5 comments about Building Valve Amplifiers.

1. I'm dissapointed with the book as it does not give us enough information on holistic aspects of Tube Amp building as it contain too much of unnecessary basic information and pictures. I think it's good for an overview for valve amp building theory but not practical.



2. 
   It is a good book directed to beginners. You will find there many advices on how to plan an amp lay out and hints on metal working.
   Don't expect to find there math based circuit analysis for the advanced experimenter.



3. This guy builds beautiful one-off tube amps. Amazing. The section on suspending the first stages of a tube amp to reduce microphonics using the elastics from you knickers pays for the book, right down to the calculation of the required mass for the circuit. I think everyone who want to build tube circuits will find some wacky techniques of interest.
   
   The book has nothing to do with tube amp theory. It's all about how to make a chassis with the required holes, wiring, grounding, etc.
   
   Lovely.



4. This book does give hints about proper consruction techniques but it is NOT about building a complete amplifier of any sort. It would be a good book to have on the shelf; it is not the first one to buy.



5. For your own good, don't take the advice of people saying that this book is "great for beginners" etc. A background in electronics will help you, but an understanding of general amplifier design, practices and layout is assumed by the author and this book may be over your head at parts otherwise. Also, the author is british, so he'll write something like HT and you may not know that that means high tension which is britspeak for high voltage.
   
   Also, I was hoping to get a solid guide on circuit design as well as amplifier construction and layout, but the circuit design is almost completely absent. Perhaps this is too much to ask for... after all it's "Building Valve Amplifiers" not "Designing Valve Amplifiers." If you want to design and build an amp, this book is only the second half of the solution.
   
   With that said, it is probably one of the best resources once you reach the build phase of your project. The author gives numerous valuable tips to avoid humming, distortion, shocks, and all other negativities that can occur with tube amps.

4 comments about The Systems View of the World: A Holistic Vision for Our Time (Advances in Systems Theory, Complexity, and the Human Sciences).

1. 
   Systems thinking is more than another new field of scientific and philosophical research. It leads to a new world view, integrating the sciences of nature and man. It is a world view for our times, explaining some some of our most cherished successes and some of our most distressing problems, and showing ways to resume progress toward new achievements. Knowledge of systems thinking is a key to understand modern developments in areas such as physics, business management, ecology, politics, natural resources, etc.
   

   Ervin Laszlo is one of the most important contributors to the development of systems science and philosophy. With "The Systems View of the World" he achieved a remarkably accurate condensation, in a hundred clearly written and pleasantly readable pages, of the fundamental ideas of systems thinking.
   

   The book begins contrasting the systems view of the world, based on integration an understanding of relationships, with the atomistic view of the world, based on decomposition and understanding of parts. He proceeds presenting the concept of system, leading the reader through a series of distinctions and examples. It is interesting to remark that Laszlo does not present a definition of system, coherently with the idea that system is a basic, primitive concept.

   
   Laszlo follows with the explanation of the systems view of nature, summarized in four propositions, which are developed and exemplified:
   1. Natural systems are wholes with irreducible properties;
   2. Natural systems maintain themselves in a changing environment;
   3. Natural systems create themselves in response to self-creativity in other systems;
   4. Natural systems are coordinating interfaces in nature's holarchy.
   

   The book's final part deals wit the system's view of ourselves. To do this, Laszlo begins from our cosmic origins, proceeding to the appearance of matter, life, consciousness and finally culture. He emphasizes the importance of values and explains why even traditional values, in spite of their permanent character, must be reformulated to meet the requirements of our times. Laszlo shows how the systems view of the world has a place for freedom and differentiation in an integrated world. He finishes the book stressing the role of religion in human life and proposes that the systems view of the world may offer some openings for conciliation of science with the different religious traditions.




2. If you would like to learn about systems theory with minimal background knowledge, this is an excellent book! It shows how we are all inseperable parts of nature and that everything we do to everyone and everything else influences ourselves as well. It shows us how nature is organized into many levels of whole units. It eloquently shows how we are all parts of larger whole units made of smaller whole units. It is just a wonderful book that reminds us of our connection with the rest of the universe. If you are interested in systems theory, I also recommend another super-fascinating book called "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato that discusses this in relation to human consciousness. It is also one of my favorites! I am sure you will feel that these books are well worth the money.



