Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms

[TheWarrior]

Dr. Floyd Toole's 3rd Edition will be released August 8th. From what I have seen, it is heavily revised and updated to make it a bit more accessible to the rest of us that are not engineers. It is still a lifetime of research that has to be absorbed, but the knowledge will benefit anyone and everyone.

Paperback available from the publisher: https://www.routledge.com/Sound-Reproduction-The-Acoustics-and-Psychoacoustics-of-Loudspeakers-and/Toole/p/book/9781138921368

And discounted hardcover (the textbook it really deserves to be) on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/1138921378/ref=mt_hardcover?_encoding=UTF8&me=
(soft back is previous edition)

 

[shadyJ]

This is one I am looking forward to.

For those who don't know, Dr. Toole will be giving a two part lecture at the T.H.E Show in Anaheim in September. He will be signing editions of his new book.

 

[Pogre]

I love to read and I love to learn. Reading books like that are hard for me to get through tho. Do his books read like a school book? I haven't read any of them yet.

 

[TheWarrior]

This is one I am looking forward to.

For those who don't know, Dr. Toole will be giving a two part lecture at the T.H.E Show in Anaheim in September. He will be signing editions of his new book.

I hope that makes it's way on to Youtube!

He is a true gentleman, but also a scientist that is only interested in facts. And many of the facts in this revised edition might unnerve those who have for one reason or another subscribed to pseudoscience that pleases their subjective bias. But we've even seen on this forum how he deals with subjective 'nay-sayers' - politely cites countless facts and objective tests in a demonstrative manner.

 

[TheWarrior]

I love to read and I love to learn. Reading books like that are hard for me to get through tho. Do his books read like a school book? I haven't read any of them yet.

It is still an extraordinary amount of information and data. The layout of chapters makes it easier to jump through for those that don't want to study it as a textbook cover to cover.

I bought the last edition, first, as a used copy. It was in good condition, but has since been well used! Purchased several other copies, some as gifts, and one as my own autographed copy. I think this information is invaluable and is worth taking the time to get your head around it all.

 

[KEW]

I love to read and I love to learn. Reading books like that are hard for me to get through tho. Do his books read like a school book? I haven't read any of them yet.

Amazon/Toole/publisher were pretty generous in providing a solid 20 pages of text in the "Look inside" link (top left of image of book), so check it out.
https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/0240520092

(this is from the 2nd edition, not the new one).

 

[Audiosaur]

I love to read and I love to learn. Reading books like that are hard for me to get through tho. Do his books read like a school book? I haven't read any of them yet.

LOL. You haven't read any school books or any of Dr Toole's books?

 

[Pogre]

LOL. You haven't read any school books or any of Dr Toole's books?

Oh I've read school books. They're just hard for me to get through. I didn't study much in high school and did pretty well. In hindsight I wish I would have tried a little harder...

 

[TheWarrior]

Oh I've read school books. They're just hard for me to get through. I didn't study much in high school and did pretty well. In hindsight I wish I would have tried a little harder...

Acousticians can be paid tens of thousands to design a room on paper and never set foot in it. While that doesn't need to be your goal, you can still trust in the countless tests and research cited throughout as a sure way to design your own listening space - and that seems to be how this revision has been organized. Yes it is still a long read, but the information is more accessible and easily located for those who want to get straight to it.

How much time do you spend on the internet discussing Audyssey? Wouldn't it be nice to get better results, yourself?

 

[shadyJ]

How much time do you spend on the internet discussing Audyssey? Wouldn't it be nice to get better results, yourself?

I think if he read Floyd's book, he would be questioning the usefulness of Audyssey altogether.

 

[TheWarrior]

I think if he read Floyd's book, he would be questioning the usefulness of Audyssey altogether.

He touched on that subject in the AES article he paid to keep public, 'Measurement and Calibration of Sound Reproducing Systems' but from what I understand he did not hold back in this latest edition of 'Sound Reproduction'.

We've gone from auto setup that was intended to just get each channel's level balanced with preferential modifications if desired, to the claims of 'automatic room correction.' That phrase alone presupposes that there is something wrong with your room to begin with. Funny, Audyssey never once asks the dimensions of your room, but measurements from random beeps on the cheapest omni mic known to man from listening positions only, will provide sufficient data to 'correct' a room.

