Provides a technology overview of what goes into a high performance loudspeaker and covers all the latest advances in the field The design of high performance loudspeakers requires a mix of developed skills in electroacoustics, high fidelity sound reproduction and subjective evaluation. Taking a designer’s view of the subject, this new edition of High Performance Loudspeakers, Seventh Edition provides a comprehensive, timely and practical knowledge base to aid the design of superior loudspeaker systems fit for purpose. It is updated throughout with the latest progress in research and technology, synthesis and analysis, digital signal processing incorporated products, automated production test systems and wireless compact designs. This Seventh Edition of the highly successful guide to the design and specifications of high quality loudspeakers and loudspeaker systems addresses the issue of where higher performance and sound quality is required and shows how the numerous considerations — including application, target price, size, aspiration and particular market — lead to a complex mix of design and engineering decisions. The book has also been substantially revised to reflect the many changes in the technology of loudspeakers and includes two brand new chapters — one covering ultra-compact systems and DSP integration, and the second providing details of a worked example of the loudspeaker systems design process. Offers a complete overview of the technology Thoroughly updated with new content to reflect the latest advances in the field while retaining the firm theoretical foundation of previous editions Presents a designer's point of view of the field, helping to equip both amateur enthusiasts and academically trained graduates with industry practice Covers all the newest developments in the field of high performance loudspeakers Offers a critical and objective approach to all subjects covered, rather than a simple spelling out of theory and facts Appeals to both amateur speaker builders as a source of ideas, and to professional speaker designers with an overview of competitive products and features Acknowledged industry-wide as the definitive work on speaker design and analysis, High Performance Loudspeakers, Seventh Edition is essential reading for audio engineers, speaker designers, equipment designers and students of acoustic engineering, electronics and electro-acoustics. It will also prove invaluable to students of electronics, broadcasting and recording techniques, but will also be of interest to authors and journalists in audio, and not least, amateur loudspeaker builders and enthusiasts.

In 12 fact-filled chapters--covering everything from stereo to multichannel music to home theater--discover how to choose the best components for the money, how to match components fore the best sound, and how to set up and fine-tune a system for maximum performance.

High Performance Loudspeakers, Sixth Edition is a fully revised and updated version of the highly successful guide to the design and specifications of high quality loudspeakers and loudspeaker systems. Each chapter has been substantially revised reflecting the many changes in the technology of loudspeakers. These revisions take the form of much new research and accompanying illustrations, with a radically new theoretical section, allied to in-depth coverage of the most important advances in the art of loudspeaker design. By clearly and practically analysing these many developments the authors have produced an authoritative loudspeaker designer's bible. Key features of the Sixth Edition include: Radically new chapter on acoustic theory, developments in home theatre and surround systems, in speaker system design. Also crossover networks with new digital synthesis methods, and extensive reporting on CAD software New measurement systems and techniques are complemented by recent psychoacoustic research data. Expanded material on sub-sat design, 2pi and boundary speaker design, further work on optimum low frequency synthesis for improved group delay. New materials technology including ceramic and diamond diaphragms, plus first publication of the theory of the BMR, a fascinating hybrid driver technology employing a synthesis of bending wave and pistonic action and which can approach the directivity of a point source. Glossary; a valuable view of electroacoustic terms and definitions to guide all readers. Acknowledged industry-wide as the definitive work on speaker design and analysis, this book is essential reading for audio engineers, speaker designers, equipment designers and students of acoustic engineering, electronics and electro-acoustics. It will also prove invaluable to students of electronics, broadcasting and recording techniques, and be of interest to amateur loudspeaker builders, authors and journalists in audio.

A poet’s audio obsession, from collecting his earliest vinyl to his quest for the ideal vacuum tubes. A captivating book that “ingeniously mixes personal memoir with cultural history and offers us an indispensable guide for the search of acoustic truth” (Yunte Huang, author of Charlie Chan). Garrett Hongo’s passion for audio dates back to the Empire 398 turntable his father paired with a Dynakit tube amplifier in their modest tract home in Los Angeles in the early 1960s. But his adult quest begins in the CD-changer era, as he seeks out speakers and amps both powerful and refined enough to honor the top notes of the greatest opera sopranos. In recounting this search, he describes a journey of identity where meaning, fulfillment, and even liberation were often most available to him through music and its astonishingly varied delivery systems. Hongo writes about the sound of surf being his first music as a kid in Hawai‘i, about doo-wop and soul reaching out to him while growing up among Black and Asian classmates in L.A., about Rilke and Joni Mitchell as the twin poets of his adolescence, and about feeling the pulse of John Coltrane’s jazz and the rhythmic chords of Billy Joel’s piano from his car radio while driving the freeways as a young man trying to become a poet. Journeying further, he visits devoted collectors of decades-old audio gear as well as designers of the latest tube equipment, listens to sublime arias performed at La Scala, hears a ghostly lute at the grave of English Romantic poet John Keats in Rome, drinks in wisdom from blues musicians and a diversity of poetic elders while turning his ear toward the memory-rich strains of the music that has shaped him: Hawaiian steel guitar and canefield songs; Bach and the Band; Mingus, Puccini, and Duke Ellington. And in the decades-long process of perfecting his stereo setup, Hongo also discovers his own now-celebrated poetic voice.

Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms, Third Edition explains the physical and perceptual processes that are involved in sound reproduction and demonstrates how to use the processes to create high-quality listening experiences in stereo and multichannel formats. Understanding the principles of sound production is necessary to achieve the goals of sound reproduction in spaces ranging from recording control rooms and home listening rooms to large cinemas. This revision brings new science-based perspectives on the performance of loudspeakers, room acoustics, measurements and equalization, all of which need to be appropriately used to ensure the accurate delivery of music and movie sound tracks from creators to listeners. The robust website (www.routledge.com/cw/toole) is the perfect companion to this necessary resource.

A beyond-cool look at the world of high-end audio design for passionate collectors, obsessive audiophiles, and design fans At a time when sales of vinyl records have hit a 25-year high, and analog technologies are providing the kind of extraordinary audio experiences that our increasingly digital world has started to remove, Hi-Fi is essential reading. This unique book explores just how, when, and why the world fell in love with the look, feel, and sound of top-of-the-line audio equipment. Hi-Fi traces this fascinating evolution from the 1950s to today (and tomorrow), taking readers right up to the current renaissance of all things analog and the emergence of cutting-edge designs for die-hard audiophiles.

Save a fortune on great-performing customized car speakers. If done by an installer, custom speakers can run to thousands of dollars and your satisfaction isn't necessarily guaranteed. The best solution is to build your own. Car Stereo Speaker Projects Illustrated, by Dan Ferguson, is the one and only illustrated project book that will take you step-by-step through the design and installation of your own customized car speakers, with minimum tools and equipment. You get 20 complete projects covering both front and rear speakers for sedans, pickups, vans, Jeeps, and SVUs. Many of the designs appear nowhere else--and virtually all have tested in use and found to be significant improvements over conventional wisdom. Each project takes you from the circuit schematic to the construction of the enclosure to installing the system in the vehicle. This hands-on guide is loaded with hundreds of digital photos--plus design spreadsheets, Thiele-Small parameter measurement techniques, and examples of speaker design shareware in the Appendix.

Introduction to Loudspeaker Design is written for students, technicians, engineers and hobbyists seeking an overview of the technology of loudspeakers. Starting with a brief history of audio developments the book begins by introducing the concepts of frequency, pitch and loudness and proceeds to develop the idea of a loudspeaker as a system. The book covers such topics as loudspeaker design tradeoffs, spatial loading, diffraction loss, cavity effect and enclosure construction. A complete chapter is devoted to the subject of crossover design including design equations. The second edition adds a new chapter on simulation and analysis which includes design equations for closed and vented type speakers. The appendices contain technical references, design aids, glossaries and a chart depicting 18 different loudspeaker enclosure types. The author is a physicist/audio design engineer with over 35 years experience in the research and development of audio products spanning both hardware and software. His WinSpeakerz, TrueRTA and DATS software applications are widely used throughout the audio industry as tools for simulating and measuring loudspeaker performance. Captain Murphy served as a space systems analyst for NORAD during his military career. Changes for the Second Edition: The second edition brings new material and polishes the first edition with many new or improved illustrations. Chapter 2 was expanded with the second half split into a new Chapter 3 titled "Speaker Response Functions." The discussion of Thiele-Small parameters has been expanded and now covers small-signal parameters vs. large-signal parameters as it explores the role of the test signal level in parameter measurement. The crossover design chapter has been expanded to include formulas for calculating component values for the most popular crossover types. Equations have been added for calculating impedance compensation and attenuation networks. The old Chapter 7 FAQ material was integrated into other chapters as appropriate. A new Chapter 8 titled "Loudspeaker Simulation" has been added and introduces loudspeaker equivalent circuit analysis with equations for calculating the magnitude and phase responses of closed and vented loudspeaker systems. Additional design equations are introduced and then examples are given for calculating the responses of a closed box and a vented box loudspeaker. Detailed design equation summaries are given for closed and vented boxes. Appendix C was added to provide a glossary of symbols and a glossary of terms. The box type charts were moved to Appendix D.