3. Ervin Laszlo, one of the greatest minds contributing to systemic theory, has done an excellent job of introducing this construct which takes one "outside the box!" Opening the door to bring heightened awareness of Self and the universe, Laszlo presents systemic and holistic thinking in invitng simplicity, while facilitating the exploration of the same. The world which Laszlo opens to the reader is a world that can inspire visionary thinking, leading us to a more peaceful, understanding existence. I strongly recommend anyone to follow Laszlo into a world of holism, growth and new paths to a more peaceful world!



4. I enjoyed reading this book which elaborates on systems theory and natural systems. I only wish the politics could be left out. I am interested in the science not the liberal slant characteristic of academia.

5 comments about Designing, Building, and Testing Your Own Speaker System with Projects.

1. Like some of the others I started with the first edition of this book it is the single best guide I have found for getting started. While now dated it is still as valid as ever since design concepts have not changed. As for those that say one no longer needs to measure driver parameters because the are now published with the drivers, think again. I have found it common that measured parameters will vary as much as 30% from those published. I personally took the formulae and created Excel spreadsheets to automate things. BTW I own several editions of Vance Dickenson's book and still consider this a better reference especially for the beginner.



2. I came across with this book in my search of free loudspeaker design code. If you are planning to code a simple program which will help you in your everyday work, like finding the right size of a box (vented or sealed) depending on the alignment tables or finding the values of a n th order filter, there is a BASIC code at the end of this book which can ease your work. Although the code belongs to an ancient BASIC compiler, the algorithm is quite useful and easy to follow. I have converted the code into C++ and ported it to HP 49G+ with HP-GCC easily. The rest of the book covers some details about building enclosures and the basics of designing a successful multi-way loudspeaker system.



3. The science of acoustics cannot be explained so briefly. It zips through very important things and doesn't go in depth enough. It will give your some tips for basic designs but there is no way you can walk away from this book to design a top notch speaker enclosure. By all means you can copy the projects in the book but I don't feels its worth my money. Many other pre-designed enclosures are available for free. Its just to brief.



4. Good basics on speaker design, a little dated as far as content, but a good place to start.



5. The book is good for somebody who just starts his path in the loudspeaker building. However it is too common, does not have any specific information. It will help you to construct a low end loudspeaker, nothing fancy. If you`re looking to build something good with more expensive drivers and if you have high expectations about he sound, this book won`t help you at all.

No comments about The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction.

5 comments about Sound for Film and Television, Second Edition (Book & CD-ROM).

1. An easy to read, logical guide to practical production sound. If you only ever read one book on audio this should be it.



2. This is an excellent book though it contains many errors in the mathematics of decibels. The other 2 greats books are: Audio in Media by Stanley R. Alten and Sound for Picture by Tom Kenny.



3. The book covers comprehensive topics about its subject: from psychoacoustics to (for example) sound editing techniques to (for example) film sound synchronization methods to (in the last chapter) dynamic range for various media for master prints. First that comes to mind when I remember the accompanying CD is the demonstrations of various microphone directivity patterns (but there is something more in it).
   
   The topics aren't discussed in very deep levels (but are good enough), but are reinforced with author's wide experience I would like to admit (examples how the sound was worked out are taken from such films as "Jurassic Park", "Star Wars"). I found this book very interesting as I didn't know very much about film sound techniques, for specialists this book is of lower interest I think (although it contains some handy material, e.g. comparisons of various sound recording formats, etc.)
   
   Contains some errata, but I cannot find it right now.



4. This book is an excruciating read and, if it didn't hold information I need, I'd toss it from my book stacks with satisfaction. Holman is clearly not a gifted writer and appears to have little interest in attempting to achieve such status. What you get with SOUND for Film and Television is like a condensed instruction manual for the study, technical names and mechanics screwed together with lazy, careless language. Forget skipping through to the middle to read up on a particular microphone, the crammed description will be completely composed of references to complex information from past chapters. You will have to read it through, as arduous (and potentially impossible) as the task may be, to access any of the valuable details buried within.



