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recommendation of a sound level meter


I currently have a pair of Quad 988 loudspeakers, Thor Audio TP 60 monoblocks, Thor TP 2000 preamplifier and a
Cary 306/200 CD player. I am attempting to cure the
problem areas in my listening room. At this point I am not really sure what they are. It was recommended that I purchase a sound level meter to help me. Can anyone recommend a sound level meter besides Radio Shack that is
very accurate and reasonably cost effective. Thank you for any light that you can shed.
kjl
sean
6,231 posts
 
Digital read-outs make it harder to follow subtle changes due to the lack of resolution between scaling calibrations. It is also harder to follow various dynamic trends with a digital read-out. As far as i know, both the RS analogue and digital meters share very close circuitry and neither are very accurate to begin with as they are delivered in stock form. Sean
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shasta
155 posts
 
http://www.prosoundweb.com/studyhall/lastudyhall/slm/slm.shtml

A good article from the ProSound community.
quadophile's avatar
quadophile
418 posts
 
When I was in the market for a sound level meter I did some research on same and finally ended up getting the RS one. Not because with was the best but I had very little choice. Yes the next upgrade from RS is way too expensive to justify the cost for which it was going to be used. RS meter does the job well without putting a dent on your wallet.

I develeoped my own spread sheet ombining the RCA test disk that I own and the results I get are very much acceptable.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
sean...The RS meter digital resolution is one dB which is probably better than you can read with a needle. As I mentioned, the digital display includes a bargraph display which shows dynamics, and is (IMHO) easier to follow than a needle.
sean
6,231 posts
 
El: The analogue meter offers pretty reasonable scaling and can easily be "guesstimated" to within a .25 - .33 dB on a steady state tone. When trying to chart something, a broad but shallow dip or peak can be quite evident to the ear. With only a 1 dB resolution on the digital meter, it could easily go un-noticed.

Other than that, i guess you take your boat and i'll take mine. Either way, with a stock RS meter, we are both paddling against the tide : ) Sean
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