Is Jim Smith's Book"Get Better Sound"Best Book ?

Is the 31 secrets available anywhere on the web?

Hi Peter

Here is a link that has all the Get Better Sound Quarter Notes:

http://getbettersound.com/quarternotesv4i4.html

Here is a link to the Get Better Sound podcast.

http://breakingthrough.libsyn.com/webpage/category/general

I don't know if there are any digital copies of the book.

I just received Jim's book for Christmas after dropping a very specific hint (leaving his magazine ad torn out on the kitchen counter). I.am only half way through and love it. While I know some things he covers, much I did not know and some tips are good myth busters.

Who knew that moving my speakers closer together could riches the tonal balance? Very cool stuff captured from his long career. Thanks, Jim!

I enjoyed Jim's book very much.  Really got me thinking a lot more about the room as a component.  Tried a few things in the book with very positive effects.  I'm going over to his place to listen next week, looking forward to that.  

I think sometimes we can be a prisoner of our own mind, our own misconceptions or pre-conceived notions.  The book forced me to step outside of that...  

One of the best audio reference books ever with a lifetime of ideas to improve your system and setup. Almost everything will sound familiar until you pay attention to the details and realize how many hidden gems there are. There were at least 3 ideas that completely changed how my system sounded for the better.  Jim's a great guy to boot!

Agree 100% with @barrysandy  about the book. I can't speak about Jim Smith himself, but it wouldn't surprise me to find out he is a great guy.

An associate has loaned me Toole's recent book on loudspeakers and listening rooms and have almost finished it. A bracing alternative to much that passes as common wisdom.

I really like Jim’s book. If you are experienced in this hobby, it gives you that last 10%, the best 10% that makes big differences otherwise easily missed. Jim was gracious personally with his time at RMAF. 

It's really an excellent book, and the first one I'd recommend any audiophile to buy.

I was lucky enough to find a copy in the library, many excellent tips. I did improve my listening with his speaker placement info.

Jim hangs out on audioshark.org.  Much nicer people over there!?!

I've just discovered Jim's book and started reading it along with watching his DVD's .... over 5 hours, currently they are on a "sale package" all for a price that is much less that fumbling about myself in trying to get some better sound and even with the postage & import duty to here in the UK a bargain price ...I've spent more on 1 record so as i start my journey following Jim's learned advice i'm nothing but excited to put it into action and so far at least as far as value for money is concerned the price of admission has been more than worth it ..

It is an average book if you know the basics. He does not go beyond the basics. 

Also, he has usurped - stolen is a better word - almost 100000 USD from a Kickstarter project without sending out the rewards to the guys who funded his *project*. Been more than five years now. 

I don't blame Audiobonk, though I notice he has only made three posts here - all the same - for his opinion. The Through The Sound Barrier Project has been a much more massive project than I ever imagined, plus I have kept adding to it to make up for it being late...
I have also fulfilled over half of the TTSB commitments to backers who went beyond the standard pledge - RoomPlay, RoomPlay Reference, & StraightTalk.

In order to save some time, and give you up-to-date info, here is a l-o-o-o-n-g copy of an update that I recently sent to another backer:

"I appreciate your note and your patience.  I do still have some health issues - in fact, I am prescribed a twice-weekly Physical Therapy session which has been put on hold with  the C-19 lockdown...

However, none of that is really slowing me down much.

I am sorry for the lack of communication.  There’s no excuse, even though I have been working pretty much non-stop on this huge project.

Here’s the TTSB current report - it’s kinda long - but I hope it helps:

All 23 TTSB CD tracks that require it have finally been licensed.  All 27 have been mastered.

I am still finishing up Book Two - it’s trickier than I expected, as I am writing the info re all of the tracks, plus others that I use, now that streaming make it possible to recommend them as well - for very little money - without licensing - but I think it will be very helpful for use with the CDs, along with the DVD as an aid, as well as the additional surprise item mentioned below....

I do have an unforeseen hold-up due to website hosting issues.

If all goes as planned, we will have a new host/website soon.  It will still be getbettersound.com, but with a new design & new host. (Yay - just completed yesterday, 5-30-20!)

It will be hosting TTSB as well as GBS.  The QNs mailings (last one 14 months or so ago), which also had become quite burdensome with the mailing company we have been using, will be able to be sent directly - and much more easily, with better delivery - from the new GBS website.

I have been working hard on preparing the DVD, which I know will be vastly more useful than what I had originally planned.

I am painfully aware of how late this project is. However, this project is massively more informative than originally planned, with two books, a system log, three fully licensed CDs, a much more impacting & useful DVD, plus another big surprise item…

Book One is essentially What are Sound Barriers & Why we should be aware of their effect on our music. Book Two is How To Unlock Your Music in a more powerful way.  The CDs are there to use only after reading Book Two, the DVD makes it even more useful, and the System Log enhances the solidity of the project as well as organizing future music considerations.

Believe me, with this ridiculous delay, I am driven to partially make up for it by delivering much more at this late date than was originally promised.

And FWIW - I have learned-by-doing (through RoomPlay & RoomPlay Reference sessions) a great deal re just how musically compromised 95% of all audiophile systems are, even including Get Better Sound owners - an issue that I wasn’t nearly as aware of as I am now.  Which is why the additional - yet unannounced - item will have such musical impact...

Since I have been so incompetent in estimating the size & ETA of this huge project, I know not to make any ETA guesses at this point.

Maybe the only good thing about the COVID-19 situation here is that I can not go on RoomPlay voicing sessions around North America, nor has anyone been encouraged to travel here for a RoomPlay Reference session.

Therefore, no distractions.  

My wife Pam can readily attest to the long hours of each day, as I try to complete two books, a system logbook, three CDs, and the DVD, plus another highly valuable surprise item...

AFAIK, I am still at the top of my game re sound system set-up & unlocking the music, but producing such a massive project is obviously not in my highest skill set...

Please feel free to inquire any time.  I do check e-mails more often than other types of messages.

May I ask - did you participate in the TTSB Kickstarter project, and if so, at what pledge level did you participate?  

The reason I ask is that some backers (Barrier Talk, RoomPlay Reference, & RoomPlay) did more than the TTSB package alone, and sometimes I can help them with the other part of their pledge - in fact about half of them have been done to date."

Best wishes,

Jim Smith"