Sonically Opening Up My System Using Harmonic Springs

TuneLand is all about the freeing up of energy in the world of audio and video reproduction (and in other industries, although we are approaching this area slowly). Michael often uses the term “constipation” to describe what’s going on in people’s system and has often said to me, “His system needs an enema.” You may laugh, but he is correct. There are blockages all throughout most audiophile systems and the owners of these systems are not even aware of them or where they are. As I have continued to open up the sound in my system, but going lower and lower in mass, my last step was my power cords. Now, I have taken the entire audio and portions of the video systems a gigantic leap by going to all Harmonic Springs on all but two components in my audio system and on two components and my video system.

Just as I stated in my review of Michael’s speaker cables in the Product Reviews forum, your system and each component must be “ready” to go with all Harmonic Springs while clamping and allow you to get the full benefit of results that this huge step in tuning can bring. If you have not taken the time to “methodically” open up the sound of your components, you will never reap the full benefits of the use of all Harmonic Springs in clamping your components. People often want a “magic bullet”. Well, there is no such thing in audio, video or any technology that I’m aware of. Harmonic Springs do not replace MTDs or Harmonic Feet and Harmonic Feet do not replace MTDs either. They all have their uses depending on your components, their mass, how open sounding they are, how much tuning you’ve done on the components and on what are you supporting your components.

Over the years, I have seen people make erroneous assumptions about why Michael uses low mass components. People honestly believe that he uses them to justify customers putting the cost avoidance finance of higher priced components towards the purchase of his products, specifically acoustical products. What these people are missing is that there is a “method” to Michael’s madness and that method is that of “low mass” systems. That includes his acoustical products which are simpler in design than any “component”, regardless of category. Strip apart a PZC and count how many parts you have? Strip apart one of his racks and how many raw parts do you have? Strip apart his RoomTune products and how many parts do you have? And, how many of them, as he has progressed over the years, fall into the category of “low mass? The “tools” designed by Michael are a part of the “method” he has designed for achieving good sound and his products simply follow this philosophy of low mass and as few parts as possible.

That’s why Michael says to have a full arsenal of tools available to you because they will all have applications depending on where you are with your system(s), audio and/or video. So, I inserted Harmonic Springs on each component individually and experienced the results. Now, notice that I said “experienced” and not “listened to” because once your system gets to a point of really opening up on an advanced level, the system has no sound of its own and will do whatever you want it to. In my case, I heard notes reproduced with body that I had never experienced before. There was a “fullness” to the sound, an enlargement of the soundstage, larger, more complete larger and longer notes, deeper fuller bass and the surround envelope was prevalent on everything I played – far more than I’ve ever experienced and the closest I’ve heard since listening in Michael’s personal Tunable Room. All this in a home listening room which has been meticulously tuned with all the component’s opened up sonically. Again, as with the power cords, the system was ready for going with all Harmonic Feet while clamping.

On video, I simply placed Harmonic Springs underneath my digital cable box and my DVD player. Since I just completed doing this in my home theater in my bedroom, I searched the digital movie channels for something, anything which could give me an experience of what was going on. The picture sharpened significantly and color saturation improved. Dialog sounded more natural with good ambient sounds from background noise in the movie. I picked the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl since it was in Dolby Digital and I play back video in 4.1. At the “execution” scene at the end, you could hear the delicacy of the skins of the snare drums signaling the execution was commencing. The execution was foiled and a brief commotion ensued. At the end of this brief commotion, I heard snare drums moving slowly to the right and towards the rear of the soundstage as the action moved away from them. You could distinctly hear the skins of the snare drums and they were perfectly placed in the soundstage of the movie, front to back and side to side. After the commotion and swords crossed, there was the most realistic “clanging” sound of swords that I have ever heard in a movie and, remember, this was digital cable. I have yet to see what is happening with my Samsung DVD player.

So, what results will YOU get with Harmonic Springs. Well, the honest answer is that I do now know because I do not know at what stage of tuning each of you reading this are or at what stage of tuning your systems and components are. So, I am relating to you what I am experiencing from the level of tuning effort that I have put into my system and I have received nothing but sonic improvement wherever or however I have used Harmonic Springs in my system.

Try not to put a “label” on things. If you can describe the sound of any of your components (speakers, amps, cables, racks, CDP, etc.), you have not yet opened up the sound in your system because an “open” system cannot be broken down into component parts and allow you to describe these individual parts. You will only be able to describe what the system is doing as a whole because you will not even be aware that the components are even playing. They will have “disappeared” sonically from your room.

So, find out where the blockages are in your system and, as Michael likes to say, give your system an enema. You’ll never know how finding these blockages will allow you to access the key to huge sonic improvements in direct proportion to your component’s ability to be “opened up” sonically. Some components can only be opened up so much sonically and that is due to their design and mass. In this case, you may just want to stay with MTDs or Harmonic Feet until you are ready to take that next step and start lowering the mass in your system. The mass in your system is the blockage which is keeping you from experiencing everything Michael, I and other Tunees have posted about on TuneLand. It takes a commitment on the part of the user to begin this removal of the blockages and you must be willing to take up the challenge because, as I’ve said, there is no magic bullet in audio or video that will get you where you want to go. And, once you start, you will see that the task is not drudgery, but is really a lot of fun because proven results will be your immediate reward as you proceed further and further along with tuning. Just remember that the “ego” must always be “right” and it will not allow you to take something which is really simple and not make it “complex” – it just will not allow you to do this. You must put your ego aside, if you have this type of mentality, as see tuning for what it is – a series of simple steps, using simply built products to achieve the best sonic results you have ever achieved. If you “believe” in components, just realize that this is all it is – a belief system and an invalid system at that.. Here, we espouse a method which has been proven to work over and over. There is no place for belief systems based on invalid premises. The results of variable tuning yield the facts. The question is, can you put your ego and belief system aside? This is where most people get “stuck” and, as I said, the ego must always be “right” and if it is proven wrong, it will strike out at those who bruised it. Watch your ego and realize that this is not you. You are the “watcher” and the ego is your mind. The “watcher” is not the mind. The “watcher” (or, “witness”) is your true essence and is beyond the ego. The ego is that little voice in the back of your head which is always telling you that your belief system is what is right and that everyone else is wrong. It’s that little voice that’s now saying to you, “What voice?” Very Happy When you allow your true essence to consume you, the ego dissolves, all on its own, paving the way for you to proceed further, discarding your belief system, and to proceed to finding the truth, which is the Tune.
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Jim Bookhard