Reviews (20)

A recording studio masterpiece
OK, so this does not cover ALL acoustincs. If one is interested in recording or playback acoustics, this is THE BEST. As an engineer and producer who has been involved in the construction of a dozen studios, I have the clients and architects read this before we start hard design parameters. For lay listeners, the chances are good your audio budget is better spent on acoustic treatment rather than a more exotic cable. For all of the above, this book will explain the what, why and how to get results. For professionals, it explains how to obtain designable results. I find it an easy read, and I refer to it occasionally, particularly when discussing room acoustics with neophyte "sound men" and audio engineers. I'd read it if I were you.

Have you got time?
Despite its title, this book should better be called Master Handbook of Room Acoustics, as it is primarily and almost solely dedicated to the acoustics of enclosed rooms. With its over 600 pages you will need a large hand, and plenty of time to read. But the information you gather when reading the main text, could have been presented in less than half the number of pages. Despite - or is it because - the abundance of words and excursions into anecdotes, the explanations are sometimes missing the clue. The last few chapters have been written by others authors, and are more to the point. Besides, these co-authors use the SI system, while the main text is using American units. A bit out of time, I would say.

Clear explanations
I agree with all reviewers about this very comprehensible book. I do not agree with the title. The introduction to acoustics is general, but the applications only deals with musical aspects. This restriction is of course valid but should be reflected in the title which now suggests, in by perception, to cover a very wide scope. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustical Engineering    2. Acoustics & Sound    3. Electronics    4. Electronics - General    5. Reference    6. Sound    7. Sound Systems Engineering    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Television & Video    11. Dynamics & vibration    12. Electronics engineering    13. Music recording & reproduction    14. Science / Acoustics & Sound    15. Sound, vibration & waves (acoustics)    16. Music    17. Recording & Reproduction   

Reviews (2)

Useful book for practical work on vibration and acoustics
I work as acoustic consultant, primarily with noise and vibration simulation. 'Sounds' like a winner
This textbook was helpful in communicating the basic principles of engineering acoustics.Several errors, (k^2 missing in numerator of equation 6.14, page 109) but generally a good reference when coupled with good teaching.Includes around 8-10 problems after each chapter with solutions in the back. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustical Engineering    2. Acoustics & Sound    3. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Technology    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Engineering: general    8. Sound, vibration & waves (acoustics)    9. Technology / Engineering / Mechanical   

Reviews (1)

Sonar, Signal Processing Intro
I picked up this book for an introduction for Sonar/Radar.My background knowledge of DSP helped me understand the material, but there is a brief intro for basic signal processing.Other techniques such as beamforming,sonar systems are explained in good detail.Easy to read, diagrams are nottoo good.Reasonable amount of derivation of results to convince me of theresults stated. written in 1991, I am looking for a more updated bookthough. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustical Engineering    2. Digital techniques    3. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Signal processing    6. Sonar    7. Technology & Industrial Arts   

Reviews (7)

Use This Book!
Since first encountering Egan's text a little more than 20 years ago, I've continued to return to it for solid information. Complex material is presented in a way that allows me to apply it to unique conditions at hand.Some of the world-class acoustics consultants with which we've had the privilege to work rely on Egan to help communicate complex ideas.Without compromising too much real technical nuance, the ideas are so clearly communicated that I was able to offer the book to members of a church in eastern Europe working to improve the condition of their worship space.

Excellent book for architects
I am an acoustical consultant... I have read a lot of books onarchitectural acoustics. I found this book unique of its kind. The concepts are introduced by plenty of figures and illustrations with informative text that make the discussed subject easy to read and comprehend especially by the architects. Writing on the figures and using checklists added a lot of understandibility. Also the text itself is informative and directly address the subject. In other words, the book is excellent and comprehensive.