5. Great book, very easy to read and follow... it's like a boot camp course. It's written by an eminence in the industry, Tomlinson Holman, who has a vast experience within the audio industry. If you are serious about post-production, this book is a must have.
   
   Raúl Torres
   Puerto Rico

5 comments about Audio/Video Cable Installer's Pocket Guide (McGraw-Hill Pocket Reference).

1. I bought this book as a quick reference for a Technical Support group I manage. We have a few dozen products that require an installer to run wires throughout a house. Unfortunately, a large majority of the calls I get are wiring related and this book provides tremendous insight into the problems created by improper wiring.
   
   If you want to learn about wiring, this is the book to buy. I also bought the full book that goes with it. It must be good because I got the only paperback, and all the used hardback books are almost double the retail price.
   
   From this guide you'll learn everything relating to wiring. You'll learn balanced vs unbalanced, ground loop isolation vs cross talk, and the list would almost be half as long as the pocket guide. Simply put, if your livlihood depends upon wiring, this book will help you a great deal.



2. As an proffesional I apreciate this book, it gives precise information. It is well written and on plain english as it's posiblle.
   
   I recomending this book!



3. Very little useful information. If you planning a home theatre this book really doens't offer any information on design or component integration. Very basic in it's approach with references to VCR's and other dated technology.



4. Audio/Video Cable Installer's Pocket Guide (McGraw-Hill Pocket Reference)I THINK THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY ANYTHING ELECTRICAL ON THIS PLANET YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK FIRST.
   SO WHEN THE SALESMAN SAYS THAT HE KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 1080P/1080I YOU CAN TELL HIM TO READ THIS BOOK BEFORE HIS NEXT CUSTOMER.
   IN FACT I WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH THIS BOOK I HOPE TO CREATE A DVD BASIC HOME THEATER INSTALL TIPS USING THIS POCKET GUIDE AS A REFERENCE POINT
   THANKS;
   HUCKS GEM,



5. I loved this book. It is perhaps more of a technical guide than a field reference but it is still is filled with lots of useful stuff and manages to be entertaining at the same time.
   
   However, if you want to know have to attach terminals and do some of the real hand on stuff this isn't the book you want (try the Newnes Electronics Assembly Pocket Book or something similar instead).

5 comments about Voice over IP Fundamentals (2nd Edition) (Fundamentals).

1. With companies like Vonage beginning to advertise for broad based end user sales on television, VoIP must have become of age. I do notice, however, that Vonage still charges by the minute. I guess they think that this is what customers are used to paying so why not.
   
   This book is aimed not at the Vonage type end user, but at the technically savvy individual. It aimed at three types: people who know circuit switching and want to know more about packet switching, people who know packet switching and want to know more about circuit switching, computer types who know computers but are not expert in communications.
   
   It starts with how the traditional phone system worked and then moves to explain the difference between the old circuit switched system that Ma-Bell developed to the newer packet switched systems of today.
   
   Most of the equipment being discussed is Cisco, as is fitting because it seems that they have just about the most complete line, and because this book is put out by Cisco Press. This is a resonably high level book, it is not intended for the absolute beginner who wants to use VOIP, but at the person who wants to understand the underlying technology. You'll learns lots of new With companies like Vonage beginning to advertise for broad based end user sales on television, VoIP must have become of age. I do notice, however, that Vonage still charges by the minute. I guess they think that this is what customers are used to paying so why not.
   
   This book is aimed not at the Vonage type end user, but at the building of a comprehensive understanding of VoIP and would appeal to the sophisticated home user and to the corporate network engineer charged with moving his company to VoIP. It starts with how the traditional phone system worked and then moves to explain the difference between the old circuit switched system that Ma-Bell developed to the newer packet switched systems of today.
   
   Most of the equipment being discussed is Cisco, as is fitting because it seems that they have just about the most complete line, and because this book is put out by Cisco Press. This is a fairly advanced book. It is not intended for the person who wants to set up a system, but for the person who wants to understand the underlying technology. You'll learn lots of new algorithms.



