Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Quick Advice needed on SPL meter.

My wife just called on the cell phone, she is out shopping for a late birthday present for me. I told her to get me an SPL Meter from Radio Shack.

They have the 7 range Analog for $39
and a Digital version for $49

Which one should I get?

Any help would be appreciated...

Randy

Most people like the analog version.That's what I have and it does a great job.

I have seen very few people recommend the digital ones. The analog one works very well.

The analog is usually prefrred because the needle is not quite as "jumpy " as the digital.

Get what you like. I have both and use the digital.

Oh yeah, happy late birthday.

Thanks Guys, I just called her back and she didn't have time to get to the Shack tonight, so I still have some time to think about it....

Is it just as easy to read the Analog one, and determine what reading your getting, or would the digital one be more accurate?

As far as the B'day, yeah, I thought about starting a thread like Peter did, but heck why should I broadcast that I am 38 and my 20th reunion is just around the corner, e-gads, it sure does not seem that long...

Thanks for the advice.

I'd get the digital. That's what I have. You can set it for weighted average either slow or fast, so there is no 'jumping' on the slow setting. It also has peak memory and a fee other pretty trick options. Plus, it's digital man. Cool.....

Randy, the analog is "warmer". A belated happy birthday.

They are equally accurate (or inaccurate, depending on how you look at it). The controversy seems to be over a bouncing needle (analog) allegedly being easier to read than a changing digital readout. I don't quite understand this since, when calibrating with Avia or DVE, the readout, either digital or analog, goes to it's reading and stays there. It doesn't bounce. With the digital, occasionally, I get a reading (subwoofer) that moves back and forth between two consecutive numbers (74, then 75, then 74, then 75, etc.) so I just take the higher of the two. If you were using the analog, then it's needle would be vacillating as well.

On the digital meter the scale runs from -10dB to +10dB. In other words, if you have the meter set to 70dB, the meter shows readings from 60dB to 80dB. On the analog the scale only runs from -10dB to +6 dB. This means less switching of the scale on the meter when taking readings.

I mount my meter on a tripod, and in order to get an accurate reading you need to position yourself far enough from the meter that you own body neither absorbs or reflects the signal from the speakers thereby having no effect whatsoever on the reading. I find the nice big digital readout easier to read from a distance than the small scale on the analog. YMMV.

The less expensive analog will do the job just fine. No need to spend more for the digital, unless you want the features it provides. I prefer the digital.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RANDY!