Anyone know some good books/resources on audio science?

Jun 20, 2009 at 7:07 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 20
Berlioz

Berlioz

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I picked up some electronic engineering textbooks at my school library, and they've been very interesting so far, but some of it is a little over my head, and a lot of it just has to do with the electronics (no surprises there!).

I'm going to do my best to grasp it anyways, but I was wondering if anyone here knows some good resources on audio science - acoustics, electronics of systems that work with audible frequencies, etc.

Online or not, it's all good. Hopefully some other people can look to this thread to find information as well.

Thanks for any info.
 
Jun 20, 2009 at 1:01 PM Post #2 of 20
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Sound Reproduction - The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms, by Floyd Toole.

I've been told that this was a must have. I'm going to order it.
 
Jun 20, 2009 at 4:19 PM Post #4 of 20
And now that we are talking about books, how about a good book for DIY, technically demanding, and with good explanations. Basically not average joe, please
biggrin.gif
 
Jul 7, 2009 at 7:58 PM Post #5 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullseye /img/forum/go_quote.gif
And now that we are talking about books, how about a good book for DIY, technically demanding, and with good explanations. Basically not average joe, please
biggrin.gif



Amazon.com: Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics, Fourth Edition: Stan Gibilisco: Books

This is a good book for learning about basic electronics theory, but it is a little light on practical projects. The book does a fantastic (IMHO) job of explaining basic electronics.

After that comes Practical Electronics for investors. I had some serious issues with the first version of the book but the second seems to be better, or at least the reviews say so. Gibilsco's book is better as a first text.

Amazon.com: Practical Electronics for Inventors: Paul Scherz: Books

And finally, the ultimate book. Amazon.com: The Art of Electronics: Paul Horowitz, Winfield Hill: Books

The Art of Electronics is a great book. Unfortunately it's too complex for a lot of beginners. Some of the information in it is also dated.
 
Jul 7, 2009 at 9:42 PM Post #6 of 20
^Thanks for that.
 
Jul 8, 2009 at 2:59 PM Post #7 of 20
Jul 8, 2009 at 3:29 PM Post #8 of 20
Jul 8, 2009 at 4:00 PM Post #9 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by terriblepaulz /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I thought Robert Harley's The Complete Guide to High End Audio was a pretty good introduction to the concepts discussed here and other audio forums:


Make sure you read all the Amazon.com reviews before buying, specifically the two negative ones at the top as these two reviewers seem to have some technical savvy.

Amazon.com: The Complete Guide to High-End Audio: Robert Harley, Keith Jarrett: Books

It wasn't too long ago I read one of Harley's articles and concluded he doesn't understand (at least as how professional researchers understand it) hypothesis and significance testing. I also recently read a discussion where a bunch of engineers concluded that for a guy who talks so much about jitter, his actual understanding of jitter is incorrect (or he's lying to support a particular point of view).

So treat such a book with skepticism.
 
Jul 8, 2009 at 4:10 PM Post #10 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by odigg /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Make sure you read all the Amazon.com reviews before buying, specifically the two negative ones at the top as these two reviewers seem to have some technical savvy.

Amazon.com: The Complete Guide to High-End Audio: Robert Harley, Keith Jarrett: Books

It wasn't too long ago I read one of Harley's articles and concluded he doesn't understand (at least as how professional researchers understand it) hypothesis and significance testing. I also recently read a discussion where a bunch of engineers concluded that for a guy who talks so much about jitter, his actual understanding of jitter is incorrect (or he's lying to support a particular point of view).

So treat such a book with skepticism.


Thanks for pointing out the criticisms of Harley's book. There were definitely some things in there that made me raise my eyebrows, but I found it valuable in terms of teaching the basics of how components work. I would add that all reading should be done with skepticism.

Later edit: I have been going through the stuff odigg suggested. Fascinating reading. It looks as if the Harley book is a significant front in the battle between subjectivists and objectivists, believers and non-believers etc. Given my usual attitude (and after reading Harley's comments in defense, which struck me as very arrogant and evasive), I will limit my recommendation to beginners, and suggest further reading on technical issues.
 
Jul 8, 2009 at 5:43 PM Post #11 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by terriblepaulz /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Given my usual attitude (and after reading Harley's comments in defense, which struck me as very arrogant and evasive), I will limit my recommendation to beginners, and suggest further reading on technical issues.


This is not a personal attack on you so please don't take it as such. I'd not recommend such a book to a beginner. A lot of rubbish advice in audiophile land exists simply because knowledge has been distorted and foisted off on consumers to sell products. The majority of these consumers are beginners and will remain beginners because they have families, bills to pay, bosses to argue with, etc. There simply isn't the time and mental space to get a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Beginners can do little other than make decisions on the little information they have. So the beginners should have access to sound information. Otherwise they'll only end up presenting this marketing as "facts" to newcomers and so other beginners will...
 
Jul 8, 2009 at 9:30 PM Post #12 of 20
Read application notes from National Semiconductor, Analog Devices, Linear Technology and THAT corporation has a few good ones.

The follow are here:
Analog Devices App Notes
National App Notes
Linear Tech App Notes
THAT Corporation App Notes

Another good resource is:
Audio Design Resources for Electronic Engineers | Audio DesignLine

A book I can highly recommend for working with high-speed signals is "High Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black Magic". It's the best book I've seen on the subject. Period. The website has some good tips as well: Sigcon

Another great resource for signal routing and general design is here Henry Ott's website:
Tech Tips

There's quite a bit to making something good. These are resources I very commonly reference and use. There's lots of neat information and subtleties to be found in the application notes.

~Thomas
 
Jul 8, 2009 at 10:01 PM Post #13 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by odigg /img/forum/go_quote.gif
It wasn't too long ago I read one of Harley's articles and concluded he doesn't understand (at least as how professional researchers understand it) hypothesis and significance testing.


You should read some of the back issues of "The Audo Critic" for a (particular) take on Harley's expertise...

The Audio Critic


....
 
Jul 12, 2009 at 3:40 AM Post #14 of 20
Sep 6, 2009 at 7:09 PM Post #15 of 20
Hi,
I've gone through the posts here and taken a quick look at the books and still cannot decide which book to get that will teach a beginner about bit rates, sampling, decibels etc. etc.

The books either seem for professionals or have not been reviewed that well.
 
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