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Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,

173.64.247.62

Posted on June 1, 2015 at 20:24:33
and read.

There always are threads where somebody has a question about room acoustics, or horns, or speaker design, or frequency ranges/wavelengths, or amplifier output, or music recording, or sound isolation, or soundstage, or, or, or.

Often, the person posing the question, and the people replying, have gone little, if at all, beyond what they read in the hi-fi magazines, which can hardly be called scientifically informative.

So, here's my "top four" list (in no particular order) of books which will be useful to every audiophile here.

1. "Music, Physics and Engineering" by Harry Olson.

2. "Master Handbook of Acoustics" by F. Alton Everest.

3. "Why You Hear What You Hear" by Eric Heller.

4. "The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" by Vance Dickason.

There are others, such as "Acoustical Designing in Architecture" by Vern Knudson and Cyril Harris, and "Acoustics" by Leo Beranek, but these four will give the audio enthusiast a good and well-rounded knowledge of many pertinent topics.

:)


 

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i could write my own, and base it on posters' responses to questions [n.t.a.], posted on June 1, 2015 at 20:32:47
wangmr
Audiophile

Posts: 2410
Location: Downtown
Joined: November 29, 2012
.

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 1, 2015 at 20:57:23
mkuller
Audiophile

Posts: 38130
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: April 22, 2003
...#1 and #4 are great if you want to design and build your own equipment.

#2 is a bit esoteric but will help you understand acoustics.

#3 looks interesting.

On the other hand, I recommend:

1. Harley's, "the Complete Guide to High-End Audio"

2. Jim Smith's, "Get Better Sound"

3. Levitin's, "This is Your Brain on Music"

4. Rosenberg's, "The Search for Musical Ecstasy"

5. Pirsig's, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 1, 2015 at 21:02:18
RGA
Reviewer

Posts: 15177
Location: Hong Kong
Joined: August 8, 2001
While I agree with you the issue is that people sometimes only need one issue addressed and probably don't need to read an entire book or six on acoustics and stereo component design merely to get a practical answer - like put a bass trap in the corner or use thicker gauge wire for your 300 foot run.

I think people who are not so strong (or up to date) on their mathematics shy away from engineering books and science books.

The lay versions often leave out things which is certainly true of biology and other sciences. Richard Dawkins has tried in his field with some success but it leaves out a lot of the teeth that could be aided with philosophical reasoning which is not his background.

With the engineering books once people see the formulas their eyes will glaze over. Even me - I was pretty solid at math but it's been 23 or so years and gee it turns out that my question "when am I ever going to use this stuff?" has been answered, thus far, as "never."

Like many people I suspect who do not use math beyond balancing cheque books to try and go back and get a handle on some of the engineering books will be a challenge.

 

Pffffft. Why read a book when you could be listening to music?, posted on June 1, 2015 at 22:15:19
ppopp
Audiophile

Posts: 2994
Location: OR
Joined: October 10, 2002
The science of audio is for the manufacturers. We consumers just need to listen, and pick which system sounds right to our ears. None of the specifications are worth much.

Forgive my being so contrary, but if it sounds right, it is right.

 

+1, posted on June 1, 2015 at 22:37:22
boboli
Audiophile

Posts: 997
Location: Phoenix Arizona
Joined: May 12, 2005
Agree with your list. Never got to read Gizmo's book. Also, in reference to Master Handbook of Acoustics, might I suggest "Sound Reproduction" by Floyd Toole, which I found more approachable.

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 1, 2015 at 23:29:21
Disbeliever
Audiophile

Posts: 1877
Joined: June 1, 2012
Although first published in 1975 IMO easily the best book of all to enable one to understand all aspects of audio is THE AUDIO HANDBOOK by Gordon J. King one of the very few technically qualified reviewers that I completely trusted ,

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 01:12:05
RGA
Reviewer

Posts: 15177
Location: Hong Kong
Joined: August 8, 2001
I recommend buying a stereo you enjoy - listening to it - and reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to find the question.

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 03:39:56
Bill the K
Audiophile

Posts: 8385
Joined: June 3, 2006
RGA, have you started using Partial Differential Equations yet?