Must have
I'm a architecture student and I think this book is like a bible of acoustics in architecture. It brings detailed info for designing places with good acoustic performance whit various technics and for the mostdifferent type of places like a simple residential to auditoriums andconcert rooms. I have other acoustics books (like William Cavanaugh's) andthey always make mention to David Egan's book. If you're in search on booksabout architectural acoustics, I think that must be the first one to buy.It's a must have in any architect biblioteque. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustical engineering    2. Architectural Acoustics    3. Architecture    4. General    5. Interior Design - General   

Reviews (9)

Too technical for and audio "engineer"?!? LOL
This book is an update of Everest's classic "Acoustic Design for Home and Studio". It is great for what it is. For more capable types, Everest's "Master" book is more complete. This one has the basics. For those who thought this is too technical, I wonder how they expect to deal with the other aspects of audio engineering. Just knowing how to twist a knob is not a path to excellence.
too technical
if you are on a financial budget, you are likely on a time budget, and this book can be a time sucker.it reminded my of my high school trigonometry book.I didn't spend much time with that, either.To the defense of the writer, my friends in the business who actually know what they are doing, swear by this guy and his books.I, however, am just trying to make a room in my house sound a little better, and could care less to know about the science behind it any more than I care about the science behind a combustion engine while I'm driving.I recommend 'basic home studio design' by paul white.simple, small, easy, the minimum that you need to know- but as much as i think 90% would need.

WAAAAY TOO TECHNICAL
Too much time spent on the mathematics of sound transfer and acoustics.Not enough on how to build the studio.Could not find a "complete parts list" for any of the plans.This is not for someone looking to build a simple studio.Very technical and boring. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Architectural Acoustics    3. Design and construction    4. Electronics - General    5. Reference    6. Sound studios    7. Stereo & Audio Equipment    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Television & Video    11. Music recording & reproduction    12. Technology / Electronics / General   

Reviews (1)

Info from the Editor
This book provides, for the first time, a single complete reference on microphone arrays. Top researchers in this field contributed articles addressing their specific topics of study. The results cover the current state of the art in microphone array research, development, and technological application. Part I concerns the problem of enhancing the speech signal acquired by an array of microphones. Part II is devoted to the source localization problem. Part III details some specific applications of microphone array technology available today. Part IV presents expert summaries of current open problems in the field, as well as personal views of what the future of microphone array processing might hold. The individual chapters selected for the book were designed to be tutorial in nature with a specific emphasis on recent important results. They are of utility to a large audience, from the student or practising engineer just approaching the field to the experienced researcher. Table of Contents: Pt. I: Speech Enhancement ch. 1 Constant Directivity Beamforming ch. 2 Superdirective Microphone Arrays ch. 3 Post-Filtering Techniques ch. 4 Spatial Coherence Functions for Differential Microphones in Isotropic Noise Fields ch. 5 Robust Adaptive Beamforming ch. 6 GSVD-Based Optimal Filtering for Multi-Microphone Speech Enhancement ch. 7Explicit Speech Modeling for Microphone Array Speech Acquisition Pt. II: Source Localization ch. 8 Robust Localization in Reverberant Rooms ch. 9 Multi-Source Localization Strategies ch. 10 Joint Audio-Video Signal Processing for Object Localization and Tracking Pt. III: Applications ch. 11 Microphone-Array Hearing Aids ch. 12 Small Microphone Arrays with Postfilters for Noiseand Acoustic Echo Reduction ch. 13 Acoustic Echo Cancellation for Beamforming Microphone Arrays ch. 14 Optimal and Adaptive Microphone Arrays for Speech Input in Automobiles ch. 15 Speech Recognition with Microphone Arrays ch. 16 Blind Separation of Acoustic Signals Pt. IV: Open Problems and Future Directions ch. 17 Future Directions for Microphone Arrays ch. 18 Future Directions in Microphone Array Processing Index ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustical Engineering    2. Acoustics & Sound    3. Digital Audio Technology    4. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    5. Microphone    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Telecommunications    10. Acoustics    11. Communications engineering / telecommunications    12. Sound, vibration & waves (acoustics)    13. Technology / Engineering / Electrical   

Reviews (3)

