Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 6th or 7th edition ?

[ahaik]

Hi,
6th edition is on sale at madisound now for $11 http://www.madisound.com/catalog/pro...oducts_id=1750
The new 7th edition is more then $30 are the differences worth spending the extra $$ for someone with no experience in speaker design like myself ?

Asi.

[JonMarsh]

My irascible but efficacious suggestion?

Get the 6th edition for $11, but use the money saved to get Joseph D'Apollito's "Testing Loudspeakers". Unless, of course, you don't plan on testing loudspeakers ever. In which case, forget my suggestion. :W

[ahaik]

My irascible but efficacious suggestion?

Get the 6th edition for $11, but use the money saved to get Joseph D'Apollito's "Testing Loudspeakers". Unless, of course, you don't plan on testing loudspeakers ever. In which case, forget my suggestion. :W

Thank you Jon,
I don't have any specific plans, but I do have great interest in speaker design and thought this would be a good start. I think I would get the CookBook first and see where things lead to.
If (or should I say when) I do my first design I will definitely do some measurements.

Asi.

[---k---]

FWIW, Speaker Designing 201 is a much easier read and may be a better place to start.

[JonP]

FWIW, Speaker Designing 201 is a much easier read and may be a better place to start.

I'd concur... Vance's book is rather uncookbooklike, more a reference guide than a textbook. I started with it, and it was a steep climb.

I then got "Testing Loudspeakers", which is pretty specific to the title subject, but reading it (and loads of everything I could find on the Net) caused a lot of the "Cookbook" to fall into place. It's fantastic for understanding testing, methods, etc. You need this if you're going to be doing any testing.

Then picked up a copy of Speaker Designing 201, it is very much a textbook, written by an actual career teacher, who's an excellent writer. Very organized, starts at the beginnings, and lots of good explanation. I was somewhat ahead of the 201 (well, maybe the 101) level by then, but it goes into the weightier things as well. I wish I had started with it.

I really think you'll end up wanting all three on the shelf.

[---k---]

I was rereading Cookbook last night, trying to understand a few things. Every time, it just makes me want to complain. So, sorry but my rant: Cookbook has lots of good info in it, but it isn't a very good book. I have the 7th ed. It would be interesting to see one of the earlier editions as I expect them to be a better read. It just seems like more and more stuff got stuffed into the book.

My biggest complaint is that the graphs are constantly a few pages forward or backward of the referenced text. Finding the graph the text is referring to is an issue and your forced to do a lot of page flipping. Another issue is it is constantly using terms that haven't been introduced yet. For example (and I don't have the book in front of me) in the crossover chapter, in the early portions of the chapter, it makes several references to using a CR filter, but the CR filter isn't discussed until deep into the chapter. It makes a new person's head spin and have to constantly flip pages to understand what he is talking about.

Again, it has a lot of information. But, it doesn't have a clear target audience. It seems aimed at new hobbiest, advanced hobiest, and to some degree manufactures. So, it contains a lot and lot of information. I think reading the book at least twice is the only way to fully comprehend all the information contained.

201 on the other hand is simplified and an easy read. Probably good from someone who is reading to understand the basics (I'm here) and begin using the computer software to design speakers (I need to start this). Like JonP said, "I really think you'll end up wanting all three on the shelf."

[ThomasW]

So, sorry but my rant: Cookbook has lots of good info in it, but it isn't a very good book.

Correct, lots of data but there are few directions for it's application.

[ahaik]

Since for now I'm just looking for a place to start and get more farmiliar with speaker design, I guess the 201 is the way to go.

Thanks everyone.