any comprehensive guidebooks on high end computer audio out there?

[tresaino]

I am still relatively new here and definitely on a learning curve with computer audio, apologies if this has already been addressed before (it probably has).

 

I find the tutorials in this forum a great place where to start, and would like to thank Chris and others for the incredible amount of effort and time put into this.

 

Moving beyond tutorials however is a bit more complicated. Let me give one example: having bought Amarra Mini, am still trying to better understand what the software does and why. So I did a search in this forum last Sunday, ending up with several dozens of links to previous threads. Problem is: I spent most of the afternoon just going through one of them! The information one can find here is substantial, but it is also scattered, repetitive and often very hard to follow, at least for computer laymen like me.

 

Are you aware of any comprehensive and well written guidebooks explaining in simple terms many of the fundamental issues addressed in this forum? I would love to find a guidebook containing comprehensive chapters on the pros and cons of: music servers, d-a and a-d converters, conversion techniques, disk storage, file formats, ripping techniques, software and DSP, and high resolution downloads – essentially all the subjects discussed in this forum.

 

Having been an analogue freak for the last 25 years am currently discovering what high-rez digital audio can do these days, and am all excited about it. I believe a good guidebook like this would be a great success, the market is more than ripe for it. Anyone in here in search of a full-time job?

 

 

[Abstraction]

Roberto--

 

Topics like computer audio make it clear that book technology is too slow in relation to the pace of change. There are people who know how to crank out books. They can do the research, write the text, and get the book through production quickly, considering the complexity of the process, but not before much of the information is out of date and / or incomplete. The other problem is that the people who know how to get books out aren't experts in the field. Most of the how-to books you'll find in the stores are based on the sketchiest of researh (I have known people who do this kind of work). Typically the author are just good at using Google and have some good formulas for organizing information. There really isn't a substitute for reading CA every day.

 

Unfortunately, this is increasingly true of many subjects. I know a person who wrote a how-to personal finance book, and what he knew about economics was what he learned in three or four months of research for that book. He had no background at all. Often, people who really know the relevant field have more profitable ways of using it than writing books.

 

[aljordan]

Hi,

 

While there are a number of tutorials to be found on the Internet, I am not aware of any guidebook that discuss and wrap up all of the information you are looking for. However, the following URL seems pretty good for beginners: http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/

 

Alan

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Roberto - As far as I know there is no such guidebook. It is something I've thought about writing for a while actually. I've even laid out chapters and topics to address. Since it's such a time intensive project it would be nice if there was money to be made by writing such a guidebook.

 

[tresaino]

I understand that some sections of such a book could be outdated quickly, but this would be a good reason for doing subsequent editions.

 

Thanks to Alan for the link, at first glance however it does not do the trick, issues and problems are presented too superficially to become a reference.

 

And Chris, glad you at least thought about it, I have to admit I had you in mind when writing my first post! :-) Seriously, you would be able to deliver an outstanding book in less than one year, and you could have it proof-read by some of the knowledgeable friends active in here. Anyway, just daydreaming for the time being, but I'm convinced some books will appear eventually, perhaps mediocre stuff in the beginning but they will appear. And people will buy them.

 

I am fortunate enough to know a few languages, and recently discovered the new German magazine "einsnull", dedicated to computer audiophilia (4 issues so far). Well, add to this the fact that more and more of the established magazines, from Stereophile to TAS to Hifi+ to others in Italy and France are publishing articles about using computers for serious audio reproduction. All of this clearly indicates that the market is more than ripe.

 

Regarding money, I'm sure some of the manufacturers advertising in here would contribute. Don't know how much money Robert Harley from TAS made with his reference book, perhaps not much but he sure had several editions over the last 15 years.. well at least it brought him some glory. :-)

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Roberto - I agree that subsequent editions would be necessary and not necessarily a bad thing for someone trying to recoup the time investment with some monetary payback. Consumers may be frustrated by updates but there are easy ways to satisfy them through PDF downloads of new material for versions like 1.1, 1.4, 1.5. When version 2.0 was released a new complete copy may need to be purchased.

 

I honestly didn't think of having advertisements but it could be a good way to finance such a project.

 

It would also be simple for me to sell a PDF download of the book right here in CA. This would at least get me started without any sort of "book deal" to publish hard copies.

 

Now the wheels are spinning in my head once again. This would be a fun project for me and hopefully a valuable project for the industry and consumers.

 

[Guest]

He not only wrote a guide book but also created a Windows shell to replace Windows Explorer and a music player called cPlay. Also he has done in depth research on Jitter, UpSampling, and every aspect of the Computer itself and how it can and does affect the playback of audio. Aspects such as CPU, Power supplies, RAM timings, and even the affects of WiFi on Computer Audio. If there was such a thing as a Doctorate Degree In Computer Audio, his work would have earned him a degree.

 

http://cplay.sourceforge.net/