2. Very well written. I am learning quite a bit about VoIP. Highly recommend it.



3. I've read many certification books, but this one was far and away the driest book I think I've ever read. On every page I'm thinking, "Oh, no - not another page..." The book is great on technical-ese; but the authors don't seem to get it when it comes to readability. No personal notes, no analogies to help keep the reader's interest - only pure technical information, and the more detailed, the better. Woe to you when you get to the SS7 section!
   
   I don't really have anything good to say here, unfortunately. I'm about to order a different CVoice book to study. Anything could only be a step up. If anyone says that this book is easy to read, well, they've been paid by Cisco Press to say it, IMHO.



4. I picked this up on a whim and found it rather hard to read due to the level of plain detail. The first few chapters especially about SS7 were exceptionally dry and a bit of a snoozer. They read more like an RFC rather then a teaching tool.
   
   This book does need some prior knowledge. If you are a beginner and lack knowledge about telephony and networks; you will read it and probably not pickup much.
   
   Even towards the end; I found the chapters didn't explain much. More like a list of features.
   
   I found the case studies a little interesting.
   
   The amount of information the authors were attempting to cover needed more detail. This book should have been at least twice it's size with a little more lesson oriented approach.
   
   Overall, it's an ok book. Again if you are a beginner, you should wait and build your knowledge before attempting this book.



5. This is a good book, but not by my standards. After reading I still did not understand some abstract concepts, I have to find some other books to clarify the confusion. It seems to me it was written for those people who already know the subjects quite well.

5 comments about Audio Made Easy: (Or How to Be a Sound Engineer Without Really Trying).

1. Easy to read, great for the average musician who wants to enhance or troubleshoot the bands sound.



2. I am the volunteer sound 'engineer' for my church. I have searched for years to find a book to teach me how a sound system (especially the mixer) works and what all the terms mean. This book gave me some ideas about routing output and setting EQ that suddenly make several things clear. The CD is great for the examples given.
   I highly recommend this book.



3. I bought this book to help me work with the sound system at my church. I really helped me know some of the capabilities of the system and what is possible. The CD that comes with the book was very helpful for ear training. I liked it.



4. I found this book to be extremely valuable.
   Ira White presents a comprehensive overview of audio for both live and recording applications. Some of the topics I found especially helpful were microphone types - including wireless, micing techniques, eq, levels, delay, echo, reverb, compression and considerations for live theater. The CD includes examples of eq settings, speaker phase, digital effects and more.
   The book is great for the beginner, or for someone with limited experience who needs to round out their knowledge. It is the closest you will get to sitting with a pro and picking his brain.



5. A great primer for those new to sound. Topics are placed in simple terms with light hearted comparisons to plumbing.

5 comments about Introductory Guide to High-Performance Audio Systems: Stereo - Surround Sound - Home Theater.

1. This is a very good book on explaning equipment options and definitions of new audio terms. However, quite redundent.



2. The author does a very credible job at covering the universe of high-end audio. It's a very good companion to the first book which was geared towards experienced audiophiles. This book is designed to be more of an introductory 'course' to music lovers who may not yet be 'hooked' on the joys and frustrations that come with the hobby but it does include sufficient new or different thoughts and comments so as to appeal to more experienced audiophiles as well. Whether you start with this volume or Harley's first and more in-depth book, if you love music and have not experienced high-end audio - get one of the books, read it - get some great stereo gear (and the books guide you in how to choose)and dive into your favorite recordings. You'll discover great new sounds you may not have ever heard before.



3. The book is very informative, but can be used as guideline only.
   I will take it as " Dummy for Audio system "



4. I found that chapter 12 answered my questions on room design for optimal acoustics, and speaker placement. If you would like to gain audiophile knowledge this is definitely the book for you.



5. The author is very knowledgeable about audio and video systems. It is very helpful for people looking to buy an audio system. HIGHLY RECOMENDED!

5 comments about Noise, Water, Meat: A History of Sound in the Arts.

