Tuning exam unisons, was: Odd partial

[JIMRPT@aol.com]

Bob D., RV Carr, & List;
" then you will find that they actually sound worse when you tune them to the
box."
"When I tune the unisons, which partial should I tune?"

I know theoritically it makes a difference what you are tuning to, but if the
unision is not pure, beatless, (or rolling ever so slightly to add that
feeling of depth for the croissant crowd) whatever; does it make a difference
what partial you are tuning to? That is to say, if it doesn't sound good,
shouldn't we say partials be dammned and make it sound good? And should not
the sound of the unision score higher on the exam  when it sounds good,
rather then when it matches the criteria of partials for exam purposes and
sounds bad (relatively)?

  I'm not challenging Robert Carr, whom I defer to totally in the tuning
realm, or Bob Davis, just questioning the dependance on partials as measured
by a box as oppossed to the ear in the exam unision context. Perhaps I just
don't understand, which is probably the case.
Jim Bryant (FL)