A good dB sound meter for HiFi purpose?

Hi-Fi Corner
1

If anyone has one to recommend, I would be grateful. :loud_sound:

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If it is just to check sound levels during listening (to protect ears from excessive levels) then the mic on your phone/tablet in conjunction with a SPL app (often free) should be good enough.

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I have 2 different ones i use for free on the iphone. They seem to be consistent and work well.

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Indeed. I currently use ‘dB X’. Works well.

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If you want accuracy you’ll need a proper, calibrated, meter. B&K used to be the big nane, but lots of others these days. Otherwise there are free phone apps - see this thread for some info on phone apps and things to be aware of in taking readings:

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We used to use a basic Radio Shack meter for setting up levels on multi-channel surround systems, but these days I guess an app and a smartphone is all you need.

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Hi Yoda, if you want to correlate Db output to frequency in your room let the paranoia begin :face_with_head_bandage: ATB Peter

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Looks like I’ve got a slightly more recent version:

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(No, that’s not where I put it when I’m checking my levels!)

I’ve had this about 15 years and can’t fault it. No idea how good the phone apps are - has anyone tried checking them against a calibrated meter?

Mark

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Depends on app and phone, and it differs. IIRC someone checked against a calibrated meter in the thread that IB linked a few posts up

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Thanks for all the answers in here! Downloaded the “dB X” app and it seems to work really well. The graph here shows a small report from Dire Strait’s “Money for Nothing” via Tidal HiFi. But then it is not a big profit to get a conventional sound meter? Maybe it’s just money for nothing? :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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Had this for years and always reliable I didn’t buy the extras this one was free. :+1:t2:

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Just for fun, I used the dBx app on my smartphone to register the loudness of my partners farts.
I got one up to 102 dB.
That’s enough to wake up the neighbours.
I got another at 116 dB.
That’s enough to wake up the dead. :grinning:

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Why do farts smell?

So that deaf people can appreciate them

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Downloaded ‘SPL Meter’ and ‘Decibels’, both have very similar readings/levels on the same music choice…whether they are both right or wrong, not sure, however at least consistent.

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On the same phone, different apps will often have the same reading, but the sensitivity of the microphone is not the same between different phones. Many apps have a calibration setting for this (+/- x), but that’s not helpful if you don’t have a reference to calibrate against :slight_smile: One crude way is to compare the reading to the noise levels in the usual dB tables, such as “normal conversation = x dB, traffic = y dB”

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What distance from source? It’s a bit meaningless without that info!

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I used to have a pro level SPL meter but had to give it back when I retired.
During the time I had it I compared the reading between it & my ‘Radio Shack’ meter
The numbers matched reasonably well in the upper low to mid range, +2dB out the 2000Hz to 10000Hz range, but the LF range was well out.
My correction table has 20Hz +7.5, 25Hz +5, 31.5Hz +3, 40Hz +2.5, 50Hz +1.5, 63Hz +1.5, 80Hz +1.5, 100Hz +2, 125Hz +0.5

I would be concerned the phone & tablet apps will have the same problem.
.

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Radioshack meter here. Tested it last month and it’s working fine. I bought it about 20 years ago.

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19

How exactly did you test it?

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and should you use A or C weighting?