Cheers
Bill

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 04:05:34
wangmr
Audiophile

Posts: 2410
Location: Downtown
Joined: November 29, 2012
can i know the purpose behind the 'Hitchhiker's Guide...' book - i could never figure out what it's about.

roger wang

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 05:04:21
I'm glad the responses so far have been in the spirit which my OP was meant. Upon re-reading it this morning, the comment about replies could be interpreted to be a bit heavy-handed or snobbish, which it certainly wasn't intended to - just simply to highlight the fact, that many times, replies fall into the category of 'opinion' or mis-applied ideas, rather than on solid science.

I like some of the other books mentioned so far, such as "Sound Reproduction" by Floyd Toole (which I don't have), and others. Keep 'em coming, although I tend to think we've pretty well covered the short list! I don't know if Don Keele ever wrote a book, but if he did, I'd bet it'd be on the list!

How about some great electronics texts?

:)

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 05:08:05
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15520
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
Excellent list- Inmate51.

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 05:09:01
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15520
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
Excellent list- mkuller.

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 05:12:11
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15520
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
This is your brain on Music-

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 05:48:07
Frihed89
Audiophile

Posts: 15703
Location: Copenhagen
Joined: March 21, 2005
Perhaps that's because you never looked.

 

+1, posted on June 2, 2015 at 06:47:59
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001
Just got a call from an old friend recommending it.

He's in his 80's and just lost the hearing in one ear and is trying to re-learn listening and enjoying music 'in mono'. :-(




First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

The Only Book About Audio You Need To Buy!!!!!, posted on June 2, 2015 at 06:55:13
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001

Link below:





First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

RE: Rosenberg's, "The Search for Musical Ecstasy", posted on June 2, 2015 at 07:15:24
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001

Only one Gizmo.

Never be another. :-(


First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

New Audio Cyclopedia, posted on June 2, 2015 at 07:16:18
Zipcord
Manufacturer

Posts: 707
Location: No. California
Joined: December 19, 2002
.

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 07:42:52
wangmr
Audiophile

Posts: 2410
Location: Downtown
Joined: November 29, 2012
observe before you think, think before you open your yap.

and that includes reading comprehension.

roger wang

 

+1 "Get Better Sound", posted on June 2, 2015 at 07:59:08
Vinyl Valet
Audiophile

Posts: 1346
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Joined: November 13, 2003
IMO the best book for the average, non-technical audiophile.
Open up your mind, in pours the trash. - Meat Puppets, 1987

 

RE: Pffffft. Why read a book when you could be listening to music?, posted on June 2, 2015 at 08:38:01
While a hobbyist isn't going to get much out of engineering books, a basic understanding of sound reproduction and acoustics can help you can reach your goal with a lot less trial and error.

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 08:44:06
michaelhigh
Audiophile

Posts: 839
Location: midwest
Joined: August 18, 2010
Master Handbook of Acoustics is a tough read for math dummies, but I recognize its value if you can actually comprehend its approach and how to apply it to your rig and room.

Not been able to fully assimilate its depth, maybe in later years when I'm sick of pop and moving onto classical.

 

Absolutely great list, posted on June 2, 2015 at 08:53:10
M3 lover
Audiophile

Posts: 6604
Location: SW Mich
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Contributor
  Since:
July 4, 2007
I have all these but have not read Levitin yet.

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing, if you can fake that you've got it made." Groucho

 

Master Handbook of Acoustics, posted on June 2, 2015 at 09:06:38
Actually, for an engineering book, this one is light on math. It's more of a cookbook than a theoretical textbook. For somebody who is interested in DIY room treatment and optimization, it provides plenty of simple design formulas. I think it's one of the most important books on the list, because there is so much more information and guidance out there to help you select and match gear compared to setting up the room.

 

I'll add a few, posted on June 2, 2015 at 09:21:21
Bill Way
Audiophile

Posts: 1884
Location: Toms River NJ
Joined: May 28, 2012
Contributor
  Since:
December 14, 2012
You don't have to know how to make the gear in order to enjoy the gear. Still, having *some* understanding of how it works helps, at least for me. Here are a few good ones:

Beginner's Guide to Tube Audio Design - Bruce Rozenblit (really good)

Schaum's Electric Circuits

Schaum's Basic Electrical Engineering

Radio Handbook (not that useful, but fun to peruse)

WW
"Put on your high heeled sneakers. Baby, we''re goin'' out tonight.

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 10:51:45
Todd Krieger
Audiophile

Posts: 37333
Location: SW United States
Joined: November 2, 2000
I don't know if there's actually a book which every audiophile should own..... Heck, I've never owned a book about audio, aside from physics and circuits text books for my college courses.

