Dr. Toole's 4th Edition Book is Coming! (Discount)

[dziemian]

I can understand no pdf download but 5 year period of online access sounds ridicoulus if you cant download it and keep it in your library. Thats not a book for $5 nor fiction story to read and forget. Thanks for letting us know. I was thinking about e-book for a moment but never more. I am waiting for a reprint and sticking to 3rd edition.

 

[jeffbook]

Admittedly the 4th edition has issues with the printing margins that cause difficulty. However as an owner of both the 3rd and 4th editions, I find that the new information and the method in which Dr. Toole and his co-authors have presented this information in the 4th edition is definitely worth the purchase.

The supplemental information posted by Toole on the Routledge website for owner's of the 4th edition is worth the purchase price alone.

Thanks to Dr. Toole for making this additional information available!

 

[Floyd Toole]

Even after publishing three editions (the 2nd was a publisher's error) there are still things to learn. I thought that a companion website was a good idea, allowing for more material to be included, and allowing for updates. The open access one for the 3rd edition was an afterthought, but the new one is better integrated with the print version. There is an attempt to preserve access for purchasers of the book, which is understandable.

Obviously, buying a book in any format should be a "lifetime" investment. Not allowing unlimited pdf downloads is the publisher protecting the copyright. It is a business, and even the author deserves a nominal financial reward . But the content is information, which is why I openly share it in these forums. Tracking my contributions over the years will yield much of the important book contents, but not all.

I am forwarding criticisms to the publisher, so your comments are not lost. Thank you.

This is the last edition under my authorship - I am 87 and looking forward to as much travel and relaxation as possible, but pursuing this topic has been more than a "job", so my interest in it is still high.

 

[Wizard509]

I ordered a copy of the book from the publisher a few weeks ago, but as of the middle of last week it had not been received. I sent a message to the publisher and they are trying to figure what happened with my order. In the meantime, they provided me with access to the ebook version.

 

[RickS]

I can understand no pdf download but 5 year period of online access sounds ridicoulus if you cant download it and keep it in your library. Thats not a book for $5 nor fiction story to read and forget. Thanks for letting us know. I was thinking about e-book for a moment but never more. I am waiting for a reprint and sticking to 3rd edition.

Using their app, you can download copy of the book for offline reading. Along with access to the supplemental materials, am fine with the value. Not thrilled with the "typical" 5 year online license, but as long as app allow the offline download to be read, seems less of an issue. WIll make a note to revisit in 5 years.

 

[krabapple]

I can understand no pdf download but 5 year period of online access sounds ridicoulus if you cant download it and keep it in your library. Thats not a book for $5 nor fiction story to read and forget. Thanks for letting us know. I was thinking about e-book for a moment but never more. I am waiting for a reprint and sticking to 3rd edition.

Hmm, I didn't know about this 5 year limit. Looks like I'll be adding the paperback to my Xmas want list?

 

[middlemarch]

Just finished reading from cover to cover! Took over 2 weeks, but not a hard read. Some of the material (the Welti subwoofer section especially) was a bit over my head but I believe I got the gist. Here's hoping the book can somewhat further reduce the circle of confusion in the industry. I'm under no illusion that that will be a done deal anytime in the near future, but we can always hope.

However, several positive references by Dr. Toole to the benefits of wide channels in a multi channel setup have cost me money! A Denon AVR-A1H is now on it's way to replace my not so venerable X6700 so I can go to a full 15 channels (I currently run 6 heights). And that means also that Dirac ART is a possibility, so the rabbit hole deepens yet again! Thanks a lot, Dr. Toole!

(multi channel haters, please, I've heard it all before, so let me have my fun, thank you!)

