What are the must read resources for 2 channel audio?

[DSkip]

My journey is still new. My 30th birthday is around the corner, and I have a good grasp of what stereophony is capable of over the last four years. What I need help understanding is more of the technical aspects. I have a general understanding of component A pairing well with component B, but I don't know the true underlying reasons why it is so.

So, what are some good resources that really stick out in your mind? It can be anything from system setup to designing a DAC. I just want some resources to thumb through when I'm not grading papers or planning lessons.

 

[marty]

I don't mean to sound trite, but reading resources are not nearly as valuable here as listening resources. Listening to as much live music as you can will educate you quicker than anything else. One may never be able to express the reasons why any one component sounds better than another as a result of a specific technical metric. But your perception of reproduced sound will always be greatly facilitated by listening to live music. Don't overthink it. Listening to live music will help you shape your preferences for what sounds "right" more than any written text.

 

[DSkip]

That isn't want I'm looking for here. I want to know the technology behind the pieces - amp design, DAC design, crossover design. I have had a chance to build up a decent amount of listening to hundreds of rigs, all the while listening with those with more experienced ears to help train my own ears. I also attend concerts semi-regularly, but that's beside the point. This question is not to further my experience at home, but rather to build a knowledge base.

I want the more intricate details. I'm sure there are some great resources out there, I just don't know what they are.

 

[zztop7]

Radiotron Designer's Handbook 1482 pages 4th edition 1953 & it is the last edition

I want the more intricate details.

Radiotron Designer's Handbook 1482 pages 4th edition 1953 & it is the last edition [used about $50. on Amazon].
You listed DAC design; pull-up the posts by dallasjustice, and as you read them take notes of interest to Google & find further documentation of relevant "intricate details" [this will also take you to other knowledgeable members].
Amp design; figure out if you want to begin with tubes or solid state.
Transformers are like legs [pardon me OTLs & atma-sphere.com amplifiers are excellent]; there are decent books out there on transformers.
zz.

 

[GaryProtein]

You do need to listen to live music, but REAL ACOUSTIC UNAMPLIFIED music.

Orchestral music, chamber music, acoustic guitars, UNamplified voice, trumpets, flutes, violins and other instruments, NOT anything heard through a PA system/speakers, which includes music played in clubs, even the famed Blue Note.

Any amplified live music is at the whim of the person setting it up and has no real sound of its own.

 

[JackD201]

I don't think there's been a book published that covers what you're looking for exactly skip. The knowledge is scattered.

In my case my base comes from hands on experience with gear of different types and topologies but the deeper insights into specific design choices comes from their designers themselves. We've got a lot of designers right here. Tom (Danley), Mark (Seaton), Gary (Genesis), Caelin (Shunyata), Ralph (Atmasphere), Larry (Light Harmonic), Duke (Audiokinesis), Bob (Graham), Roger (Music Reference) to name a few off the top of my head. We have access to other designers from insiders at Stillpoints, Debbie Wilson to her dad.

Then you have partners of distributors with direct access like Jonathan to Kevin(Evolution Acoustics) and Herve (Dartzeel) and Andreas(Playback Designs), Philip to Bruno (Xypex/Mola-Mola) and others. Myself to designers of gear made by the companies I represet, Albert (VSA), Vladimir (Lamm), Knut (Valvet), Marek (KR), Nishikawa-san (TechDAS).

At another forum where they have company sponsored sub forums you can get direct Q&A from the likes of Von Schweikert, Bryston, Vapor, Van Alstine and many more.

The answers are there. You'll just need to know what questions to ask and who to ask to get them.

 

[BlueFox]

Skip, probably what you want is in college electrical engineering text books. Of course, that is useless for the average person without the prerequisite knowledge to understand the texts. That leaves the Internet, but that opens the door for the charlatans such as Roger Russell, etc.

 

[esldude]

Depends on what you are really after. Take some of the courses in a local community college for industrial or maintenance electronics. They will show you basic circuitry and more. Most won't cost all that much. In the end they are even time effective for how thoroughly you will learn the basics.

Now suggestion number two: buy a couple cheap microphones, a cheap 2 channel interface to connect to a laptop. Go record some musicians playing acoustical instruments. Will be fun, and give you a whole different, but very enlightening idea about reproduced music. Excepting the laptop you can do that for less than $500. Musicians will be happy to have the recordings. You will learn the limits of stereo and what can make it work very well. If pursue it further, if you happen to like it, it tends to guide you in the right direction all on its own. While the technical stuff in the first paragraph can spiral chaotically out of control in all directions. The more you learn the less you know in that path if you aren't careful.

 

[DonH50]

Here's a range that might span what you are looking for...

If you want general audio info with some technical details then Ethan Winer's The Audio Expert is good: http://ethanwiner.com/book.htm

For acoustics the Master Handbook of Acoustics by Everest is good.

If you want technical (AE/EE) level'ish knowledge, look for books by Douglas Self: http://www.amazon.com/Douglas-Self/e/B001IQX7UU

If you want the real intricacies of data converter design I have a shelf full of books. The old Candy and Temes Oversampling Delta-Sigma Data Converters is a good start for starting from scratch on the type of DCs used most in audio. Integrated Analog-to-Digital and Digital-to-Analog Converters by Rudy van de Plassche is a good introductory (college/grad school level) text. Or join the IEEE and/or AES and pull some papers...