Deeply interesting
The author of this book greets us with an endearing smile on the back flap of the dust cover, and has every reason to. Imagine spending a significant part of your life touring concert halls and opera houses all over the world, sitting in on concerts (often changing seats in the course of the program), in order to assess the acoustic properties of the venue at hand. Fortunately, dr. Beranek has been kind enough to lay down his findings in this scholarly yet enchanting book. It offers invaluable insights into the workings of acoustics and the many factors that determine a hall's aural properties. It does so by elucidating the general principles of acoustics, and by addressing topics like building materials, hall shapes, balconies, etc., separately. But the bulk of the book is taken up by a kind of gazetteer describing in detail 100 concert halls and opera houses from around the world. Each of the descriptions includes data on all significant hall properties, as well as plans, cross sections, and (black and white) photographs looking from the auditorium towards the stage and vice versa. Yet you need not fear a dry, scientific inventory; on the contrary: the writing is never anything less than engaging, and the author never forgets that in the end it is all about the joys of music, which he clearly savours himself. The text is strewn with anecdotal quotations from conductors, players and reviewers alike - the author is acutely aware that a hall's reputation rests as much on the writings of critics and the overall audience experience as it does on quantifiable acoustical qualities. For those who like hit parades, yes, there is a top 20, though dr. Beranek is too much of a scientist to present it without heaps of caveats (though it is clear throughout the book that Boston Symphony Hall is his acoustic Walhalla). great book
FYI - I just wrote a review of the book and it got lost in cyber space. So this is my abreviated second attempt.
Classic Acoustical Reference
This is a classic reference for students and practitioners working in the field. It is the most complete compendium available of acoustical and architectural data on concert and opera halls throughout the world. Each building is meticulously detailed with photographs, line drawings and technical data. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Architectural Acoustics    3. Architecture    4. Music-halls    5. Physics    6. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Theaters    10. Building construction & materials    11. Mathematics and Science    12. Other Technologies    13. Public buildings: civic, commercial, industrial, etc    14. Science / Acoustics & Sound    15. Sound, vibration & waves (acoustics)    16. Theory of architecture   

Reviews (1)

A compulsary read for anyone working with sonar
There are many myths regarding sonar, in both civilian and military applications. The perhaps best known ones are provided by Tom Clancy in his book/movie "The Hunt for Red October". While sonarman Jones and his $40 million computer make great additions to that story, they have little to do with reality. Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustical Engineering    2. Acoustics & Sound    3. Remote Sensing    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Technology    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Telecommunications    8. Electronics & Communications Engineering    9. Sonar    10. Technology / Telecommunications   

Reviews (1)

Diffusers: in-depth discussion
This book is more concentrated on diffusers than absorbers, with extensive care on Schroeder diffusers. Also it is more concentrated on acoustical physics than the discussion on various acoustic materials.
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Subjects:  1. Acoustical engineering    2. Acoustics & Sound    3. Methods & Materials    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Technology    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Architecture / Methods & Materials    8. Dynamics & vibration    9. Electronics engineering    10. Sound, vibration & waves (acoustics)   

Reviews (2)

A perfect, practical book
As an acoustics consultant, I frequently use this well organised, to-the-point book as a reference.Lots of construction details, technical drawings and test results allow you to grab the essence of the subject very quickly. Sometimes, I bring my copy to workshops and manufacturers to discuss details. The graphical language of the authors makes my life easier during those discussions.
Excellent source for architects & sound engineers
An excellent source for construction details related to acoustics, noise control, etc ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Architectural Acoustics    3. Construction - General    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Technology    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Architecture / General    8. Building construction & materials   

Reviews (4)

Excellent book on a very specialized subject
Electroacoustics is that part of acoustics that pertains to the modeling of acoustical systems with electric circuits. This book is an outgrowth of a senior elective course in audio engineering taught at Georgia Tech by the electrical engineering department. The first part of the book teaches basic acoustics as it pertains to audio engineering. The remainder of the book concerns the application of the tools of electroacoustics to the analysis and synthesis of microphones, loudspeakers, crossover networks, and acoustic horns. The book concludes with a chapter on the basic theory of audio amplifier design. Because most acoustic devices have a mechanical part, the modeling of mechanical systems with electrical ones is also part of electroacoustics, and is also covered in this book. This book is therefore aimed at electrical engineers that are interested in the analysis and design of acoustic systems. This book is not for recording engineers looking for studio construction techniques. The table of contents is:
Simply the Best!
Introduction ... is not an introduction! It's a complete book to correctly design speakers systems and gives good hints for audio amplifiers design.
A Great Audio Engineering Resource
Before discovering "Introduction of Electroacoustics and Audio Amplifier Design" by Dr. Leach, my knowledge of speaker design was limited to a handful of formulas and some tabulated data.I have found this text to be the most important "missing link" among my resources for designing speakers.Read more

Subjects:  1. Electronics - General    2. General    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Technology    5. ACOUSTICAL ENGINEERING    6. AMPLIFIERS (ELECTRONICS)    7. Technology / Acoustics & Sound   

