As incredible as it seems to me, the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook has been in publication for 46 years, from its humble self-published spiral-bound first two editions in 1977 and 1978 to the next five editions (the 3rd through the 7th) released by Audio Amateur Publications (the original publisher of Voice Coil, plus Glass Audio, Audio Electronics, and Speaker Builder, which eventually would merge into audioXpress as a monthly magazine) from 1987 to 2006.

There were also all the foreign editions released over the years as shown in Photo 3. Now in 2023, it’s time to release what I consider to be by far the best edition yet, the 8th Edition of the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook (LDC). This book has gone from the 53-page spiral-bound first edition in 1977, to the soft-bound 275-page 7th Edition in 2006, to the new 352-page color hardbound and soft-bound 8th Edition shown here!

In terms of content, I basically deleted two entire chapters from LDC7 and added four new chapters, plus I radically revised two other chapters from LDC7, making LDC8 a substantially new book. Titles of the new chapters are:

Chapter 8 — Loudspeaker Testing (revised)

Chapter 9 — Computer-Based Tools for Loudspeaker Development

Chapter 10 — Room Hardware and Software Solutions

Chapter 12 — Home Theater Loudspeakers (revised)

Chapter 13 — Studio Monitors

Chapter 14 — Hybrid Loudspeakers

Besides that, the entire book has been completely typeset in a new font and layout, and to make it even more readable, and the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8 is being published in color for the first time.

Besides releasing a new expanded Loudspeaker Design Cookbook, the 8th edition is also referenced as Volume I. And this is because KCK Media will also be releasing the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook Volume II, which was the original intended title of my second book that was originally released as "Loudspeaker Recipes Volume I." Because this book was published before PDFs were the established media for publishing, it was done on a compugraph, and the pages were lost when Audio Amateur Publications changed hands twice, and ultimately became KCK Media.

After being out of print for the last five years, this valuable crossover design tutorial was the "advanced course" in passive crossover development and is as useful and relevant today in 2023 as it was when it was published in 1995. The original out-of-print book is being reprinted and is now being offered as the new companion volume to Loudspeaker Design Cookbook, as I originally intended it to be.

It has the same front cover as LDC8, but will be titled "The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook, Volume II." Both books will initially only be sold by KCK Media and will be available at a special introductory price, via cc-webshop.com to purchase a copy, either softbound or hardbound, with a special two-volume offer as well.

Here's more detail on what's new for the Eight Edition:

• New Chapter 8 — “Loudspeaker Testing” has been substantially revised and includes specifics on the Fixed Mmd method for calculating cone assembly mass, a more complete definition of acoustic phase, an updated list of computer-based TSP (Thiele Small Parameters) measurement hardware, plus a discussion of the various types of loudspeaker measurements and how they relate to driver quality and system design integrity.

• New Chapter 9 — “Computer Based Tools for Loudspeaker Development” has been completely revised to include current offerings of computer-based loudspeaker measurement analyzers, as well as loudspeaker enclosure and crossover simulation software.

• New Chapter 10 — “Room Measurement Equipment and Room Correction Solutions” now includes a survey of room measurement analyzers, plus a discussion on room acoustics, room treatment and digital room correction devices.

• New Chapter 12 — “Home Theater Loudspeakers” has been extensively revised, including details on Dolby Atmos and Immersive Audio.

• New Chapter 13 — “Studio Monitor Loudspeakers” is a new chapter that explains the difference between hi-fi loudspeakers and studio monitors, provides the professional criteria for studio monitor design, the constant directivity aspect of studio monitors, and a dissertation on zero phase in studio monitors.

• New Chapter 14 — “Hybrid Loudspeakers” is an exciting new chapter that explores the subject of hybrid active/passive and digital/analog loudspeaker development and includes a tutorial design example for an ultra-high-end hybrid monitor loudspeaker.

An audio load is an essential piece of test equipment for any audio electronics workshop. Having created the very popular Heathkit ID-5252, more than 35 years ago, Gary Galo decided to design a new option for everyone to build now. The ID-5252 contains four 8Ω, 60W power resistors. The biggest limitation of the Heathkit load is power handling. Series and parallel combinations can be used to produce various resistances and power levels — up to 240W at 8Ω, using all four resistors. But, simultaneously testing both channels of a high-powered amplifier requires two ID-5252 units. Fortunately, the raw parts for building an audio load are easy to find. This article was originally published in audioXpress, March 2017. Read the Full Article Now Available Here

This review looks at a speaker patent, awarded to inventor Shengbo Li from Guangdong, China, on behalf of Harman International. The abstract from that patent details a speaker including one or multiple transducers, an enclosure, and a suspension mounted on the enclosure, wherein the suspension and the enclosure are configured such that the enclosure is capable of vibrating as a result of operation of the transducer so as to produce audible sound. You read it right, the enclosure is also a passive radiator! Croft looks back at the many other attempts to explore this, several of which were also patented by Harman, and explores the potential benefits and applications. A fascinating read. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2017.  Read the Full Article Now Available Here