G. Randy Slone - The Audiophile’s Project Sourcebook: 80 High-Performance Audio Electronics Projects

THE AUDIOPHILES PROJECT SOURCEBOOK

G. Randy Slone

Copyright 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-170622-3

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The Audiophiles Project Sourcebook is intended for electronics hobbyists and audiophiles who enjoy constructing their own high-end audio equipment, and who also desire a more complete understanding of the fundamentals involved with audio design. In addition, the information contained in this book will equip audio enthusiasts with the practical knowledge for experimentation and modifications to existing audio equipment, as well as clarifying issues of application compatibility.

A well-rounded variety of domestic and professional audio projects is provided, including preamplifiers, filter circuits, headphone amplifiers, power amplifiers, effects circuits, power supplies, protection circuits, and display circuits. For the most part, these projects represent the state of the art in performance capabilities, and will exceed the performance parameters of most commercially available equipment. In addition to the complete schematics and technical descriptions, I have provided the PC board artwork and layout illustrations for many of the more complex designs.

I have assumed that the reader is experienced in the fundamentals of electronics and electronic construction, but I have made few assumptions regarding the readers expertise relating specifically to audio electronics. Appendix A provides a reasonably exhaustive clarification of audio electronics terms and modern buzz words as a further barrier against confusion.

The Audiophiles Project Sourcebook is for hobbyists and audio-philes who have been discouraged by the apparent schism between audio professionals and extravagant esoterics. It is designed to help anyone experience the ultimate in sonic quality at a reasonable expense. The concepts and principles presented are not subjective, mythical, or traditional; they are scientific and extensively supported with provable analysis. Many readers will be pleasantly surprised at the low cost involved with even the best audio systems.

Above all, I have directed this book toward people who want to experience the fun, satisfaction, and fulfillment of superb and practical electronic projects (not to mention the significant cost savings). This text is not infested with watered-down demonstration or educational projectsit is a sourcebook of impressive, high-performance designs that lend legitimacy to the readers construction efforts. I sincerely hope that many will enjoy it and benefit from it.

As a Christian, my first and foremost expression of appreciation belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who keeps me and assists me in all honorable and productive goals. Also along the personal vein, a special debt of gratitude goes out to my wife, Mary Ann, who somehow manages to provide me with great measures of understanding and encouragement, even though she seldom understands what the heck Im doing.

From the professional perspective, I am greatly indebted to my friend and associate at ZUS Audio, Russell Torlage, for his continual feedback and support of this project. A heartfelt thanks also goes out to Joe Koenig, Luis Alves, and the exemplary team at Electronics Workbench for their assistance in many problematic technical areas.

The heart of this book has been beating in audiophiles for the past four decades, so the majority of credit for this work really belongs to many pioneers, both past and present. Progress in the audio fields is effectively a group effort, with many excellent audio engineers and dedicated hobbyists deserving the majority of credit.