Introduction to Loudspeaker Design

Rating:
Summary: I Finally Understand How Loudspeakers Work!
Review: Ever wonder why you can't make a tiny loudspeaker that has lots of bass? This book explains why a good sounding loudspeaker is a compromise between the size of the box, how loud it'll play and the amount of bass you'll get out of it. Lots of good information. Straight forward and east to follow.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: sometimes incoherent
Review: From what I can tell, Murphy published this book himself, without the help of an editor or even a proofreader. He spells about as well as an engineer, and sentences are often missing verbs or other helpful grammatical signposts.

Yes, the book digests physics and EE quickly and easily enough for the beginner, but more often than not it serves as nothing more than an advertisement for Murphy's $130 speaker-design software. This isn't a bad idea, really, but the book is only 166 pages long, and not all of it is meat.

If you want to get an idea of what his software project is like, visit trueaudio.com

Overall it's a nice book, but don't expect to use this as a standalone bible for building speakers; it's more of an addition to your library.

Rating:
Summary: Güzel kitap
Review: Hazýra konmadan, birþeyler üretmek isteyenler için. Ama tek baþýna yeterli deðil. Diðer birkaç kitap daha inceleyip satýnalmak gerekiyor. Ben incelemeye baþladým. Türkiye'de kitap satýlmýyor diyenler! Yazýn böyle kitaplar da bizde sizden alalým!

Rating:
Summary: I learned a lot from this book
Review: I've been working with loudspeakers for a long time but I sure learned a lot from this book. I was having trouble with speaker theory regarding the enclosure. But now after reading this I feel like I have a real grasp on the subject for the first time. The chapter titled "Loudspeaker Basics" really taught me what the box does and the design tradeoffs involved. I thought it explained the Thiele Small parameters clearly.

I bought it mostly because of the good review in Speaker Builder magazine and really enjoyed reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Should have another .....
Review: It is a good reference book to understanding the basic concept of audio speaker. But it should have another version to tell more and deeper theoretical terms of speaker structure. Such as the detail of all equations relating to the technical terms Q(ts), Vas...., difference material(wood) and shape structure for speaker box. How to choose and match difference driver unit....etc

I hope this continuous version will come later on.

Rating:
Summary: Inappropriately titled--grossly incomplete "introduction"
Review: Murphy explains in the introduction that this book grew out of his writing a user manual for his WinSpeakerz software (Real Audio, ...), and I have no doubt that it would be an excellent companion manual to many of the widely available louspeaker design suites on the market today.

Further, Murphy has written an extremely "readable" book, largely due to the profund paucity of mathematical formulae. For the mathematically challenged, the book is a good orientation to the overarching concepts of speaker design without an overwhelming level of quantitative detail. Also, certain oft-neglected concepts such as the importance of different spatial loadings of drivers or phase characteristics of crossovers are emphasized.

However, it is for precisely the above stated reasons that this book is NOT an introduction to the design of loudspeakers--at least, not an enabling one. A novice who read only this book would be no more able to design even a simple speaker than he would a nuclear weapon. A more honest title might be "Overview of Loudspeaker Design Principles," or even "Getting More Out of WinSpeakerz."

Rating:
Summary: Good tutorial book on the subject
Review: Murphy has done a better than average job of pulling together the technical considerations of loudspeaker design. He focuses on closed and vented designs sufficient to allow the first timer a fighting chance at successfully designing and building a speaker. The use of symbols is less than admirable, frequently mixing lower case and upper case symbols (see "F(sc)" on pp 48 v. "f(sc)" on pp 26). Proofreading would have made the book more enjoyable ("sign wave," pp 47). Editorial comments aside, if you want a relevant and timely book for the beginner this is it.

Rating:
Summary: Ever wondered what a Q(ts) is and shy to ask?
Review: This book is a good self-start on loudspeaker building. It tells WHAT are the things you have to look for in designing a working loudspeaker; there are many conflicting issues to address and the author states all of them clearly, not assuming the reader has a degree on the subject. This alone is a good reason to read this book. All popular box designs are explained and also some not-so-popular. It misses transmission lines, TQWT, horns and the like but this work is intended to be introductory. The explanation of Small-Thiele parameters is concise but clear. Most diagrams in the book are screen prints of the software program the author created (a good one in my opinion) and surely the book is a good software complement. The software does not cover the exotic designs that are missing in the book too. Some parts, like using a stetoscope to point-and-shoot enclosures behaviour are fun and intriguing. Having said all that, what I miss is WHY should I prefer an enclosure with a specific driver, WHAT parameters should I look for in a driver (assuming a given enclosure) and HOW do I have to orient myself in determining what is the best design for a given room/taste/sound/budget, real-world examples that is. But all in all the book is a easy-reading, good starting point on loudspeaker design that guarantees not to disappoint you, giving an overall outlook on the subject and clear useful technical knowledge to start with.

Rating:
Summary: Readable - But Lacking in Design Detail
Review: This is a well written easy to understand book. But if you're interested in designing loudspeakers, this book is lacking.

This book is clearly and concisely written with good supporting graphics. Mr. Murphy does a great job of qualitatively explaining speaker design but leaves out two of the most important quantitative design topics: 1. How to design an enclosure. 2. How to size inductors and capacitors in cross over networks. It seams like these topics could have been covered more deeply, and other more advanced topics deferred. For example, Mr. Murphy commits several pages to warning about summing errors with electronic crossovers (which is a real concern), but there are no pages committed to how to design a Butterworth or Linkwitz-Riley filter he discusses in the book.

I rate this book low because I was expecting more design detail. This book may be of value to you if you're thinking about speaker and just what to know what's involved. Also, if you're shopping for loudspeakers, this book will certainly make you a savvier consumer.