Acoustics FAQ
What is sound? What is a decibel? How does the ear work? These questions and much more answered in this detailed text document.

Research In The Hearing Sciences, UC Berkeley
Auditory Perception Lab, Center for New Music & Audio Technologies, Auditory Physiology, Hearing and Acoustics resources.

House Ear Institute
“engaged in an exploration of the auditory system from the ear canal through the inner ear and into the cortex of the brain...improve hearing aids, auditory implants and develop innovative treatments and intervention methods.”

EWALD
“Exciting World of Acoustical Links from Denmark”

Tubes Vs. Transistors
Is there an audible difference between tube sound and transistor sound?

Tapered Quarter Wave Tube (TQWT)
An elegant loudspeaker design. A friend made something similar to these using the Fostex FE83E driver. A single full-range driver with no crossover provides a smooth uncolored sound quality. Light on the bass, but wonderful reproduction of voice and acoustical instruments. Also known as a Voight pipe, non-folded versions can be seen here and here.

The Sound Well
Berkeley's oldest stereo store, specializing in refurbished components.

Making Wind Chimes
Directions and Formula's for making wind chimes out of solid cylinders or tubes of metal.

Experimental Musical Instruments
“For the design, construction and enjoyment of unusual musical instruments or sound sources...”

HeadRoom
“obsessed headphone geeks at your service” -- retailer of Headphones and manufacturer of headphone amplifiers.

Preventing Hearing Damage When Listening With Headphones
"...the risk of hearing damage from headphones is higher than with loudspeakers, even at comparable volumes, due to the close coupling of the transducers to the ears."

Noise & Hearing Protection FAQ
How to prevent your hearing from being damaged by loud noise, from the American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

Tinnitus FAQ
Information about "ringing ears and other head noises perceived in the absence of any external noise source"

H.E.A.R.
“..to educate the public on the dangers of excessive noise, and to provide adequate hearing protection for musicians and music fans.”

High Fidelity Earplugs
Flat attenuation, clear unmuffled sound quality. From Etymotic Research: ER-20 Hi-Fi Earplugs (ready-fit), and Musicians Earplugs (custom molded). Also see Hearos, Pacific Coast Laboratories, and Westone music products.

Animal Bioacoustics
Animal communication and associated behavior, sound production, auditory capacities and mechanisms, effects of human-made noise on animals

Whales Sounds
Gathered by Ocean Alliance (OA) during the voyage of the Odyssey. OA has recorded songs from humpback populations throughout the world, their whale song library contains the largest collection of humpback recordings, more than 6,000 hours of sounds. Some cd's are available.

Oceans of Noise
“Today the seas are a far noisier place than they were a few decades ago. There is increasing concern amongst scientists and conservationists that noise pollution poses a significant, and at worst, lethal threat to whales and dolphins and other marine wildlife.” From the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, includes link to a 165 page research paper. Also see this article about Human Noise and Whale Song, “interfering with the love chat line, acoustic pollution...could make it more difficult for whales to find each other...”