[rokit_powered]

Hello everyone. I'm an electrical engineering student up in North Texas and am about to graduate with my bachelors degree.

I've always been obsessed with music, speakers, and having a kickin system and now that I'm fixing to graduate, I'd love to convert this passion into a career or at least a new hobby. My old hobby was building/overclocking computers, but I've outgrown that finally (after like 12 years) and want to dive headfirst into this stuff.

I don't have much experience when it comes to the actual details of speaker design as most of my degree is focused on the computer side of electronics.

So I was hoping some people could point me towards some quality textbooks that will introduce me to speaker and audio circuit design.

I've looked around myself of course, and these books caught my eye. What do yall think? I want something that covers all the bases. I'm not afraid of math (the more the merrier) so I'll take any suggestions!

http://www.amazon.com/INTRODUCTION-ELECTROACOUSTICS-AUDIO-AMPLIFIER-DESIGN/dp/0757503756/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260060093&sr=1-1

and

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0521370957/trueaudio

I appreciate any advice/suggestions. Thanks! 

[grsimmon]

If you google "Linkwitz Labs"  you will find their website headed up by Mr. Linkwitz himself.   If you poke around in his website,  I think there is a links page or maybe "recommended reading" for speaker design.   There is A LOT of good info. and links there,  and not just open baffle stuff.  Good luck. 

[rokit_powered]

awesome, I'll check it out. thanks

[grsimmon]

hey and by the way, if you change your title for this thread to "seeking books on speaker design"  or whatever,   you may or may not get more hits   

[rokit_powered]

hah thanks, i'll give it a shot...
ok, no more procrastinating, back to school work 

[JCS]

Another site to check is Martin King's www.quarter-wave.com --lots of good stuff there.  I can't say that I know much about speaker design, but MJK's MathCAD worksheets do all the hard work for me so I can model designs!

Cheers,  Jim

[nullspace]

Dickason's 'Loudspeaker Design Cookbook' is the de facto intro:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=500-035.

D'Appolito's 'Testing Loudspeakers' is indispensible:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=500-030.

Regards,
John

[BrianP]

Ray Alden's "Loudspeakers 201" is an excellent overview of the basic principles.

The FRD consortium offers a number of Excel-based design programs, free for download. These interface well with each other, and with Jeff Bagby's "Passive Crossover Designer," also free.

The Parts Express Tech Talk forum is one of the best online discussion boards for all aspects of speaker building.

[richidoo]

Dickasen's other book Loudspeaker Recipes is also invaluable to understand real world passive crossover design.

[Duke]

Hi Rockit,

With an engineering background you'll be in a position to speak the language of the more in-depth works.

Dickason's Cookbook is an excellent introduction, but in your case I also suggest "Audio Transducers" by Earl Geddes as a college-level text.   

See also Floyd Toole's "Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms."  A solid background in psychoacoustics would give you an edge in the industry.  Jens Blauert's "Spatial Hearing" comes to mind as another excellent text.

You might want to join the Audio Engineering Society because there you'll find a lot of great information that will probably never make it into a textbook.

Once you get into the loudspeaker design phase, quality work depends on accurate measurements, so if you're serious about going pro then don't skimp there.

[ctviggen]

Hi Rockit,

With an engineering background you'll be in a position to speak the language of the more in-depth works.

Dickason's Cookbook is an excellent introduction, but in your case I also suggest "Audio Transducers" by Earl Geddes as a college-level text.   

Personally, as a (non-practicing) EE, I liked Geddes book much more than Dickason's.  Also, I thought Dickason's needed an introduction as to what was going on, as he immediately starts going into detail without even discussing why crossovers are needed (as an example).  They both have benefits and detriments, though.