 

Free ride on waterslide for anybody who actually "reads the Loudspeaker Cookbook", posted on June 2, 2015 at 12:31:46
Edp
Audiophile

Posts: 4503
Joined: September 23, 1999
That's like reading a Engineering Textbook for fun.

I've been building speakers for over 40 years, I've got several copies, but I'd hate to put someone through that reference book for "light reading". For most it would just bring up more questions than answers, unless you were fairly passionate about Loudspeakers.

 

Maybe, posted on June 2, 2015 at 12:49:18
G Squared
Audiophile

Posts: 8487
Location: Washington, DC Metro Area
Joined: November 16, 2004
Contributor
  Since:
May 23, 2023
This is the list:
Gsquared

 

The Wood Effect by Clark Johnsen, posted on June 2, 2015 at 12:57:14
Posts: 3040
Location: Atlanta
Joined: December 15, 2003
I am a fan.

This is a fine examination of mechanical and electrical recording techniques and how, with the advent of electrical recording, the polarity of the signal lost its specificity.

With mechanical recording it is what it is since there is nothing inbetween that would allow losing the absolute polarity.

As electrical recording became more complicated (multi tracking, etc.) and the lack of appreciation of how important it is to keep this in mind we have ended up with some very confused sound.

Still, there is always a best setting for polarity and it remains under-appreciated as a parameter to which attention must be paid!

Simple recordings (minimal mics and tracks) have much less to go wrong. These recordings have the most easily identified correct polarity.

I feel sure if Clark reads this he will wince since I am probably not expressing the big idea as well as it should be.

A fundamental work for those seeking good music reproduction.

 

RE: New Audio Cyclopedia, posted on June 2, 2015 at 13:50:42
tomservo
Manufacturer

Posts: 8204
Joined: July 4, 2002
Fwiw the latest edition (5th) has a completely new chapter on loudspeakers.
I get no royalties or such of it, but i was asked to write it

 

RE: New Audio Cyclopedia, posted on June 2, 2015 at 14:53:53
Ha!

Here's the one I have, which I bought in 1975!

1700 pages of audio bliss.

:)




 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 15:23:07
soulfood
Audiophile

Posts: 3725
Joined: August 9, 2001
There are audiophiles, students of audio, and audio intellectuals to name a few. Of course, some may not be directly related to the word audio. I'm presuming by "own" you mean actually read them or have read and feel every other audio hobbyist should care.

 

If you love math, you can't beat it, posted on June 2, 2015 at 16:13:20
Brian H P
Audiophile

Posts: 1291
Location: Oregon
Joined: December 18, 2012
But if you just want to understand the technical aspects of how speakers work and can be designed, it's confusing as hell! Poorly organized and explained. Provides technical formulae for all manner of filters, but doesn't really explain how electrical transfer functions must combine with acoustic slopes and shifting impedances to give a desired acoustic response. My old (5th or 6th) edition explained how to calculate shelving filters, but not why you would want to use them -- not a word about baffle step compensation.

Maybe these shortcomings have been addressed in newer editions, I dunno. But a much better introductory text is Ray Alden's "Loudspeaker Design 201," which relates the "how" to the "why" a lot better.

And while it is good to understand the underlying math of box design and crossover filters, it's not like we have to run all those equations on a scientific calculator any more. There is very good cheap and free software available to crunch the numbers, model, and display graphically the effects of various box loading and filters. Faster, more accurate than the designware the Big Boys had to invest thousands of dollars in twenty years ago.

 

All a matter of mind set, posted on June 2, 2015 at 16:25:27
Brian H P
Audiophile

Posts: 1291
Location: Oregon
Joined: December 18, 2012
Some folks prefer to be passive consumers, with no curiosity about or comprehension of how the products they use actually work. Drive the car, take it to the mechanic when something breaks, drive it home when it's fixed. No need to understand engines, transmissions, electrical systems, etc.

Other folks are naturally curious and like to get actively involved. Like to understand stuff, fix stuff, make stuff. Enjoy tinkering with engines, installing post-factory racing trannies, stiffer suspensions, anything to maximize performance. I grew up in a neighborhood full of hot-rodders, with a dad who was an inveterate woodworker and tinkerer, so the latter attitude seems more natural to me.

 

RE: New Audio Cyclopedia, posted on June 2, 2015 at 16:40:59
tomservo
Manufacturer

Posts: 8204
Joined: July 4, 2002
That is a classic, i have one too!

