damonrpayne Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 Hello! Being the tech junkie that I am I've been looking for a good book on all the physics involved in reproducing sound. I'm talking both soundwave/reflection stuff as well as the electrostatics of speakers and receivers and whatnot. I spent some quality time with Amazon.com and didn't find anything. Can anyone recommend a good title? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 I can't, but (if he doesn't see and respond to this post) you might try sending a private message or email to forum member William F. Gil McDermott and see if he has any recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 Why, thank you Ray, for tossing this hot potato of a subject my way. Smile. It is a complement, and taken as one. I have not seen any one book covering the subjects. Please recall I'm mostly into horn speaker design. The technical knowledge there is built up over a long time from diverse sources. The same is true of most of the subjects our correspondent asks about. If there are some basic references about acoustics they are the one by Berenek and the one by Olson. You might find them at Old Colony Sound Lab. A search of the web will get you there. They have not been brought up to date and are very math intensive. Olson's is best for anyone in that it has more diagrams and drawings. An oldie but goodie. The good folks at Klipsch Audio Technology showed us PWK's copy, an early one, with PWK's notes on math errors. Oh, there is another title I'll have to dig out about Loudspeaker and Headphone Design. I'll find it for you and post later. There are books about making loudspeakers including The Loudspeaker Cookbook at Old Colony. Tomlinson Hulsman has a book, 5.1 Sound Up and Running. That is very good and perhaps more complicated than you want. Pohlman has a book on Digital Audio. I will have to buy it. There is a problem with all these books. They will not give you all the answers you want, particularly in a first reading. They get technical and math intensive in spots (understatement). However, there may well be enough initial discussion to give you some of the insights you are looking for. The above is just an illustration of that the Car Talk, NPR, guys say. You can describe technical matters so simply that they are comprehensible but incorrect, or so complicated that they are accurate and incomprehensible. The middle ground is difficult to find. I have learned a lot from magazines. "Audio" is now defunct. However sometimes I go to the Chicago Public Library in search of one article and get drawn into another. "Hi-Fi Stereo Review" is now, what?, Sound and Vision. It is informative on the new technologies. Again, I'd point out that people writing about any technology have a problem judging the reader's specific interest and level of initial understanding. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 ---------------- On 7/1/2003 9:49:24 PM William F. Gil McDermott wrote: Why, thank you Ray, for tossing this hot potato of a subject my way. Smile. It is a complement, and taken as one. ... The above is just an illustration of that the Car Talk, NPR, guys say. You can describe technical matters so simply that they are comprehensible but incorrect, or so complicated that they are accurate and incomprehensible. The middle ground is difficult to find. ... ---------------- Gil, I think your reputation of thorough and accurate responses is quite noted on these forums... I enjoy reading and learning from them. As for the original question... I agree that many books are intense physics reading material, and require quite a bit of time and math to get through. There is a series of online articles that may be of interest and I thought I'd link them up... as they give a good understanding of psychoacoustics, some basic principals, and are written in layman's terms. They are the white papers at the Harmon International site most of which are written by Dr. Floyd Toole (originally at Canada's National Research Counsel) . I'm not sure how much reading or research you've already done... but they may give a good base for many of the more intense books. Enjoy... Rob PS: am I permitted to link a competitors site? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundthought Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 Hello, Here's a few that I found pretty interesting. 1. Acoustics and PsychoAcoustics. -2nd edition, 2001 by D Howard and J Angus. ISBN: 0 240 51609 5 * Good book. Lots of useful info. Very complex yet insightful. 2. Sound Reinforcement Handbook. -2nd edition 1990 written for Yamaha by G.Davis and R.Jones. ISBN: 0-88188-900-8 * Definately commercial application but has easy to follow fundamentals and covers a wide range of material. A good read and easy to resource. 3. Sound Studio Construction on a Budget. 1997. Written by F. Alton Everest. ISBN: 0-07-021382-8 + This one specifically relates to tuning and controlling sound in different environments by utilizing proper construction designs and techniques. Excellent for understanding how sound interacts with different materials in your home. Regards, John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnorv Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 I have been trying to find a Berenek for some time with no luck. I did check out a copy from the local University and read thru it. I have a 1950s copy of Kinslers Acoustics. They are very similar and Kinslers book is still available. Jim N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnorv Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 I have been trying to find a Berenek for some time with no luck. I did check out a copy from the local University and read thru it. I have a 1950s copy of Kinslers Acoustics. They are very similar and Kinslers book is still available. Jim N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 Okay. Look at www.audioxpress.com as a source of reprints of these classics. I my self had to hunt through dusty libraries a decade ago. I still get to . . . mumble . . . one the issue of whether any book is gonna give all the answers. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 "The Master Handbook Of Acoustics" by F. Alton Everest. This book is an outstanding reference that is not overloaded with techno-speak. I think it would be a good starting place for anyone interested in acoustics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted July 2, 2003 Author Share Posted July 2, 2003 Many, many thanks. I do have some college physics background and can handle math. My research kick started when I was looking at the relationship between high power amps versus high volatage amps, speaker impedence, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.