Now on to the comparisons between Dirac flavors, Audessey flavors, and several of the OCA A1 Evo efforts. I'd say we are living in good times regarding meaningful system tweaking. No rest for the weary

 

[somebodyelse]

Just bought the e-book, or better, I bought "a license to use the e-book". This DRM is absolutely atrocious. No PDF download (but they allow my to print it in 2-pages increments with a giant watermark across each page!), no ePub download, access only through their app (no Linux version obviously). Hopefully, I will scrap it before the 5-year period of "online" access ends.

Thanks for the warning - between needing the app and not having a linux version that makes the e-book version a non-starter for me when it would have been my preferred format - another example of DRM costing sales. And I'm sorry to say the aforementioned page layout error on the hardcopy makes that option less than appealing. @Floyd Toole I hope this feedback helps convince the publisher to rectify matters.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Thanks for the warning - between needing the app and not having a linux version that makes the e-book version a non-starter for me when it would have been my preferred format - another example of DRM costing sales. And I'm sorry to say the aforementioned page layout error on the hardcopy makes that option less than appealing. @Floyd Toole I hope this feedback helps convince the publisher to rectify matters.

The issues with the paperback are not that problematic. If you follow commonly shared guidance on how to prepare the spine when opening a book for the first time, it's fine.

 

[Floyd Toole]

The issues with the paperback are not that problematic. If you follow commonly shared guidance on how to prepare the spine when opening a book for the first time, it's fine.

Thank you, I just learned something. I did a Google search on "how to break in a book" and there are several YouTube tutorials on the topic. It is all obvious after seeing it, but I have spent my life breaking spines rather than breaking-in spines . So, the responsibility shifts to the book owners, but in this case the publisher did not help. Sorry for that.

EDIT: Here is an example instruction - very simple:

I just did it on a new paperback copy of my book. It took about 5 minutes spreading just a few pages at a time, and the difference was not subtle. The book opened easily, pages could be flipped easily, and one could see closer to the spine. All that said, it is frustrating to see so much blank page near the outside of the open book and the information one is after crammed into the spine. This is a real disappointment for all of us.

This should be a part of basic education - apparently it was for a few people, but it missed me. Real paper books, especially technical books, have special value. Electronic versions have some useful features for quickly searching for information, so there are choices. I have used both at different times.

 

[Power Pop 23]

An FYI and a Your Mileage May Vary caveat,


For those waiting for the paperback version of the 4th edition to be available again....

My local public library offers access to e-books of the first and third editions of the book.

Perhaps other libraries offer similar access.

 

[Jack B]

Good for him, hopefully he doesn’t have to deal with brush fires there.

Or a lot of other things, like ICE, etc.

 

[Jack B]

Hello everybody, I just returned from giving a lecture to the Toronto section of the AES, as noted above. It was great to meet some old friends and to introduce some new audio enthusiasts to the science of audio.
The 4th edition is more than a book. It has a website - not yet accessible, but should be soon. I have already complained to the publisher.
Books are always limited by page counts and old content must be omitted to include anything new, and this time I have two extra authors. We planned in advance to have a website and the first version of it contains some historical stuff that some greybeards may find interesting, some on LP playback systems that will no doubt upset a few fans of the format. There is an expanded discussion of ITU and EBU recommendations that are in bad need of updating.
Perhaps the most important website content are some slide shows that summarize some book content, including some new material. Educators may find them useful, but I think almost anyone should scan them for an overview of specific topics. The last slide show is about "translation" and it shows spinoramas on a wide selection of pro monitors and different kinds of consumer playback devices. There are some surprises, I think. The audio world has changed for the better - dramatically.
What is now need is for people to pay more attention to trustworthy measurements and less to "opinions" formed under biased circumstances. But human nature is powerful. I focus a bit on this in my Toronto lecture, which you might find interesting. I apologize for my voice giving out near the end - age is showing . . .

