Good Sound: An Uncomplicated Guide to Choosing and Using Audio Equipment [Paperback]

Laura Dearborn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A component-by-component guide to planning and building a state-of-the-art home sound system. The approach is fairly standard: escorting the reader through each stage, discussing what to choose and what not to (e.g., why a belt-driven turntable is preferable to direct drive), home maintenance, etc. But while nontechnical, the book presents considerable detail, more than in other good recent works on the topic, such as Ivan Berger and Hans Fantel's The New Sound of Stereo ( LJ 5/15/86). A book for the dedicated, rather than the casual, audiophile. Donald J. Marion, Univ. of Minnesota Inst. of Technology Libs., Minneapolis
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 417 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (November 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688064248
• ISBN-13: 978-0688064242
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A slightly dated but VERY worthwhile audio guide!, March 8, 2008

By 

Heldaig "heldaig" (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Sound: An Uncomplicated Guide to Choosing and Using Audio Equipment (Paperback)

A friend of mine loaned this book to me around 1991 and I have yet to thank him enough. I was buying my first stereo and I found this book to be an incredibly informative companion to the decision making process. It doesn't rank or rate specific gear, but rather discusses the ideas and ideals behind quality gear. It also spends a great deal of time explaining how misleading many of the terms and features of certain audio gear are to quality sound. It explains why some of the best amplifiers are the ones with the fewest knobs or features and how the listener should judge the gear when testing it out.

This book was released over 20 years ago when CDs were just about ready to replace vinyl and tapes as the preferred audio medium, so it spends a great deal of time discussing turntables. While vinyl has come back in vogue to a certain group of people, most people will find this information trivial at best. The truth is, though, that a properly set up turntable with clean vinyl still provides a superior audio experience - the problem is setting up a turntable can be a real nightmare.

The book has a great deal of relevant info regarding receivers/amplifiers, cd players, and speakers. It dispels many of the myths regarding popular speaker designs and renders their concepts completely irrelevant. It also points out why equalizers and other gee-whiz features do more to cover up the audio than make it sound better. While I was hesitant to believe much of this at first, it was proven right almost every single time.

While I generally have disdain for most audiophiles for their snobbery, I have the utmost respect for this book's attitude. It tries to show that respecting and enjoying a good stereo isn't outside the realm of the average joe... a good system costs far less than you think. It is a little outdated, but it's still a very valuable and accessible read with plenty of great information and useful concepts. If you can find a copy (it took me a few years to find one), it's well worth the money.