HTH - Don

 

[DSkip]

Skip, probably what you want is in college electrical engineering text books. Of course, that is useless for the average person without the prerequisite knowledge to understand the texts. That leaves the Internet, but that opens the door for the charlatans such as Roger Russell, etc.

I agree. This might not be a list that I jump into immediately, but I do want resources I can refer back to. Right now my knowledge is at the most basic level and I'm looking for that to grow over the next 3 years.

I don't think there's been a book published that covers what you're looking for exactly skip. The knowledge is scattered.

I also understand that. With as many industry insiders as there are on this site, there has to be a few resources that have proved to be very useful in their journey. That is more what I'm looking for.



I appreciate all the feedback so far.

 

[Robh3606]

Hello Dskip

Have you thought about trying any DIY projects?? You can learn quite a bit on the technical side with some hands on experience. I know I learned quite a bit building my speakers. I had to learn how to do measurements, crossover design, box design and so on. I have also done amp and eq kits that were quite fun to build. You might want to go over to Diyaudio and check out the forums, there is a lot there and you can also ask your question there, lots of builders who would be willing to share their references and experience.

Rob

 

[DonH50]

If you want an electronics reference, The Art of Electronics by Horowitz is good.

 

[esldude]

If you want real basic stuff, and a grounding in that is quite valuable you can try:

Basic Electronics by Grob. If you look around there are electronic PDF as well as print versions.

http://www.amazon.com/Grobs-Basic-Electronics-Mitchel-Schultz/dp/0073510858

Follow that with Electronic Principles by Albert Malvino

http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Pr...onic+principles+7th+edition+by+albert+malvino

You'll be in good shape to figure out where to go after that. Mainly into digital matters as neither of these cover that in any detail.

 

[DSkip]

Hello Dskip

Have you thought about trying any DIY projects?? You can learn quite a bit on the technical side with some hands on experience. I know I learned quite a bit building my speakers. I had to learn how to do measurements, crossover design, box design and so on. I have also done amp and eq kits that were quite fun to build. You might want to go over to Diyaudio and check out the forums, there is a lot there and you can also ask your question there, lots of builders who would be willing to share their references and experience.

Rob

I haven't begun my foray into DIY yet, but plan on doing it in the near future. I have a spare pair of Polk Monitor 10's that I bought cheap to use as project speakers, but its a refurbish/crossover refresh rather than DIY. Due to financial obligations from soon to arrive child #2, my funds dried up before I could really jump into it.

 

[dallasjustice]

Toole on Speakers/Rooms and Pohlmann on digital.

Two important books:

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reprodu...520092/ref=cm_sw_em_r_awdcod_oac2ub0AT0V69_tt

http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Di...663460/ref=cm_sw_em_r_awdcod_rbc2ub1V5ZFFF_tt

 

[jeromelang]

Read Richard Hardesty's Audio Perfectionist Journals for a start.

Download excerpts here.

And you can read unedited versions of interviews with various manufacturers here.

 

[treitz3]

I don't mean to sound trite, but reading resources are not nearly as valuable here as listening resources. Listening to as much live music as you can will educate you quicker than anything else. One may never be able to express the reasons why any one component sounds better than another as a result of a specific technical metric. But your perception of reproduced sound will always be greatly facilitated by listening to live music. Don't overthink it. Listening to live music will help you shape your preferences for what sounds "right" more than any written text.

Hello, Skip. I know what it is you are asking for. Experience is the only answer I have personally found. Please take particular note to what Marty has said here. You can read and read and read some more but at the end of the day?

This forum is a great resource and there are many industry insiders here at the WBF actually willing and knowledgeable enough to answer your questions properly, from a professional point of view. Please don't be afraid to ask a question that you have here. You mentioned that you understand the pairing of A and B.......ask here as to why. Perhaps you will get specific answers from the pros in the field, links to specific references or more specific directions on where to go in order to learn more on that particular subject. Just some friendly food for thought bro'.



Tom

 

[Atmasphere]

There are good books. They can be rather dry though. The Radiotron Designer's handbook is good once you have a foundation in electronics (Ohm's Law, Kirchoff's Law, stuff like that).

The Audiocyclopedia has been reissued on CDROM. I liked the earlier (1959) edition better than the 1968 edition, but good luck trying find that!

For amplifier design, Norman Crowhurst has written a series of small books that can be downloaded for free from Pete Millet's website http://www.tubebooks.org/technical_books_online.htm
(the Radiotron Designer's Handbook is there also). BTW Pete Millet's site is a tremendous resource- there is a lot lotta stuff to keep a person busy for years- donate!

The other author to read is Blumlein, although he was really an inventor not an author. But he 'invented' stereo and many of his techniques are in common use today. In fact if his technique is not used, in most cases its because whatever a person was trying to do while ignoring Blumlein is not going to work http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Blumlein

Have fun going down the rabbit hole!