I have ideas for more, and we have a window of several weeks after which we can have some revisions and new material uploaded, so stay tuned.
Cheers,

Dr. Toole, Thank you for doing the video interview! I am sorry that your voice was having trouble near the end of the production (I am 9 years younger than you, and my voice couldn't have survived it intact). Most audiophiles should be very grateful for your ongoing contributions to the state of the art. And the 4th edition of your book is pleasantly greater in style and more accessible than the third...and thanks for including Olive and Welti as co-authors. Generous of you, sir! Please carry on! Jack B

 

[Jack B]

I found it surprisingly readable! (I have the previous edition). I was expecting it to be a lot more technical and mathematical. I think I put-off buying it for a few years because I expected it to be "difficult".

I too, am finding it extremely readable. Don't want to do it all at once, 'cause I will eventually reach the end of it.

 

[Jack B]

It sounds as if you listened in the same room in which the recording was made. If so, you are half way to "reality" with little effort. In binaural recordings the results are much more persuasive when the listener sits where the dummy head was located. What the eyes see and the ears hear before "play" is pressed makes a difference.

The room resonances in the recording match those in the playback environment. A big deal.

?Wouldn't the room resonances in this case effectively "double"? Since they are in the room, but added to those picked up and reproduced in the recording? Anyone?

 

[Jack B]

Even after publishing three editions (the 2nd was a publisher's error) there are still things to learn. I thought that a companion website was a good idea, allowing for more material to be included, and allowing for updates. The open access one for the 3rd edition was an afterthought, but the new one is better integrated with the print version. There is an attempt to preserve access for purchasers of the book, which is understandable.

Obviously, buying a book in any format should be a "lifetime" investment. Not allowing unlimited pdf downloads is the publisher protecting the copyright. It is a business, and even the author deserves a nominal financial reward . But the content is information, which is why I openly share it in these forums. Tracking my contributions over the years will yield much of the important book contents, but not all.

I am forwarding criticisms to the publisher, so your comments are not lost. Thank you.

This is the last edition under my authorship - I am 87 and looking forward to as much travel and relaxation as possible, but pursuing this topic has been more than a "job", so my interest in it is still high.

Dr. Toole, your ongoing participation in these forums (as you see fit and have the time for them) is a gift to us that can never be repaid.

 

[Thomas_A]

Santa came with this.

 

[RogersCompactMonitorFan]

Santa must have had heavily loaded reindeer, as he also came with this: I am looking forward to reading it.

I am lucky to have been spotted reading this forum, and so getting such a nice surprise present. I have been curious to learn why these 53 year old Tannoy Monitor Gold 15 speakers sound so different to the more modern speakers I have (They each have pros and cons), and I think this book will be very useful to educate me. Maybe 2026 should be the year I finally get a measurement microphone, and play with REW.

Santa came with this.
View attachment 499693

 

[jeffbook]

Santa must have had heavily loaded reindeer, as he also came with this: I am looking forward to reading it.

I am lucky to have been spotted reading this forum, and so getting such a nice surprise present. I have been curious to learn why these 53 year old Tannoy Monitor Gold 15 speakers sound so different to the more modern speakers I have (They each have pros and cons), and I think this book will be very useful to educate me. Maybe 2026 should be the year I finally get a measurement microphone, and play with REW.





View attachment 499713

Getting REW and a measurement mic such as the miniDSP UMIK-1 is a really good idea! You will also need a microphone stand. With the book and the relative minor cash outlay for the stand and microphone you will learn a lot about your speakers. have fun!

 

[Jack B]

Santa must have had heavily loaded reindeer, as he also came with this: I am looking forward to reading it.

I am lucky to have been spotted reading this forum, and so getting such a nice surprise present. I have been curious to learn why these 53 year old Tannoy Monitor Gold 15 speakers sound so different to the more modern speakers I have (They each have pros and cons), and I think this book will be very useful to educate me. Maybe 2026 should be the year I finally get a measurement microphone, and play with REW.





View attachment 499713

If the reindeer are heavily loaded, maybe they shouldn't be flying! Safety First. Merry Christmas, all.