much.

If the forum does happen to go down during these changes, don't worry, we'll be back online shortly.

When some of the changes do happen I'll be needing to go back and do some editing on pictures cause in the present all pictures are done with black backgrounds and we will more than likely be switching to a light background with dark fonts. I'll be doing this slowly but the pictures in the future will compliment the new page look.

Now we are going to need to do some testing of the custom web skins so there may be a couple look changes till we land on the one we will go with. Saying this, we are going for the forum to look like the new website www.michaelgreenaudio.net

Starting to switch gears back to design mode and it feels so good

I usually try to listen 6 or more hours a day but this summer has cooked my goose and even though the music is playing around the clock I, as you guys know, have been distracted.

Going into one of the listening rooms and getting serious has not been on my plate but last night I began to sense the next season about to begin. About time right I did a little Bowie of course but I ended up settling in with the Boss.



I have to say, I have a lot of fun with my writing room system as I'm working but sitting in one of the other rooms I can feel there is so much I need to do. The main listening rooms are so different and talk to me on a whole other level. One thing that sticks out to me is the difference between chain listening (FM or playlist type) and complete recording as one unit listening. I have enjoyed the playlist listening this summer and think I will soon introduce this in one of the systems but the pull to concept listening is still my cup of tea. Two different mindsets that I have not thought about as much until this summer. It's like being two separate types of listeners. In todays playlist world I hope the concept LP doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

Time to start burning in a Type 1 power cord on the Creek Ev 50 in room #1. I haven't done any tuning other than cover off and feet replaced by LTR Blocks. The Amp has been sitting playing for two months or more without any turning off, so shutting things down is not something the Creek liked, not even a little. Changing the power cord resulted in moving one front SAM-FS a little and bumping the amp slightly changing the positioning of the transfer from amp, blocks and platform. So, not only was the cord changed but also the outlet and wires, SAM, blocks, platform and amp. It sounds horrible Typical new Type 1 power cord sound. It wouldn't be as bad if everything was cold and new but when you have things somewhat gelled then throw something never used in the system, it's like someone jolted your ears and everything sounds like looking through broken glass.

Time for me to catch some sleep for the night. I'm sure I'll be dreaming about the sound when I wake up

Almost 1 day old.

Burning in the Type1 power cord has been fairly boring so far. Not so much because of the cable, but the fact that the Creek EV-50 hasn't been set free yet.

Maybe I'll give it another day before commenting

I'm guessing some of the settling swings will start happening a couple of days from now but nothing I hear will make me take too much notice. One thing though that I can say is, you can hear the house electrical sound go through changes now far more than with the original cables.

Ya know guys, I've been around forever

It doesn't do me a bit of good sometimes to play audiophile cause it's only a matter of time before I go off script . I mean I can do it but when I'm ready to get down and dirty, I've just been too exposed to what's going on as far as the signal path and how this energy works or is supposed to work. My apologise again to reviewers   but if you are reviewing the components stock you have no Earthly idea what your doing  



The Creek EV-50 has been yet another perfect example of a product that should be reconfigured as soon as it hits your door. Sorry folks but it's the truth.

2 days ago I started to do my power cord swap out and ever since it's been like crewing on a brick, it's been that boring  Typically I wait my 7 days of starter burnin, but because I've only done this a million times, sitting with my hook in the water knowing exactly what is taking place is a big waste of my listening time. I can easily hear even with the brand new power cord that this unit is blocked to the hilt and waiting days or months isn't going to change this. Yes there will be the usual breakin scenarios and maybe someone is reading who needs to feel good about me going through that long stretch so they don't freak out during the process, I get that. I really do get it, but what's more important is (I think) when I hear something and know what it is, I should jump to where I usually go and not take the slow route. The slow route is important don't get me wrong but once you've done this a few times you know what's up and maybe it's even more help to get to the heart of the matter. What I'm saying is, even though the cord is breaking in I can hear and see blockage in the Creek and sooner or later I'll have to make the choice of diving in or watch another component never reach inside of the recording and extract the goodies. I have no choice

