It is all about the ‘Room’, thinks Toole.


Is it the 'room'?

Late last year a book by Floyd Toole appeared, ‘Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms’. Toole’s background gives him high creditability. He knows what acoustics and psychoacoustics are really about. Hopefully you have read it since it will become the ‘bible’ of the field, just like Everest’s work’s did. I’ve read it twice so far, with many more readings necessary to get all the knowledge out of it. Don’t buy anymore ‘gear’ till you check it out.
This book is lucidly written in easy to understand language, extensively illustrated and referenced. I think it is a must read for anyone that considers themselves an ‘audiophile’. There are some good short reviews on Amazon. Stereophile has also done a short review.

I would be interested in comments of Audiogon’ers who have read the book, at least once.
buconero117

Showing 1 response by kevinzoe

Hi Buconero117,
I am nearly finished and have taken my time to 'digest' each section. I find it a facinating book and obvious tool that all a'philes should have.

The top topics that particularly interested me dealt with proving the conventional wisdom wrong. For example,
(1) the whole notion of treating lateral 1st reflection points on side walls was a real eye opener and one that must make many acoustical treatment company cringe.
(2) the fact that any treatment must work from the transition zone (i.e. Schroeder freq) on upwards so as to prevent unbalancing the direct frequency spectrum heard after the reflection. So absorbers must be 3"-4" thick minimum and diffusion should be 8"-12" depending on type is sage advice.
(3) many internet-based treatment companies sell bass traps that are of the resistive kind and they all seem to recommend that the products be used to "stradle the corners." Resistive bass traps (think GIK, RealTraps, DIY fibreglass) are most effective when the air motion is greatest which is one-quarter the wavelength which means pulling the resistive bass traps much farther into the room than "stradling the corner" advice would suggest.
(4) the notion that 1st reflections will deteriorate sound timbre was another falsehood unmasked. After considering delays and propogation loss from the reflected sounds, you won't hear the comb filter interferance.

A must read. Highly recommended.