recommendation of a sound level meter

You can modify a RS analog meter to make it more accurate and extend the lf and hf responses. I've done it and it works great - and you probably won't need a more expensive spl meter.

See:

http://www.gti.net/wallin/rsmeter.htm

Octopus: the link that you provided to Eric Wallin's DIY Audio website is where i snagged many of the mods that i did to my meters. If i can remember correctly, i think that i posted this site "way back" when we were discussing the inaccuracy of the meters and the correction factors to use. As Eric mentions on his website though, just playing with the parts in the meter will only change the linearity of the circuitry. The way that the microphone element is mounted and the low quality of the element itself are what hamper the performance beyond that point. This is kind of like having great backbone components ( preamp, amp, speakers, etc... ) and trying to compensate for a horrid source component. Granted, just getting the electronics to the point of increased linearity is a BIG step up, but addressing the problems with the mic will get you the rest of the way there without that much more hassle or expense. Sean
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The Radio Shack analog meter has a jack on the side for an external mike. When I owned a TACT RCS I used to put the TACT's mike on a tripod at ear level and plug the mike into the RS meter. It worked pretty well. For the "once in a while" casual hobbyist, the $50 or so for the RS meter and mods is likely sufficient. For a reviewer or serious hobbyist changing speakers regularly, it may pay to invest in better gear.

Spend spend spend. IVIE 33, so cool you need gloves to hold it.

Wow. That was helpful.