Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions best SPL meter

Since Radio Shack discontinued their analog SPL meter, anyone have any suggestions for a suitable replacement? There is a Pyle-brand on Amazon for around $60. Aperion sells one (analog) or only $29. But I don't know anything about these. Any help would be appreciated.

Since you own a receiver that can auto calibrate your system the SPL meter doesn't really add much. The Aperion would be fine as well you can get an SPL meter application for the Apple cell phone or ipad if you have on. That would be fine for basic calibration of speakers (not subwoofers) or checking loudness levels.

It looks like RS still carries the digital display model which I have. I guess I'm not sure why an analog meter is necessary.

I'm happy with the digital radio shack meter.

the analog model is still sold here:
http://www.sonicboomaudio.com/rs-analog-spl-meter-p-18.html

That's weird. When I click on the link, I see the meter for a fraction of a second, then it's blanked out by the background color. All I see is a big square of dark bluish grey.

I'm using IE 9.0.3.

It's showing fine here...

agentfox, if you really mean "best", then those meters costing less than 100$ will not get you what you want.

some meters cost hundreds or thousands, all depending upon your needs.

here's a SPL meter that you might be interested in and is quite different than what we usually see; it all depends on what the use will be:
http://www.noisemeters.ca/product/pulsar33.asp


this site has a variety of noise meters, including some low cost ones.

If I could afford 6 to 8 thousand dollars for a sound meter, I probably wouldn't be frequenting the Axiom Audio site.

Snob.

Take your 3D glasses off. Its a bluish grey square.

Right catbrat, you'd likely pay someone to do your posting for you!

thanks for all the replies. My comment about the "best" really meant best for the type of money the RS Analog cost. I'm just kinda interested in monitoring the SPL of my speakers for optimum output. I did the MCACC, but the more I read, it seems out of whack. For example, on the Hsu site for my subwoof, it states to have the AVR set at 0db for that channel and use the sub's volume to control output. The SC-55 set the sub channel at -11.5db. I know it's all about "what sounds good to you", but how do you know what will sound good or better or worse if you don't have a baseline to work from. It seems a SPL can help level things out across the image, which I guess the MCACC is really doing. It's an SPL of sorts. BTW, the Hsu came with a test disk that is pretty good. It even has various white and pink noises. If anyone wants a copy, drop me a PM and I'll see what I can do.

Turn the gain knob on the back of your subwoofer up and re-run MCACC. That will raise the subwoofer pre-out level on the avr after MCACC is ran again.. Continue to do this until it reads a value between -3 to 0.

I want to properly "tune" my system once I get the room done, but I too was wondering about SPL meters as well as how important they are compared to MCACC (which I've used in the past) or Audyssey... I know that MCACC and Audyssey are doing a lot of different things than a SPL meter, but you know what I mean...

Is anyone here still using Room EQ Wizard to tune their system? I don't remember anyone ever saying they tried the 5 release. I still haven't used it myself, but I plan to dabble when I finally get my system in the basement.

BlueJays, if I increase the gain as you call it (I'm assuming you mean volume), that will make the sub louder. Won't that lower the db gain on the AVR because I could over power the other speakers? -11db is less loud than 0 db, right? Every 3db loss is half the power, at least in log math.

Sorry. Yeah, turn the gain/volume down on the sub. That will in turn raise the subwoofer pre-out level on the receiver and MCACC will continue to give you a closer reading approaching 0. Really, the numbers are arbitrary but what one thing you want to avoid is running the subwoofer pre-out at either extreme or "hot" like at a +4 and beyond.

Mark, the "best" for the RS type of money is the RS, i.e., the digital model. It's what I use for comparing sound levels at various points during listening to music and has a clear advantage over the analog model(when available)in measuring max sound levels both short term and long term. I don't use the meter for calibrating levels, since there's no good reason to believe that the RS SPL meter is more accurate than those used in Audyssey, MCACC, YPAO, etc.

Don't follow the "out of whack" comment. As was said above, the low setting on the sub channel indicates that the level control on the back of the sub should be set lower for the auto-calibration. Any of these auto-calibration systems should, if anything, be more accurate than a manual calibration which has the added element of human error.

When I find some spare time I want to run REW and see how different the readings are from the new place to my old house.

i think that the first and foremost reason a calibration done with Audyssey or MCACC or whatever is the fact that when the calibration is actually done, there is no one in the room to make additional reflections and holding the SPL meter in the hand; this can make quite a difference in the resulting sound.

Huh?

What happens if I actually want to sit *in* the room after calibrating in this manner, you are suggesting what I'll be hearing is something other than what the auto calibrate adjusted for?

I never could get REW to work with my setup. The best I could get is a loud humm.

Rick, your system should be enjoyed ONLY when you're standing by the pool.

right, changes in the room do change the acoustics.
holding a spl meter in the hand can only give rough, or approximate readings;
if one wants to make good calibrations, then one can't hold a meter in the hand, because our body both absorbs sound and creates reflections; and also because low cost SPL meter are not precision instruments, they only give relative readings.

if i was to stay in the av room while calibration is going on, i would crouch down behind the couch and make no noise and i would not move either;
if you stand up in the room, this could easily skew the calibration because you create reflections of the sound waves at many different frequencies and different position, depending on which speaker is being calibrated at a specific moment.

of course, if you were to sit in your MLP during calibration, that would be best, but then where would you put the mic, when it must be put right at the MLP, i.e. in between where your ears are supposed to be?

the MLP is the only spot where you could be during calibration without creating disturbances and where the calibr. would be best, but one cannot do that for obvious reasons.

so, the best thing to do is to leave the room (stand just behind the door opening) while calibration is going on and use the remote control to start the each part of the calibration.

if you'd like to be a perfectionist, position a couple of pillows on the chair, at the spot where you usually sit; position the mic halfway between where your ears would be, leave the room and start calibrating.

please read section VI on this page:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14456895#post14456895

Pillows would work to replace me, but what if I had a rock-hard body like Grunt after a workout?

Grunt, you will now be replaced by a bag of rocks.

MarkSJohnson, I just have to tell you I love the ultraman avitar. I bought the entire series on DVD not long ago. What childhood memories. Where's my beta capsule when I need it?

I bought the series as well, as Amazon had it for dirt cheap.

Unfortunately it, like almost every other series I've ever bought, sits on a shelf having never been watched. (I watched a few episodes on the first disc, but never got back to it!).

Someday, I'll have time....

Rick, the major problem is the absorbent effect of clothing. If you insist on being in the room during the auto calibration/room equalization measurements, you should be totally nude.

OK, but can we get that in writing for when we bring girls into the theater room?

::knock-knock::
"Who is it?" asked Roxanne.
"It's the Home Theater Installer Man"
Boom Chicken-Cow-Cow,
Boom Chicken-Cow-Cow....

I want an analog one that has a built in speaker to make Geiger counter noises when you press a hidden button. Of course when the noise is made, the needle would naturally show higher, adding to the effect.

So many useful applications.

You would have to accept responsibility for cleaning the mess on the floor.

Still, though.....Good Times!