The need for a general collection of electroacoustical reference and
design data in graphical form has been felt by acousticians and
engineers for some time. This type of data can otherwise only be found
in a collection of handbooks. Therefore, it is the author's intention
that this book serve as a single source for many electroacoustical
reference and system design requirements. In form, the volume closely
resembles Frank Massa's Acoustic Design Charts, a handy book dating from
1942 that has long been out of print. The basic format of Massa's book
has been followed here: For each entry, graphical data are presented on
the right page, while text, examples, and refer- ences appear on the
left page. In this manner, the user can solve a given problem without
thumbing from one page to the next. All graphs and charts have been
scaled for ease in data entry and reading. The book is divided into the
following sections: A. General Acoustical Relationships. This section
covers the behavior of sound transmis- sion in reverberant and free
fields, sound absorption and diffraction, and directional characteris-
tics of basic sound radiators. B. Loudspeakers. Loudspeakers are
discussed in terms of basic relationships regarding cone excursion,
sensitivity, efficiency, and directivity index, power ratings, and
architectural layout. c. Microphones. The topics in this section include
microphone sensitivity and noise rating, analysis of directional
properties, stereo microphone array characteristics, proximity effects,
and boundary conditions. D. Signal Transmission.
