SPL METER? ATI OR RADIO SHACK

If you're seriously interested in your room's acoustics I'd suggest that you invest in a copy of the awesomely powerful ETF 5 acoustic measurement software. It runs on any Windows PC with a duplex sound card. ETF can do frequency response measurements of your speakers down to 1/12 octave divisions, MLS measurements, RT60 measurements, and a lot more. Like those cool waterfall plots in Stereophile's speaker tests? ETF can do those too. You can use the RS SPL meter as a microphone and the author of ETF can supply a correction file to offset the RS meter's known inaccuracies. For only $150 ETF 5 is a steal.

Is there any reason to buy the old version (33-2050) off eBay when Radio Shack now offers this new analog model:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103668&cp=2032057.2032187.2032193.2032222&parentPage=family

Also, Nady has a current model that looks identical to the old RS version:

http://www.nady.com/products/product_pgs/SPLmeters_pg2.html

and can be had for $35 new. Has anyone used this one and is it interchangeable with the RS 33-2050?

So many choices...

David

avid, you're right, the Nady looks identical to the old RS model. Who knows, maybe Nady supplied the old model to RS.

The question maybe you should ask RS, is whether this new analog is better in any way than the old one. They are both seven range units for instance, but perhaps the new one doesn't have to be corrected like the old one? Maybe you could find out and let us know.

Otherwise, it seems to have all the features of the old one. (And for a mere $39.95 and a 90 day warranty, you can't go wrong.) The tripod mount is very handy to keep your body away from the unit during tests. You can simply turn the unit on its side on the tripod head, and it's easy to read the meter from 3 or 4 feet away.

Eldartford is right. I have had the RS meter and the Rives cd designed for use with it for years. A real time analyzer is the only real solution, but you need at least a 1/3 octave unit. Also be prepared to see how disastrous you response is.

Tbg...FWIW, the DEQ2496 RTA is 1/6 octave. The graphic equalizer is also 1/6 octave, and there is also capability to do parametric equalization if that turns you on.