Subjects:  1. Acoustical Engineering    2. Acoustics    3. Acoustics & Sound    4. Applied Sciences    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Mathematics    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Sound    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Dynamics & vibration    12. Mechanical engineering    13. Sound, vibration & waves (acoustics)    14. Technology / Engineering / Mechanical    15. mechanics    16. ultrasound    17. vibrations    18. wave propagation   

Reviews (3)

Invaluable Reference
This is an invaluable reference. I've been searching for weeks for materials related to noise control in a residential setting. I've found only one "expert" in the yellow pages and he charges hundreds for his advice. This book provides all of the information he provided and more. Although, the editing isn't great and there are typos and other errors, the content is first-rate. For once, this book was exactly what I expected.

Invaluable Reference
This is an invaluable reference. I've been searching for weeks for materials related to noise control in a residential setting. I've found only one "expert" in the yellow pages and he charges hundreds for his advice. This book provides all of the information he provided and more. Although, the editing isn't great and there are typos and other errors, the content is first-rate. For once, this book was exactly what I expected.

Noise Control Manual For Residential Buildings
El Libro del Sr. Harris ha sido de gran ayuda en mi trabajo como Ingeniero Ac�stico. Sin lugar a dudas es un texto que debe estar en la biblioteca de toda persona ligada a la arquitectura, construcci�n y control de ruido. Un Gran Libro. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustical engineering    2. Acoustics & Sound    3. Architecture    4. Construction - General    5. Dwellings    6. Environmental engineering    7. General    8. Noise    9. Noise Pollution    10. Reference    11. Soundproof Construction    12. Soundproofing    13. Technology    14. Building construction & materials    15. House & Home / Remodeling & Renovation   

Subjects:  1. Acoustical engineering    2. Engineering - General    3. Noise    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Technology    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Vibration    8. Civil Engineering, Surveying & Building    9. Dynamics & vibration    10. Technology / Engineering / General   

Subjects:  1. Acoustical Engineering    2. Acoustics & Sound    3. Automatic Speech Recognition    4. Computers - General Information    5. Data Processing - General    6. Data Processing - Speech & Audio Processing    7. Electronics - General    8. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Speech processing systems    11. Speech synthesis    12. Technology    13. Audio processing: speech recognition & synthesis    14. Computer-aided learning (CAL)    15. Speech & language disorders & therapy    16. Technology / Electronics / General   

Subjects:  1. Acoustic surface wave devices    2. Acoustical Engineering    3. Acoustics & Sound    4. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    5. Equipment and supplies    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Telecommunication    10. Telecommunication (Engineering)    11. Telecommunications    12. Communications engineering / telecommunications    13. Electronic devices & materials    14. Technology / Engineering / Electrical    15. Telekommunikation   

Reviews (2)

comprehensive book
This book contains a myriad of case studies concerning a wide variety of acoustical problems. Very rich in detail. I found it helpful when trying to tackle challenging acoustical problems.

Best Overview Available
Eliminates the need to consult 15 journals and 4 books just to gain an understanding of a particular acoustics topic of interest.Get the basic overview of current knowledge from a book that doesn't assume you'realready on the cutting edge of knowledge. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustical Engineering    2. Acoustics    3. Acoustics & Sound    4. Engineering - General    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Dynamics & vibration    10. Reference works    11. Sound, vibration & waves (acoustics)    12. Technology / Engineering / General    13. Technology: General Issues   

Subjects:  1. Architectural Acoustics    2. Public Buildings Architecture    3. Building construction & materials    4. Public buildings: civic, commercial, industrial, etc    5. Sound, vibration & waves (acoustics)   

Reviews (1)

Great Book
This is the book to own for your acoustical reference manual.This one belongs on your shelf. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustical Engineering    2. Acoustics & Sound    3. Architectural Detail    4. Architectural acoustics    5. Architecture    6. Interior Design - General    7. Interior design    8. Music recording & reproduction    9. Technology / Engineering / Environmental   

Subjects:  1. Acoustical Engineering    2. Acoustics & Sound    3. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Signal Processing (Communication Engineering)    7. Technology    8. Applied mathematics    9. Dynamics & vibration    10. Image processing    11. Mechanical engineering    12. Signal processing    13. Sound, vibration & waves (acoustics)    14. Technology / Engineering / General