"The Complete Guide to High-End Audio" of Robert Harley a must read?

[Ice]

I found a guide to High End Audio on amazon. Do i have to read it to get on the same level of people here in forum?

What do you recommend?

[orgel]

My 2 cents: For the stuff that's not related to digital, it's probably okay. I personally like the part about subwoofer placement.

 

In my experience, the problem with books about computer-related stuff is that they can't be updated quickly enough to be very useful. (And that's assuming RH knows what he's talking about in the digital area, which likely isn't a terribly safe assumption.)

 

--David

[Paul R]

I found a guide to High End Audio on amazon. Do i have to read it to get on the same level of people here in forum?

What do you recommend?

 

Of course not, and even if you do read it, you will still have to figure which parts of his advice you find applicable and reasonable for yourself. Which sounds odd, until you realize that computer audio is changing really fast, and today's absolute truth is often tomorrow's "well, why did I ever think that?!"

 

For my money, reading and more importantly, asking questions here on CA, reading the better Audiophile magazines, and being sure to at least sample the sites that, in general, hold opposing viewpoints (i.e. Hydrogen Audio, AudioStream, etc.) is the best way to figure out most of the terms and decipher the technical lingo. But deciding what you really like in terms of CA gear and software, that is the *real* adventure. And one that you have to kind of walk by yourself.

 

-Paul

[jiminlogansquare]

I generally agree with the evaluations above, although there is one feature of RH's book that I think could be very valuable for you. He provides good, thorough and explanatory definitions of the vocabulary terms used by "subjective" audio equipment reviewers to describe the sound and performance, strengths and weaknesses of the equipment. That could be worth the price of admission, although the terminology is old enough that you could probably buy a used copy of an older edition of the book and do just as well. I agree with others that discussions of computer and digital audio are aiming at a swiftly-moving target, and traditional publishing lead times pretty well guarantee missing the mark. This website and a current subscription to Stereophile and/or The Absolute Sound will probably serve you better if you seek to stay abreast of the state of the art in the dynamic world of digital sound reproduction.

[Gary.D.Olson]

I'm with Paul. I encourage you to come here when you need help. I don't have the funds for a fully spectacular all-out rig, and probably never will, but the folks here have really helped me get the most out of my modest vintage gear. I'm beginning to get more enjoyment from this hobby than ever.

 

Gary

[paul_riordan]

I would tend to agree with the others above. Most of what I know I have garnered from this forum and a few others. I absolutely agree with Paul above that it is a good idea to read blogs/forums where the views differ (or even oppose) some of the view on this forum, I think then, with a bit of experience with your own kit, that you will soon learn to find your own way through the maze.... Asking a few questions on these forums will generally get you a good set of answers, they won't always agree with each other, but by analysing the answers you will work out who's views you generally align with.

One of the other things I like about this forum is that in general peoples views/opinions may differ but there aren't really abusive comments - people generally respect others opinions and responses. This is not my experience on all other forums.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Paul

[One and a half]

Yup a "complete guide" assumes that perfection is reached and there's nothing more to say, or there's solutions enough to cater for just about anything.

 

For Digital Audio that is far from being complete, gosh just scratched the surface.

[Nikhil]

I found a guide to High End Audio on amazon. Do i have to read it to get on the same level of people here in forum?

What do you recommend?

 

I would recommend reading a little but you will learn much more by meeting real people and hearing real systems. The reason I say this is because books and forums are subject to interpretation. If I say a system sounds neutral - what can you gauge from that? Much easier to associate terms when you hear these setups in person. If you live in an area where you have an active audio club join up or seek out fellow audio enthusiasts. Use the books and forums as references then and you will get much more out of it.

 

One more thing - don't try and do this all in one go. Audio is a journey. Take time to enjoy the ride.

 

All the best!

[Ajax]

Hi Ice,

 

I agree with the sentiments expressed above, however, I consider Robert Harley's "The Complete Guide to High-End Audio 5th Edition" an excellent source of information. His latest 2015 edition was only released a few months ago and it is therefore reasonably "current". Amazon is offering it for $16.50 on Kindle and $25.00 in paperback and it is therefore not expensive.

 

Just because web sites can be easily updated does not follow that they are e.g. Audioquest's excellent guide is dated December, 2012.

 

http://www.audioquest.com/pdfs/Computer-Audio-Demystified-WhitePaper-EN-R2.pdf

 

At the end of the day it is all about growing your understanding of the theory behind good audio and then exposing yourself to the the many differencing views expressed on forums such as CA and then applying what you have learnt to your own circumstances and what sounds good to you.

 

By circumstances I mean, budget, room size, access to a personal listening room, etc etc.

 

Just buy it.

 

Good luck.

 

Ajax

[Nikhil]

I agree with the sentiments expressed above, however, I consider Robert Harley's "The Complete Guide to High-End Audio 5th Edition" an excellent source of information. His latest 2015 edition was only released a few months ago and it is therefore reasonably "current". Amazon is offering it for $16.50 on Kindle and $25.00 in paperback and it is therefore not expensive.

 

There has been feedback mentioning some serious mistakes in the technical information in the book. I haven't read the book but the comments on Amazon are pretty scathing.

[ampsarus]

As a stereophile subscriber from 92-98 I can assure you RH has forgotten more about high end audio in the last 15 years than cherished gifted minds should know. I left when Archibald left. JA RH MC JS and MF it used to he fun to read audio magazines

[Nikhil]

As a stereophile subscriber from 92-98 I can assure you RH has forgotten more about high end audio in the last 15 years than cherished gifted minds should know. I left when Archibald left. JA RH MC JS and MF it used to he fun to read audio magazines

 

I think we need to distinguish between Robert Harley and the book. No one can fault RH's credentials in audio. However when a book is written (or ghost written) in his name, the mistakes need to be addressed. Maybe it was just shabby editing, which is probably what the case may have been, but the publisher and RH should have been more vigilant.

[Speedskater]

I would consider any book by Robert Harley, a work of fiction or maybe fantasy.

[Speedskater]

So I read the 'Subwoofer' section of the new edition of the book that was in 'TAS" magazine. Harley did a very good job of describing how to adjust the 'phase' control on a subwoofer. If only the remainder of his writings were as good.

[orgel]

So I read the 'Subwoofer' section of the new edition of the book that was in 'TAS" magazine. Harley did a very good job of describing how to adjust the 'phase' control on a subwoofer. If only the remainder of his writings were as good.

 

Yes, it's a good method. The first time I saw it was in TAS when Jonathan Valin reviewed the JL Audio e-110.

 

--David