 

My list:, posted on June 2, 2015 at 16:41:40
Bromo33333
Audiophile

Posts: 3502
Location: Ipswich, MA
Joined: May 4, 2004
1. "Weep, Shudder, Die: A Guide to Loving Opera"
2. "Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga"
3. "Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression"
4. "So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead"
5. "Do Not Sell At Any Price: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World's Rarest 78rpm Records"

How's that?


====
"You are precisely as big as what you love and precisely as small as what you allow to annoy you." ~ R A Wilson

 

I would have thought the answer is all too obvious. .........., posted on June 2, 2015 at 16:51:01
Basslines
Audiophile

Posts: 373
Location: The Great White North
Joined: October 22, 2003
......A checkbook!

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 2, 2015 at 17:03:14
RGA
Reviewer

Posts: 15177
Location: Hong Kong
Joined: August 8, 2001
Googlebarblewaffledabbler.

Dude - I was a hockey goalie when I was a kid - I was hit in the head way way too many times to do them there higher maths.

Put it this way - I can definitely relate to Calvin sitting there in Mrs. Wormwood's class.

 

In that case..., posted on June 2, 2015 at 19:30:33
mkuller
Audiophile

Posts: 38130
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: April 22, 2003
...here's mine:

"Beatles' Biography", Bob Spitz

"Life", Keith Richards

"Hotel California", Barney Hoskyns

"Unsung Heroes of Rock and Roll", Nick Tosches

"Corn Flakes with John Lennon", Robert Hilburn

"Eric Clapton', autobiography

"Becoming Jimi Hendrix", Roby and Schreiber

 

+1 /n, posted on June 2, 2015 at 19:53:37
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001
n


First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

Lives of the Great Composers, posted on June 2, 2015 at 22:04:45
madisonears
Audiophile

Posts: 1587
Location: midwest
Joined: September 6, 2006
Harold Schonberg

So you know what to listen to. This book was far more important to my enjoyment of music than any tech book.

Peace,
Tom E
berate is 8 and benign is 9

 

" ... there is always a best setting for polarity.", posted on June 3, 2015 at 06:14:36
Dave Pogue
Audiophile

Posts: 11689
Location: DC Area
Joined: October 9, 2001
Not so, IMHO. There are plenty of recordings where nobody appears to have paid any attention to polarity in the first place and that thus defy anyone to detect the "right" setting. Or the engineers played polarity games by, say, bringing the vocalist forward or putting him/her back in the mix. Pick one, if you can switch, and your speakers are polarity-coherent in the first place, which is not exactly a given.

That said, I wouldn't be without the polarity switch on my preamp's remote.

 

RE: " ... there is always a best setting for polarity.", posted on June 3, 2015 at 06:55:20
tomservo
Manufacturer

Posts: 8204
Joined: July 4, 2002
Not only that but with most loudspeakers having hundreds of degrees of acoustic phase shift imposed by crossovers and more phase shift caused the drivers themselves, absolute phase becomes, well more theoretical and less reality.

 

Agreed, posted on June 3, 2015 at 07:19:05
Dave Pogue
Audiophile

Posts: 11689
Location: DC Area
Joined: October 9, 2001
I could never detect polarity/phase changes at all until I got speakers (Gallo) that are very sensitive to such changes because of their coherence, minimal crossovers and natural rolloff between drivers. (Not sure that I'm describing this properly, but you get the drift.) Once you hear the difference between normal and inverted polarity/phase though, you can't "un-hear" it. At least I can't. Assuming it's there to begin with.

 

Seems that it would depend on the audiophile..., posted on June 3, 2015 at 10:30:12
tketcham
Audiophile

Posts: 6701
Location: East of the 100th meridian USofA
Joined: March 21, 2005
Contributor
  Since:
October 1, 2005
Hi, Inmate51,
Your list is a good one if the audiophile wants a fairly comprehensive understanding of acoustics and the relationship of speakers to acoustics.
But if the audiophile just wants to have a basic understanding of acoustics and use that knowledge to get their stereo to sound good (or even better), then I think Jim Smith's book and DVD "Get Better Sound" is perhaps one of the best books (if not the best book) on the subject. It's certainly not the ultimate source of knowledge, but it does provide sufficient background and recommendations to bring most any audiophile up to a reasonable level of proficiency.