1. This astonishing history of twentieth century art offers a deep and profound view of intermedia and multimedia through the aspect of sound. Kahn's narrative is beautifully written and well researched. He supports the text with a wealth of documentary sources that permit further research. This book is a seminal contribution to research in intermedia, multimedia, and media studies. KF

   Book review published in Design Research News, Volume 6, Number 8, Aug 2001 ISSN 1473-3862.




2. Kahn's text sprawls over 358 pages, and is filled with innovative insights into the auditory component of the 20th century avant-garde. I found the most brilliant section to be his critique of John Cage. Cage created music with the aim of "quieting the mind, to open it to divine influence." Kahn is the first to articulate what I have felt, that Cage, the zen anarchist, is just as manipulative with this goal as any tonal symphonic architect! As Kahn puts in,

   "...Cagean silence...has silenced other things, as it dwells at the problematic edge of audibility and attempts to hear the world of sound without hearing aspects of the world in a sound" (p. 4) Kahn turns on its head Cage's stated aim of "just letting sound be," speaking rather of "Cage's dominion of all sound and always sound," a project to turn all sound into music! (p. 197)

   Much of the rest of the book, the sections on "Water Flows and Flux" and "Meat Voices," is a wandering chronicle of various avant forms, and Kahn has fun with organic analogies. But it's a fascinating trip through little-known terrain, and Kahn is a fearless and creative guide!




3. The subject and content of this book is of great interest to me, and the book delivers quite well. The only fault I could find was in the use of a superfluously extensive vocabulary. I would compare it to listening to comedian Dennis Miller do stand up. It's often funny, but the guy is so knowledgeable as to leave me blank too often. It is such a good book that I'm discouraged by what I perceive as a limited audience potential.

   Still, I give 5 stars without hesitation, since the book is a great read that got my creative juices flowing and brought me up-to-date regarding the history of art forms in which I am deeply involved. Setting aside the excessively rigorous verbiage, it is very well written. I highly recommend it.




4. If at times overly academic, Douglas Kahn's seminal work "Noise, Water Meat: A History of Sound in the Arts" should be required reading for any course related to sound and such audio-visual domains as film and television.
   
   In his book Kahn adresses the historical changes (or, development?) in noise abatement, looking at noise as a cultural, musiological and essentially political phenomenon (with an apparent inspiration from Jacques Attali). Accompanying the different types of noise abatement in Western modernity (as voiced e.g. by Arthur Schopenhauer), are also - as Kahn illustrates - different experiments into the use of noise, whether defined as a strictly musical or cultural phenomenon. In music we thus find such experimental composers as John Cage and Pierre Schaeffer (exploring different types of musique concrète), in film we find early auteurs as Dziga Vertov, Sergei Eisenstein and Grigori Alexandrov (through the use of natural sounds, asynchronism and different sonic counterpoints). Even in other - less obviously sonic - arts may we find otherwise elaborate experiments with sounds and noise(s). Take for example the vivid attempts at breaking the rigid rules of communication and narration through distinctly phonetical, verbo-literary experiments in the works of James Joyce and William Burroughs - or the creative disruption of the organic line in the paintings of say Gerhard Richter.
   
   Further examples could be found ad nauseum, and Douglas Kahn goes to great length in his interesting and well-documented explorations. Noise IS a part of the arts as much as our close environment, whether we register or hope to reject it.
   
   Kahn's pioneer-footsteps, thus, leave a vivid trail for others to follow, for in his book - if nothing else - he has shown how different sonic experiments (and, more specifically, different types of noise) are all around us. Instead of conservative strategies of silencing and abatement, we should listen!



5. Whereas our present technology upheaval is driven by the computer, about eighty years ago it was driven by audiophonic technologies: radio was new on the scene; film and animated cartoons were moving to sound; dramatic improvements were occurring in phonography, microphony, and other audiophonic technology; and the prospect of television was in the air. But artists were slow to take advantage of the possibilities opened by these new media; and radio art, audio art, asynchronous sound film, and soundscape experimentation based on recording technologies were postponed for decades. The discontinuity of these artistic traditions stands as a historical lesson that, even though the technological and conceptual requirements exist and have generated sporadic material realization, these requirements are still insufficient for maturation into an artistic practice.
   
