Learning about Audio

Although SEO is all about well written material sometimes we do need to veer off this patch of oasis and not re-invent the wheel.  Audio circuitry, your own equipment, testing, listening and boasting is all part of the job. Here we list some awesome websites which should get your own creative juices flowing.

Illustrated History of High End Audio V1 - Robert Harley

Illustrated History of High End Audio V1 – Robert Harley

But first, some words from Popular Mechanics and some home grown products…  (16 September 2013), which sort of sums it all up.

Forums:

  • diyaudio – possibly one of the best out there
  • diyaudioprojects – a long time favourite of mine.  Seeing what works!
  • avforums – South Africa’s own with input from some of our local gurus.
  • soundforums – broad spectrum user base.
  • soundforums – added one here where the CEO of Behringer has a Q&A session with the forum team.
  • Audio Karma – another one of the top rated audio forums.
  • avsforum – although more AV industry related a top class forum covers many topics.
  • audio asylum’s tube asylum – DIY tube gurus go there.
  • DIY tube – lots of information for beginners and specialists alike.
  • diystompboxes – tuning up your stomp box with a new effect, here’s the de facto with nearly a million posts.
  • what’s best forum – covers a great range of topics on audio and video.
  • steve hoffman – another great list of forums for audio hardware and music.
  • head-fi – forums on hardware and stacks of really impressive images of sound systems.
  • reddit – DIY audio

The list above is not exhaustive. Please feel free to add your own by dropping me a link at webmaster at this domain.  I would especially like to have South African and Australian content.

The websites below are thought provoking, not necessarily audio, just plain interesting

  • hackaday – not necessarily audio but a lot of information from talented indivduals.
  • how stuff works – great just for self entertainment but a real help in many ways through video, images and diagrams.
  • engineer’s garage – opening your horizons.
  • edgefxkits – our masters in India are opening their doors. Some really cool stuff.
  • electronicsforu – another though provoking website

World famous and not so famous pages from the gurus of audio

  • Electroschematics – circuits for the beginner and more experienced. Look under audio.
  • Pete Millett’s DIY Audio pages – getting down to the nitty gritty.  Very interesting read and lots of information.  One needs to be very thankful for the time and effort people like this gent put into their website for no remuneration. Please support his eBay sales.
  • Elliott Sound Products – who can resist taking a peek at Rod Elliott’s own pages.  Making sophistication simple. Aussie legend.  We love this guy who calls a spade a spade. Sells PCBs – please support.
  • Pass DIY – another legend to the DIY audio fraternity, Nelson Pass. Making sophistication simple.
  • Paul Kemble – lots of schematics and even more text. Very interesting read, thought provoking interesting articles like with Millett, Pass and Elliott.
  • Gyraf Audio Denmark – some very high quality products.
  • The Audio Master Class – yes, you can be one too!  Not electronics DIY but lots of invaluable advice. Of course nobody stops you from building the $5 preamp which blew everyone away.
  • John Chambers – Champ Electronics – trip down memory lane, beautiful tube amplifiers, even one 1kW build using 4 x 813 tubes running at 2.5kV at the anodes.
  • Duncan’s amp pages by Duncan Amplification – the TDSL or tube data sheet locator search engine by Duncan Munro in the 90’s lead to this website which currently, as of June 2017 lists 290 schematics for download.
  • John Linsley Hood – wiki.  Most of the authors and website owners listed above will cover one or more of JL Hood’s projects at some stage or other.   As a young student in the 70s who would not have tried one or two of his amplifiers. Read up as much as possible about this legend, likewise Bob Carver.  (coming up soon).

As before, the list is not exhaustive – we have some fascinating literature on the web but I have specifically singled out the ones above as the ones I often pop into when I am bored, want to hone my knowledge, do some practising or most of all – because I am just fascinated. The book below is on my to get list.

Must read:Elektor Magazine:  Illustrated History of High End Audio by Robert Harley.

  • Volume one – Loudspeakers
  • Volume two – Electronics
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