Acoustics: Sound Fields and Transducers

Book excerpt: Acoustics: Sound Fields and Transducers is a thoroughly updated version of Leo Beranek's classic 1954 book that retains and expands on the original's detailed acoustical fundamentals while adding practical formulas and simulation methods. Serving both as a text for students in engineering departments and as a reference for practicing engineers, this book focuses on electroacoustics, analyzing the behavior of transducers with the aid of electro-mechano-acoustical circuits. Assuming knowledge of electrical circuit theory, it starts by guiding readers through the basics of sound fields, the laws governing sound generation, radiation, and propagation, and general terminology. It then moves on to examine: - Microphones (electrostatic and electromagnetic), electrodynamic loudspeakers, earphones, and horns - Loudspeaker enclosures, baffles, and waveguides - Miniature applications (e.g., MEMS in I-Pods and cellphones) - Sound in enclosures of all sizes, such as school rooms, offices, auditoriums, and living rooms Numerical examples and summary charts are given throughout the text to make the material easily applicable to practical design. It is a valuable resource for experimenters, acoustical consultants, and to those who anticipate being engineering designers of audio equipment. - An update for the digital age of Leo Beranek's classic 1954 book Acoustics - Provides detailed acoustic fundamentals, enabling better understanding of complex design parameters, measurement methods, and data - Extensive appendices cover frequency-response shapes for loudspeakers, mathematical formulas, and conversion factors