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Topic: audio technology for beginners? (Read 7195 times) previous topic - next topic
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audio technology for beginners?

hi there id really like to learn about basic audio equipment fundamentals such as how to know what are good speakers,  what kind of cables i should use and what are good prices or what to look for etc., soundcards, amplifiers, and things like that. are there any good sites that teach the basics? i did some searching on this site but cant find any tutorials or articles on the wiki or forums?

audio technology for beginners?

Reply #1
hi there id really like to learn about basic audio equipment fundamentals such as how to know what are good speakers,  what kind of cables i should use and what are good prices or what to look for etc., soundcards, amplifiers, and things like that. are there any good sites that teach the basics? i did some searching on this site but cant find any tutorials or articles on the wiki or forums?

The Complete Guide to High-End Audio / Edition 3. by: Robert Harley, Keith Jarrett.
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Complete Guide to Digital Audio. By: Chris Middleton, Allen Zuk (Editor), Allen Zuk.
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Audio and Hi-Fi Handbook. Third Edition. Editor IAN R. SINCLAIR.
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Sound and Recording, Fourth Edition: An Introduction (Music Technology) by Francis Rumsey.
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Loudspeaker and Headphone Handbook, Third Edition by John Borwick.
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http://www.cirrusresearch.co.uk/glossary_of_terms.html

audio technology for beginners?

Reply #2
Don't know much about him, but does that mean Robert Harley has actually written something sensible about "high-end audio"?

audio technology for beginners?

Reply #3
Don't know much about him, but does that mean Robert Harley has actually written something sensible about "high-end audio"?


He's written quite a bit that is sensible. Unfortunately he mixes in a lot of this other stuff. I'd never recommend anything that Harley wrote without personally checking it out.

One can personally check this book out  on Amazon using their preview of the first few pages of the book. It pretty quickly shapes up as being a lengthy exposition of the usual high end uber alles propaganda.

Amazon preview link

By page 4 things have pretty well gone south. :-(

audio technology for beginners?

Reply #4
The Complete Guide to High-End Audio / Edition 3. by: Robert Harley, Keith Jarrett.

New ed.:
The Complete Guide to High-End Audio (Acoustic Sound Engineering). Robert Harley (Author). Publisher: Acapella Publishing; 4 Rev Upd edition (October 1, 2010).
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More books on audio:

Introductory Guide to High-Performance Audio Systems: Stereo - Surround Sound - Home Theater. by Robert Harley.
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Master Handbook of Acoustics. F. Alton Everest (Author), Ken Pohlmann (Author).
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Practical Home Theater: A Guide to Video and Audio Systems (2011 Edition) (Practical Home Theater: A Guide to Video & Audio Systems). Mark Fleischmann (Author).
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Home Theater For Dummies. Danny Briere (Author), Pat Hurley (Author).

audio technology for beginners?

Reply #5
The Complete Guide to High-End Audio / Edition 3. by: Robert Harley, Keith Jarrett.

New ed.:
The Complete Guide to High-End Audio (Acoustic Sound Engineering). Robert Harley (Author). Publisher: Acapella Publishing; 4 Rev Upd edition (October 1, 2010).


AFAIK, that's the one I read online.

Here are some customer comments from the Amazon web site:

Quote
"This is one of the very few books I have ever returned to the bookstore (and I have bought thousands of books.)
Why don't I like this book?

1) It contains many, many, factual errors. These errors would be easily spotted by any freshman physics student, and should have been spotted by the publisher. For example, the author Robert Harley apparently doesn't understand the difference between electrical current and voltage.

2) It doesn't actually explain things. To me, an explanation shows how something works in terms of basic principles. Mr. Harley simpley states "facts", e.g., an outboard D/A converter will improve your sound, without explaining how or why.

3) Many photos and diagrams have mistaken or even irrelevant captions, leading me to conclude that Mr. Harley doesn't understand his own diagrams. For example, a diagram of an amplifier that uses feedback is used to "illustrate" a point about amplifiers that don't use feedback.

This last is the most serious point to me, because it makes me suspect that much of the technical-looking stuff in the book is included to impress the reader, not to actually explain things. In other words, it creates the impression of dishonesty.

To the people who defend the book as not intended for technical readers, I say this: even a non-technical book should be written by someone who understand the technical issues, so he or she can explain things clearly and truthfully. If it turns out that the author doesn't know the technical stuff, why should we read the book?

I might add that Robert Harley has a very poor reputation among respected audio engineers and other commentators in the field. Some audio manufacturers (but not all) pander to him apparently because he edits a high-end audio magazine, and his reviews can make or break a product

audio technology for beginners?

Reply #6
hi there id really like to learn about basic audio equipment fundamentals such as how to know what are good speakers,  what kind of cables i should use and what are good prices or what to look for etc., soundcards, amplifiers, and things like that. are there any good sites that teach the basics?


Spend an hour watching my AES Audio Myths video on YouTube. Then ask any follow-up questions here.

--Ethan
I believe in Truth, Justice, and the Scientific Method

audio technology for beginners?

Reply #7
hi there id really like to learn about basic audio equipment fundamentals such as how to know what are good speakers,  what kind of cables i should use and what are good prices or what to look for etc., soundcards, amplifiers, and things like that. are there any good sites that teach the basics? i did some searching on this site but cant find any tutorials or articles on the wiki or forums?


The first 7+ chapters of the book "Sound Systems Design and Optimization" are a good primer in audio with a speical focus on speakers and how they work in rooms, particularly in multiples. Available from Amazon - search for it in Google.

audio technology for beginners?

Reply #8
hi there id really like to learn about basic audio equipment fundamentals such as how to know what are good speakers,  what kind of cables i should use and what are good prices or what to look for etc., soundcards, amplifiers, and things like that. are there any good sites that teach the basics? i did some searching on this site but cant find any tutorials or articles on the wiki or forums?


One of the biggest problems with learning about Audio is that the large majority of stuff stated is BS.  This is true whether you are talking about magazines, forums, articles, blogs, and what not.  It's incredibly difficult to sort through what is true.

I'd actually start with an article pointing out this BS.  Here is a link to a great pdf titled 10 biggest lies in Audio

I've tell you some things I wish I knew when I started out in Audio.  The biggest determinant of sound quality is your speakers or headphones.  The most important thing about an amplifier is that it should have enough power to drive your speakers/headphones to your desired volume level without distorting.

Cables do not change the sound.  Modern amplifiers and sources (e.g. CD player, sound cards) have reached the point where they sound identical in a blind tests, even if you are comparing a $50 Samsung DVD player to a $5000 Marantz player.  Occasionally there are exceptions.  Some products are poorly made or they are purposefully designed to change the sound - but these are the exception, not the rule.  There are some variations in sound cards, but it's easy to find a sound card that takes your source files and converts them to an analog signal in a transparent and noise free manner.