I guess 'Better sound through research' was already taken...

 

[andy_c]

Here's a link to the Amazon pre-order of the paperback version.
https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/113892136X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500831347&sr=1-1

 

[TheWarrior]

Here's a link to the Amazon pre-order of the paperback version.
https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/113892136X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500831347&sr=1-1

Which you've ordered, I presume?

Amazon gives you a sneak peak and I've been privy to a few other sections as well and I can say Floyd put a lot of effort into refining the layout and organization of a lifetime of studies and turning them in to a textbook for those wanting to turn professional, and a handbook for those willing to commit some time to gain an education that will allow them to make the best of their listening experience.

 

[andy_c]

Which you've ordered, I presume?

Just ordered it today in fact. In order to get that link, I had to click on the link under the description of the earlier edition that said "Floyd E. Toole" rather than the "Floyd Toole" link (there were two). It seems Amazon is a bit out of wack on the pre-order setup.

Amazon gives you a sneak peak and I've been privy to a few other sections as well and I can say Floyd put a lot of effort into refining the layout and organization of a lifetime of studies and turning them in to a textbook for those wanting to turn professional, and a handbook for those willing to commit some time to gain an education that will allow them to make the best of their listening experience.

The sneak peek that I saw was to the previous 2008 version of the book, which I have as well. Regardless, I trust his judgment more than any other author of books about audio, so I'm assuming the 3rd edition will be a winner.

 

[TheWarrior]

The sneak peek that I saw was to the previous 2008 version of the book, which I have as well. Regardless, I trust his judgment more than any other author of books about audio, so I'm assuming the 3rd edition will be a winner.

From Amazon? Interesting, I ordered the hardcover on Amazon and got a good chunk of the new book. Finishing up an unrelated read now so I'll be all set to keep cramming when this arrives!

 

[GregD]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has any comments regarding the 3rd edition compared to the 2nd. I was planning on buying this book when I saw that a 3rd edition has been published. Based on table of contents I saw on line it seems to be quite different, with some new sections. I am wondering what has been added and what has been dropped and what has stayed the same. Any opinions which of the two editions is best for the home Audio enthusiast with interest in small spaces vs large scale movie theaters?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TheWarrior]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has any comments regarding the 3rd edition compared to the 2nd. I was planning on buying this book when I saw that a 3rd edition has been published. Based on table of contents I saw on line it seems to be quite different, with some new sections. I am wondering what has been added and what has been dropped and what has stayed the same. Any opinions which of the two editions is best for the home Audio enthusiast with interest in small spaces vs large scale movie theaters?

Thanks in advance.

I would definitely get the latest, Third Edition. You are right in that it has been completely revised/streamlined to make specific information more accessible. But it has also been thoroughly updated to account for changes in technology since the last edition.

Commercial cinema is only discussed to explain the differences to home theater, as well as to explain the design choices/failures that led to inadequate room eq solutions. This is a lifetime of research and comparative analysis with other researchers dating back to Thomas Edison. Floyd does and excellent job of limiting the amount of math and overwhelming scientific definitions. But the science of sound reproduction is anything but simple, or brief. A good reader can extract the pieces they need, but it is easy to get sucked in and want to read cover to cover.

 

[GregD]

I would definitely get the latest, Third Edition. You are right in that it has been completely revised/streamlined to make specific information more accessible. But it has also been thoroughly updated to account for changes in technology since the last edition...

Thank you for replying, its good to hear other peoples opinions on the book (I took out the 2nd edition from the library but have to return it now...).

Greg.

 

[TheWarrior]

Thank you for replying, its good to hear other peoples opinions on the book (I took out the 2nd edition from the library but have to return it now...).

Greg.

What did you think? Get into Ch. 13, 'Making Bass Below Transition?

 

[TheWarrior]

Someone asked somewhere about the Blue cover version shown on Amazon - that is the hardcover version.

And for those wondering about previous versions - 1 and 2 are the same, different publisher. This 3rd edition is almost an entirely new book, and has been well optimized for reading in sections rather than cover to cover.