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Re: Re. R.S. SPL meter and Clayton Oxendine

199.165.165.65

Posted by Rob Doorack on May 7, 1999 at 09:21:24

In Reply to: Re. R.S. SPL meter and Clayton Oxendine posted by T. Buns on May 6, 1999 at 10:37:52:

One of the great myths of the audio hobby is that the cheap RS meter can be used with a test CD as a substitute for a spectrum analyzer. The RS meter is fine for what it is - a modest gadget for measuring broad band sound levels - and I used one for years in my days as a roadie and live sound mixer, but a precision instrument it isn't. I have a frequency response chart for the meter obtained from Radio Shack a few years ago by a contributor to the "Analogue Addicts" internet mailing list. The chart, made by an Audio Precision test instrument, shows the meter's response from 100 Hertz to 20K Hertz. In "C" weighting mode the meter is reasonably flat only from 100 Hertz to 1K Hertz. Above that point the chart looks like a picture of the Himalayas. It has +5 dB peak at 2.5K Hertz and a +12.5 dB peak at 6K Hertz. A gigantic spike between 7.5K and 8.5K Hertz is so large that it runs completely off the +20dB limit of the chart! After this, the response plot dives to about -3dB at 10K Hertz, then zooms back up to above +10 dB and stays there. Comparisons with an Audio Control SA3050 indicated that the RS meter may be off by as much as -14 dB at 80 Hz.

There really isn't any reason now why anyone should need to resort to the crude RS meter and test CD method to measure their speakers. There are several software packages available that convert a PC and its soundcard into a spectrum analyzer. These range from a freeware program available on AOL to the very powerful ETF package which costs $200. There are also reasonably priced spectrum analyzers in the pro sound world. Markertek sells the DOD 1/3 octave RTA for $320, complete with microphone.

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Schiit Audio

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