The Smartest DIY Home Improvements

Home Automation, Security & Energy Savings

Phone Orders: 1-888-843-9103 | 631-361-3600

OWN A WEBSITE?
EARN CA$H!

Become our Partner and Start Earning Money Today!
Join SmartHomeUSA's Official Affiliate Program

Simply register your website's domain with us and earn a percentage of every sale you send our way!

Shop > Thomson Learning > BCGA

Complete Guide to Audio - Book

Enlarge Image

By: John J. Adams
192 Pages

Stereo equipment is needed to bring us symphonies of the ages of bang-your-head rock music. It may be used to set the evening scene with mood music or to record your child's first words. It brings vocal and instrumental master-pieces into our homes and permanently etches life memories into electronic form.

Item # BCGA

$34.95

Low Prices Guaranteed!
Free Technical Support
Shipping Rates

Availability:

Item is Available

Display All:

Thomson Learning

Complete Guide to Audio was written for the consumer who wants to know more about sound and sound systems. With comprehensive, simple explanations, the book sheds light on audio systems and answers questions you may have asked salespeople in the past but were unable to get answers for. In addition, this book explains some common problems that you may run into while setting up your stereo system and home entertainment center. The information in the book will help you make successful purchasing decisions and demystify the jungle of wires and connections that come with your audio system.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction to Audio Equipment
- Three Elements of an Audio System
  - Source
  - Amplification
  - Output (Speakers)
- High Fidelity (Hi-Fi)
- Stereo: A Brief Explanation
- Audio Equipment Ultra Basics
  - Composition of Typical Stereo System
  - Real-World Stereo and Surround Sound Systems
- Which System Should You Purchase?
- What Constitutes an Average Audio System?
- What Constitutes an Expanded Audio System?
- What Constitutes a Light Audio System?
- How You Can Improve Your Audio System
- 25 Audio Terms You Should Know
- Wrap Up
Chapter 2: Sound Revealed
- Mediums, Source Points & Receipt Points
- Sound Waves
- Frequency & Pitch
- Amplitude
- Phase
- Speed of Sound
- Decibels
- What a Human Ear Can Hear
- Acoustics
  - How Sound is Created in Audio Equipment
  - Acoustic Properties in Audio Systems
- How Sound is Recorded
- How Sound is Stored
- How Sound is Played
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio
- Wrap Up
Chapter 3: Stereophonics Revealed
- Channels
- Life Before Stereo: Monophonic
- The Basics of Stereophonics
  - How the Magic is Performed
  - Another Way Stereo is Achieved
  - Stereo Imaging
  - Reverberation Makes the Sound Real
- Stereo Gets Complex
  - Surround Sound
- Recreating Events
- Wrap Up
Chapter 4: Home Theater Sound
- The Sound Experience
- Surround Sound Takes Over
  - How Surround Sound Differs From Normal Stereo
  - Surround Sound Composition
  - Dolby Surround Sound
  - Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound
  - Dolby Digital: AC-3
  - How Surround Sound is Encoded
- Equipment
  - Surround Sound Signal Source
- Dolby Pro Logic Sources
- Dolby Digital (AC-3) Sources
  - Receivers and Decoders
  - Speakers
- Amplifiers
- DTS and Other Non-Dolby Surround Sound Systems
- Wrap Up
Chapter 5: Amplifiers & Preamplifiers
- How an Amplifier Works
- Audio Amplifiers
  - Preamplifiers
  - Workings
  - How Preamps are Used in a Modern Stereo
- Power (Output) Amplifiers
  - Workings
- The Misconception of Watts
- Various Types of Amplifiers
  - Vacuum Tube Amp
  - Solid-State Transistor Amp
- What Kind of Amp do You Need?
- Noise & Distortion
- Channel Separation
- Impedance Matching
- How Manufacturers Measure the Wattage of a Power Amp
  - Examples
- Wrap Up
Chapter 6: Receivers & Surround Sound Decoders
- The Tuner
  - Radio Waves
  - How a Tuner Works
- Receiving the Strongest, Least Noisy FM Signal
  - Antennas
  - Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB)
- The Surround Sound Decoder
- DPSs
- Remote Controls
- Real-World Receivers
  - What to Look For in a Receiver
  - What to Avoid
- Future Receivers
Chapter 7: Cassette Decks, CD Players, DVD Players, MiniDisc & Phonographs
- Cassette Decks
  - The Innards of a Tape Deck
  - How the Parts Interact
  - Types of Tape Decks
- Digital Audio Tape: DAT
  - What to Look for in a Tape Deck
- Compact Disc Players
  - Let's Get Digital
  - What are the Ones and Zeros?
  - Analog-to-Digital & Digital-to-Analog Converters
  - How a CD Changes Digital Information into Audio Waves
  - Sampling
  - Oversampling
  - CD Players
  - Digital Video (Versatile) Disc Player
- MiniDisc: MD
  - The Discs
  - ATRAC
  - MiniDisc Recorders
- The Phonograph
  - Parts of a Record Player
  - How an LP Works
  - Phonograph Recommendations
- Wrap Up
Chapter 8: Loudspeakers, Headphones & Microphones
- Loudspeakers
  - Getting it Right
  - Drivers
- Composition of a Loudspeaker
  - Cabinet or Enclosures
  - Driver Types
  - Crossover Network
  - How a Loudspeaker Works
- Common Loudspeakers
  - Conventional Front Set
  - Sub/Sat
  - Satellites
  - Subwoofers
  - Surround Sound Speakers
- How to Set Up Your Speakers
  - Setting Up Surround Sound Speakers
- Power Ratings
- Digital Speaker Systems
- Headphones
  - Why Headphones Sound Different From Speakers
  - Seals
  - What to Look For
- Microphones
  - Microphone Mechanics
  - Two Types of Mics
  - Directionality of a Microphone
  - Choosing a Microphone
- Wrap Up
Chapter 9: Computer Sound
- Sound Cards
- 16-Bit Sound
- MIDI
- 3D Sound
- What Card to Buy
- Speakers
- Wrap Up
Chapter 10: Brands & Choices
- Questions to Ask Yourself Before Looking
- Steps to Deciding Brands and Models
  - Research
- Brands
  - How Does it Sound?
  - Other Questions
  - Brands to Look For
  - Rating a Brand
- Rating How a System Sounds
- Where to Purchase
- Purchasing Strategies Other Purchasing Tips
- Recommendations
  - Combination, Separate or Rack?
  - System Strategies
  - Receivers
  - Loudspeakers
  - CD Players
  - Tape Decks
- Wrap Up
Chapter 11: Hookups & Accessories
- What You Need
  - Cables
- Connectors
- What Each Connection on Your Receiver is For
  - Typical Connections on an A/V Receiver
- Hooking Up Components
  - Hooking Up Your Speakers
  - Hooking Up a Subwoofer
  - Hooking Up a CD Player to Your Receiver
  - Hooking Up a CD Player to Your Receiver
  - Hooking Up a Tape Deck to Your Receiver
  - Hooking Up a Turntable to Your Receiver
  - Hooking Up a VCR to Your Receiver
  - Hooking Up a Laserdisc Player to Your Receiver
  - Hooking Up a DVD Player to Your Receiver
  - Hooking Up External Amplifiers
- Wrap Up
Chapter 12: Features
- Receivers
- Loudspeakers
- CD Players/Changers/Jukeboxes
- Tape Decks
- DVD Players
Appendix
Web Addresses
- FAQs and Helpful Internet Links
Index