So after these 2 days, I couldn't take it any more and I yanked the 50 from it's spot, brought it into my room, snipped the wire ties, bent the wires so they are not as stressed, unplugged the harness, de-twisted the cables, plugged the harnesses back in, made sure the cables are as far away from the chassis and circuit board as they can get and turned things back on. It was like going from a boombox turned on and placed in the closet then shutting the doors to listening to a set of head phones. I'm not kidding you, the before was in a box and stuck and the after had so much more going on it was putting pressure on my eardrums. Of course this means everything needs to settle down but even within a few seconds I could hear where this was going to go. It was like the garden hose was turned on but the hose was crimped and as soon as that signal could flow the sound pressure went nuts

This is bad, right? Oh no my friends this is very good. Very VERY GOOD I have been polite about the Creek 50, but in private was being driven up a wall from the audiophilish box it had placed me in. Now I see the Creek EV-50A as a completely different toy with a ton to offer, including balance control and tone controls.

Now I feel good about the power cord breaking in as it wants to and a possible new found friend.

I've always liked the Creek I have owned in the past, but had my doubts about the newer designing. However as of an hour or so ago the tide has turned significantly.

stay tuned

Sonic likes this description of the transformation of Creek -- just simple things like cutting cable ties, straightening twisted cables and such.

I wonder if the designer/manufacturer knew what their product could do but were forced to "dumb it down" for commercial production and safety reasons or might they have actually no idea how good their design really was?

Hi Sonic

you asked

"I wonder if the designer/manufacturer knew what their product could do but were forced to "dumb it down" for commercial production and safety reasons or might they have actually no idea how good their design really was?"

mg

Not that I can read the minds of others, but this is a question that the listening part of this industry needs to be asking themselves. Looks, shipping, safety, public perception and the list could go on. There are clearly several worlds within this hobby and lines drawn for the sake of marketing.

Does the designer know Do the reviewers know

Let me answer it this way. How many times have you walked into an audio store and after a short listen started asking yourself why did the salesman not know how to setup a system? If at the top of the audio food chain people were aware, the hobby today would look a lot different from the way it does. Throwing away tone controls and balance controls, going from wood to metal and other broad brush sweeping changes simply don't fit in the music industry, if the audio industry was as much art as it was engineer. In other words, I don't know of many acoustical piano companies making their products out of metal. And most electric pianos are also not made out of metal.

All materials have a place, for example brass horns. But high end audio has still not read the chapter on material blending and the fundamental forces.

What still blows my practical mind is how could an industry hosting electromagnetic fields think that they can tie an electrical conduit against a metal sheet? And to add to this, how could an electrical audio industry not understand electrons at all? I like the phrase you use "dumb it down". Does high end audio, on a whole, dumb it down or do they not understand that the electron is a tiny piece of electricity?

Next step

So we snipped the wires free and moved them around some. Tonight I go in and listen after a few hours of settling (maybe a day), and my ears didn't focus on the power cord or the newly set free wires. What my ears did focus on, was a progression of signal making its way through the system as a whole. As I sat there listening it was like the system was a better listener than myself telling me what to do. Now that may sound a little weird but how many times did you take that car in, when you were a kid, and the mechanic says "oh that's the ____"  Fact is as we explore we begin to build that knowledge base that after a while turns into listening wisdom. Knowledge is one thing but wisdom is the art of being knowledgeable. Like I said, I sat there and it was clear as day that it was time to put a transfer device under the speakers. More energy was getting to the power supply, and more energy was making its way through to the speakers, and as a result, more of the vibration between the speakers, platform, floor and walls started telling me that the connection between the speakers and platform was ready to be tuned.

