If your audio system is off to the side of a room, or if other rooms branch off to one side only, then quite often your sound stage will be unbalanced. If the hall reflections (reverberations) in your music seem to last longer on one side than the other, then you have this problem.

Strategic placement of sound diffusers and absorbers is one method of solving this problem. There are many companies making these products and other types of products that will help with this problem. (See Appendix F & G.) Of course, having a bi-laterally symmetrical room in the first place is best...as long as each channel's cable and speaker (and mono amp) sound the same. Unfortunately, they don't always.

Another possible solution is to use Cable Multi-Resonators on the speaker cables to either reduce the "air" on one side or to increase it on the other. In extreme cases it may be necessary to do both. Placing CMRs on the speaker cable right at the binding posts on the back of the speaker will affect the reverb tails (the "air") for that channel. Lightweight resonating discs on the CMR will increase upper harmonics; heavier metal and/or wood discs will lower the resonance thus emphasizing a new resonance point. By tailoring the amount of energy being radiated into each side of the room, a measure of correction can be applied which will help even out the sound stage in your room.

A second cause of an uneven sound stage is caused by an imbalance in the distribution of "items" in your listening room. Every nick-nack, picture, coffee table, Venetian blind, and lamp etc. in your listening room has to resonate, and the resonance often falls in the audible range (20Hz to 20kHz). These resonances cause sound to be radiated into your listening room. The contribution of each single item may or may not audible by itself; the contribution of all the items taken as a whole are most certainly audible, and can cause your stereo's image to be pulled to one side. If it is impossible to balance the types of materials on each side of your room/system (this applies to equipment stand placement also), it may be necessary to employ CMRs or devices from other manufacturers to introduce new resonances that will restore sonic balance to the image created by your listening system and your room.

TUNING WITH EQUIPMENT STANDS

Equipment stands have a "sound," just like everything else. Metal stands will have a metallic sound; the sound of wooden stands will incorporate the sonic signature of the wood from which they are made. No surprises here. The heavier the stand, the lower its resonant frequency. As a result, the bass of your system will be affected by the resonant frequency of your stand. In the same way, a lightweight stand or shelf will have more high frequency energy to contribute. Sometimes a light and fast sounding metal stand will be the perfect match for massive components, sometimes not. If the system is already using fast sounding cabling this may overly accentuate the high frequency area, and a slightly more substantial stand will be necessary to improve the balance of the system. As with speakers and their stands, components can be "made" or "broken" by the "company" they keep.

If you want to achieve balance in the resonance response of your system, it helps to become aware of the tonal balance of each component and accessory in your system. If your system leans toward the analytical, and you'd rather it didn't, you might be happier with an all wood equipment stand. Depending on the type of wood, this type of stand will often mellow out systems that are too analytical; metal will often liven up a system that is too mellow. Although these are generalities, the facts they highlight indicate that an equipment stand is not like a coat rack, but is a component that has as much impact on the sound of your system as does any single piece of electronics. Why? See Axiom 1.

HOW TO INTEGRATE TUNING INTO THE BUYING PROCESS

There are basically three elements (other than price) that are considered when an audio component or system is purchased: 1. the way it sounds, 2. the way it looks, 3. its features. Proper use of this paper's tuning methodologies will allow more emphasis to be placed on elements 2 & 3, even though this appears to be a form of heresy. By giving proper emphasis to the tunable nature of an audio SYSTEM's resonance response, Tone Painting techniques will allow greater leeway in the selection of components. A thorough grounding in the principles of tuning will enable a dealer to fine tune the sound of a system (having the proper look and features) so as to better meet the customer's expectations. This thorough grounding in system tuning is necessary because there is no way for an audio system to sound the same at a dealer's store as it will in a consumer's home.

There have been three basic methods that people have used to buy audio equipment:

1. Passive, Level One: This method relies on one single dealer's knowledge/taste for selecting single components, an entire system, or future upgrades. (Ideally, this dealer should be located in the same area as the customer, and should install the system and be completely responsible for the quality level of the sound in the customer's home. This can be the fastest way to audio nirvana, if you can afford it.)

2. Passive, Level Two: This method utilizes a different dealer's knowledge/taste for every purchase. (Quite often each new dealer is in a different part of the US and thus has only limited insight as to the true sonic impact of any addition to the customer's audio system. This can be the fastest way to audio mediocrity.)

3. Active: In this method, prior to making a buying decision, a person collects "data" from many sources and then tries to unravel the data to see if there is a common thread. (This method will often require more effort on the part of the consumer in order to reach a given level of sonic excellence. However, it is equally often the surest path.)

(Of course, there are many variations and combinations of these schemes.)

The three basic methods modified:

1. Passive, Level One: This method relies on one dealer's aesthetic taste in looks and features (along with a basic understanding of compatibility.) This dealer can be across the country. The sonic attributes of this system can be maximized by a local dealer or other Tone Painting specialist.

2. Passive, Level Two: The same new-dealer-for-each-purchase approach can apply; use a local dealer or other tuning specialist to fine tune the sonics.

3. Active: The data collecting need not be as stressful an experience because the sonics ultimately will be fine tuned as a result of the hands-on learning experience with the Tone Painting system.

INCREASING YOUR LISTENING SKILLS

The better we speak the language of sound, the better we will be able to achieve our goals. All too often, something will sound good (or bad), and we won't know why or how to describe it.

For those of you who have wondered what "better" sounds like, the journey to better sound has already begun. You've started listening and comparing. To get the most from these comparisons, it will be very important to have a reference point. This reference point will be one or two CDs that you know well. Everyone should have at least one CD with an instrumental or vocal presentation that will give an audio system a real workout. This workout may be in terms of frequency range, or tonal accuracy, or dynamics or some other desirable aspect. You may even begin to dislike the track that you use most often. This is OK. You don't have to like it; just be very familiar with the harmonic balance of the music on this track. A system's tonality/harmonic-balance will affect all aspects of its ability to reproduce music (soudstaging included). Take this CD around to several systems and listen to how it sounds different in each system. You should, after awhile, get to know which areas (mid bass, upper midrange, lower treble, etc.) are too strong, too weak, just right etc. for each system.

For those whose abilities to distinguish, for example, lower midrange from middle midrange isn't what they would like, the Language of Tuning CD has these frequencies organized accordingly. The ability to distinguish by ear the various frequency ranges that music encompasses will enhance your ability to make positive changes through tuning.

Next, pick one area to concentrate on first. For instance, the midrange. Look through the section on the Sonic Characteristics of Different Woods. Pick out the woods that have a strong effect on the midrange, and make your own blocks or visit your favorite dealer. Experiment with only one kind of wood at a time until you become familiar with the effects of that wood in your system. After learning the strengths or weaknesses of each wood, you will be able to mix and match types of wood in order to effect the best midrange balance. This rationale is appropriate no matter which area (bass, midrange, or treble) you first select to explore.

After experimenting with one area, go on to the second and then to the third. By concentrating on only one area at a time, your aural memory will not be overloaded and your listening skills will grow at a comfortable rate.