I've been using it to incrementally improve my sound system for years and after some recent tweaks to room acoustics, it's never sounded better. I occasionally revisit the book (and DVD) to refresh my memory and/or try to extract another tidbit about acoustics and oftentimes come away with yet another setup adjustment to try. What's made the difference for me is that I now have a much better understanding of why I hear what I hear and how to make meaningful adjustments to correct or improve the sound. I don't adhere to all of Mr. Smith's theories or recommendations on acoustics and speaker placement, but his book & DVD gave me enough information to be at least a more informed audiophile.

I'm interested in acoustics and speaker design and such but I never would have been able to acheive what I did with my stereo by reading the more sophisticated books you suggest. Why is that? Because I don't have enough interest in the subject to read any of those books. '-)

Edit: I should have said that I am interested in the topics, but there's only so much time and many other books to read that interest me even more.

I could be wrong, but I think I'm probably a fairly common audiophile; far more eccentric and passionate about high fidelity music than the general population, but not so much when it comes to the technical details behind my stereo system.

Regards,
Tom

 

RE: All a matter of mind set, posted on June 3, 2015 at 11:00:22
ppopp
Audiophile

Posts: 2994
Location: OR
Joined: October 10, 2002
My old man didn't know how a potato peeler worked, so I am not sure where my curiosity came from. I love to tinker with stuff - I've hot-rodded a few CD players in my time, and set-up countless turntables. But the specification side of audio, I just don't see the point for those who are not manufacturing the gear. It's a little bit of a guide at best, but when it comes to equipment-matching, I have found it all means very little when it comes to getting the best out of your system.

All we are doing is trying to please the information we pick-up with our ears. Therefore, all we need to do is trust them, not specifications.

I used to sell audio gear. Engineers and electricians would demand xyz specs or they were not interested. They wouldn't even audition. Some of them would pick systems which I knew to sound horrendous (maybe they didn't sound so bad to their ears, but if they were comparing to something even worse - like a system they had bought previously using the same methods..), but they refused to trust their ears. They genuinely believed that we as a specie knew enough about the science of reproducing sound to be certain the best figures for THD, frequency response, wattage, dynamic range etc.. was the only way to pick the right system.
I know not all engineers and electricians are so untrusting of their senses, but there's a fair few out there.

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 7, 2015 at 11:44:40
BubbaMike
Audiophile

Posts: 650
Location: Left Coast of the USA
Joined: January 4, 2002
Not one book about music in Inmate 51's post. For some reason I'm not surprised.


When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it. ~ Bernard Bailey

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on June 15, 2015 at 15:56:51
"Not one book about music in Inmate 51's post. For some reason I'm not surprised."

Do you mean music theory, music history, or what?

If you want music book references, I'm happy to provide those as well, since I was a music major in college. Which music books do you recommend?

Why would a thoughtful person be surprised, or not surprised, since my original post was directed toward "audiophiles" who come to AA to ask a broad range of acoustics and speaker related questions, or to reply to those questions. I think that it could be safely surmised that there are people on other audio forums who would also gain from my recommendations, but that's another topic.

Re-read the main message text of my original post. Quote:

"There always are threads where somebody has a question about room acoustics, or horns, or speaker design, or frequency ranges/wavelengths, or amplifier output, or music recording, or sound isolation, or soundstage, or, or, or.

Often, the person posing the question, and the people replying, have gone little, if at all, beyond what they read in the hi-fi magazines, which can hardly be called scientifically informative."

End quote.

I'll add that several recent threads deal specifically with room acoustics and loudspeaker characteristics.

 

RE: In that case..., posted on June 17, 2015 at 18:09:04
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15520
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
Best book on Dylan ?

 

RE: In that case..., posted on June 17, 2015 at 19:48:38
Ya see, I start a thread about a serious topic, and this is what you guys do to it.

Now ya got me thinking about whether or not somebody ever wrote a book about the too-short life of my old friend the great blues musician Luther Allison.

(Yeah, I know, ya didn't see that one comin'.)

:)

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on July 29, 2015 at 14:38:04
I'm going to make it five instead of four, adding:

"Acoustical Designing in Architecture" by Vern Knudson and Cyril Harris. It really shouldn't be "optional".

:)

 

RE: Books Which Every Audiophile Should Own,, posted on July 29, 2015 at 15:38:46
'Radiotron Designer's Handbook', Edited by F. Langford-Smith. I think this is available as a free pdf download now.

 

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