Luckily I've been wanting to try out the MTD Mini Cones, from our first production run, to see how we did from proto stage the final run. Putting 3 under each speaker was yet another revelation. The change in the room was so mighty that I could hear that the SAM-FSs I had to use in room 1 were no longer needed. Actually I could hear them getting in the way. Not over thinking things I took the FSs out of the room and could hear what was at one time needing to be corrected, now playing in harmony with the rest of the system. The front wall has now become an acoustical/mechanical membrane (part of the speakers). Having the Creek in the room stock, caused me to fix a lot of things that were broken in the sound and stage, and I still ended up with something less than musical to me. Starting to remove the blockage began to transform the system on many levels within the audio trilogy. The more freedom that took place the more I could hear the system and room wanting to work together. Interestingly enough, the room acoustic setup is now exactly the same (within an inch or two) as when I first voiced the room with my reference electronics.

Interesting that I went in this huge circle (well not huge) to see that the method of tuning was more powerful than the components themselves. Is the Creek where the Sherwood was? Nope! However I have not taken the Creek as far as I have the Sherwood. Some reading this will no doubt roll their eyes but I doubt many Tunees will. Will the Creek end up out performing the Sherwood?

We could have predicted . You think to much in the whole (as you say) that I knew you were not going to simply stick with the cable. This is a big lesson I have learned from you not only in music but also in life.

Hi Jim

I'm busted

Yep, I can't help myself from painting on the big canvas. I start out sometimes wanting to go step by step but then I look at my music collection and think I'm too old to go so slow

Tonight I got ready to take another step in room one but walking by the CD cases I thought let's grab something and throw it on in room three then go back up to room one and get to work. Well, I'm in love with room three and putting on...



...killed that plan

System 3 hits me on so many levels. It makes me forget about right and wrong and says let me entertain you mg. I think I said this before, but I didn't expect the downstairs system was going to become the one that hit my pleasure button the most. Looking at it before building the SAM wall I thought maybe it will just turn out to be a work room or maybe a cozy home theatre or something, but when the wall was going up there was this thing that got to me. It's a good example of a system that wanted to fall into place. I'm not saying it didn't need tuned, or that it won't need adjusted but what I am saying is, when the SW-12 sub went in things became very easy to tune up and one fun system to listen to. If I didn't do what I do and could just have a system to chill with, without needing to use it for designing, this is one I could just kick back and retire with. Of course though, knowing me, the designing and in a big or small way taking the hobby a little bit further than it was yesterday will probably never end.

Hi Members

Your probably logging in saying "holy smokes" and you would be right to do so MGA has been working behind the scenes to bring you this, our new forum home. Our goal is to help you feel comfortable while exploring your hobby. Hopefully we are succeeding.

There might be a couple more changes so excuse the dust.

So kick back with your keyboard, beverage of choice, favorite music on and join the fun.

Much, much easier on the eyes!

Thanks, Michael!

Hi Chris

Glad you like it

Last night as things were being loaded I was watching some 50 or so visitors stopping by and was wondering what must have been going through their minds. Kind of like "wait a minute did I just see that" type of thing. Gene is doing an excellent job of timing the changes so there're up without disrupting the flow of visitors, so a major thanks to Gene.

I believe too the readability is far better. This fits my personality where as when coming up to the old site, even though it served it's purpose, looks wise it wasn't really my temperament. So when doing the website  http://www.michaelgreenaudio.net/ this time around I was able to build my vibe into the look and feel and not just using someone else's template.

hat's off to Gene and staff

I feel like I'm driving my brand new car to my freshly re-modeled home that now has a view of the beach.

WOW

This is beautiful

Si! Muy hermosa!

muchas gracias mi amigo

Tonight's listening is on System 2




http://www.michaelgreenaudio.net/

Ok, mg wipes his brow Is it true that I might get back to listening Seems like it's been a year since I got to tear into the place, I always say that don't I

First thing I want to do is go into Rm#2 with the Chameleon 102's and see what's happening with these floorstanders before moving to the MG Specials with all the driver and tweeter combos. A quick playing around will have to do then it will be bookshelf bonanza time around here.

Don't forget our first point source speaker at 97db will be on the mg menu.