   Music was especially successful in protecting its own domain from new media and consistently refused to incorporate the imitative sound associated with phonography. The line which separated music from noise, which took a new meaning when audio equipment began to chart sound curves and separate them from background noise, was well guarded and seldom crossed. Even the musical avant-garde, which emphatically crossed that line as symbolized by Pierre Schaeffer's musique concrete and John Cage's experimentation with silence, retained some of the conventions of high musical culture and silenced other sounds that also claimed for attention. Nevertheless, the mere existence of the phonograph, its ability to hold any one sound in time and keep all sounds in mind, produced a new status for hearing.
   
   Douglas Kahn, an art critic and academic, starts from the postulate that "none of the art is entirely mute, many are unusually soundful despite their apparent silence, and the traditionally auditive arts grow to sounds quite different when included in an array of auditive practices." The auditive practices that he explores, some soundful in themselves, others contingent on ideas of sound, are associated with the names of of persons or movements that have become largely recognized as precursors to a range of artistic activities: Luigi Russolo, the Dadaists, Dziga Vertov and Sergei Eisenstein, Antonin Artaud, John Cage, William Burrough and other Beats, the musique concrete composers, artists associated with Fluxus, and others. In sum, he offers an interdisciplinary history and theory of sound within the avant-garde and experimental arts from the early twentieth century to the 1960s.
   
   The story starts with Luigi Russolo's founding text, The Art of Noise, published in 1913 and already resonating with the sounds of war. As this Futurist manifesto proclaimed, "we find far more enjoyment in the combination of the noises of trams, backfiring motors, carriages and bawling crowds than in rehearsing, for example, the Eroica or the Pastoral." Although Marinetti's onomatopoeic reportage of the battle of Adrianople opened the way for soundful practices associated with the term bruitism, they also attracted savage criticism such as the following indictment by a Russian avant-garde artist: "the Italian 'amateurish' Futurists, with their endless ra ta ta ra ta ta, are like Maeterlinck's heroines who think that 'door' repeated a hundred times opens up to revelation."
   
   At about the same time, the Dadaist movement, endlessly debating the Cabaret Voltaire of Zurich, also left a legacy of artistic revolution which included sound practices: noise music, noise making, and even sound poetry and other forms of bruitism. On the other hand, the Surrealist movement that took on after World War I was singularly silent, and Andre Breton's antipathy toward music seems to have blocked other artists to explore sound other than through printed words and composed images: Man Ray's playful, punning image of a woman's nude torso with the twin sound holes of a cello painted on her back, or Bunuel's grand piano with dead donkeys draped across the strings in his film Un chien andalou,, were already testimonies that music could shout for attention while staying silent.
   
   John Cage appears throughout the book and is the subject of much attention and critique. As the author notes, many people have heard the world differently because of his efforts, yet they may not have heard all he had hoped to hear, for he wanted to hear all. With regard to the line separating sound and musical sound, Cage played a unique role in that he took the avant-garde strategy to its logical conclusion. 4'33'', his silence piece, extended the field of materiality to all the non-intentional sounds surrounding the performance, including the sound of the growing agitation of certain audience members. Yet Cage's silence, the author remarks, "was dependent from the very beginning on silencing", as it reproduced the mandate to be silent during a concert, when even a clearing of one's throat or murmuring is considered as a breach of decorum. For Douglas Kahn, Cage's silence constitutes a silencing of the social, the political and ecological, and these are the dimensions in sound and music that his text seeks to reinstate.
   
   What I particularly liked in the book are the vignettes into the life of the avant-garde, some of which contradict commonly held beliefs and images. For instance, Pierre Schaeffer, the founder in 1948 of musique concrete, confessed toward the end of his life that "it took me forty years to conclude that nothing is possible outside DoReMi... In other words, I wasted my life." Or Andy Warhol, showing to art dealer Ivan Karp his first paintings where pop icons and cartoon figures were covered by splashing and dripping, justified his gesture by saying: "You have to do that. You must drip! It means that you are an artist if you drip!" Eventually, the art dealer convinced him to renounce the dripping, to which Warhol responded: "That's just wonderful you should say that, because I don't think I wanna drip."