Best dB-Meter?

[The_T]

Which is the best dB-meter?

I have a couple on my phone, for e.g. "Noise Meter" and "Sound Meter" of which I think "Noise Meter" is the best. "Sound Meter" seems to be a little bit wrong calibrated. But I lack a possibility to store sound-logs for longer periods and when the cell phone screen is turned off. This could be useful. It could tell how loud your day has been without having to look at the phone all the time. This could be used to determinate which periods of your day you are most at risk, and help you change your routine for that period. It could also register sound peaks and sudden high noises which is hard to be prepared for.

Does it exist a dB-meter who can register sound-logs over a long period?

 

[Steve721]

I suggest you do a search on Amazon for "db meter record"; there appear to be several meters that will record a log of db measurements, but they tend to be on the expensive side. For example:

http://www.amazon.com/Reed-Instrume...id=1441989708&sr=8-1&keywords=db+meter+record

 

[The_T]

Thank you for the link.

Yes, it was expensive, and also quite large. I had hoped for a better solution. Although it did get good rates.

 

[Golly]

I usually use Sound Meter; but I agree that it seems to give different results from Noise Meter (at least at baseline), suggesting that (at least) one of these apps is inaccurate. If you are seeking a different app, perhaps check out this write-up/review:

http://www.healthyhearing.com/report/47805-The-best-phone-apps-to-measure-noise-levels

-Golly

 

[Steve721]

I usually use Sound Meter; but I agree that it seems to give different results from Noise Meter (at least at baseline), suggesting that (at least) one of these apps is inaccurate. If you are seeking a different app, perhaps check out this write-up/review:

http://www.healthyhearing.com/report/47805-The-best-phone-apps-to-measure-noise-levels

-Golly

FYI, I have the first app that is described in this link (dB Volume Meter) on my iPhone 6. Compared to a well reviewed stand-alone db meter that I purchased on Amazon, the iPhone app is grossly inaccurate--the db levels on the iPhone app are as much as 20db lower than the db shown on my stand-alone meter.

 

[Golly]

FYI, I have the first app that is described in this link (dB Volume Meter) on my iPhone 6. Compared to a well reviewed stand-alone db meter that I purchased on Amazon, the iPhone app is grossly inaccurate--the db levels on the iPhone app are as much as 20db lower than the db shown on my stand-alone meter.

Are the errors uniform across the db scale; or only within certain ranges? -G

 

[Steve721]

Are the errors uniform across the db scale; or only within certain ranges? -G

I haven't checked the entire scale, but in the range that I'm most concerned about (sounds above 80db), the iPhone app consistently shows a db level that is around 20db less than my stand-alone meter.

 

[Golly]

Here is a study as to how effective these apps are:

http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2014/04/09/sound-apps/

This study examines Sound Meter and Noise Meter:

http://chr-search.com/pdf/accuracy.pdf

-G

 

[ChrisJ]

I just tried dB Volume and Decibel 10th for iPhone 6 and they are about 8 dB apart with Decibel 10 giving me a reading of 35dB and dB Volume about 43Db.