Which SPL meter is worth buying?

[drakan]

Of the choices we have for sound level meters which one deserves my money. The Galaxy CM-140 looks great.
But wouldn't it perform just as well as a Radioshack SPL meter with a calibration file? It does cost about twice the Radioshack.

What about this one?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92282

It costs half as much and seems to be almost exactly the same as the old Radioshack meter.

Which one is worth my hard earned money?

[brucek]

The Radio Shack meter is not suitable for full range measurements. The Galaxy CM-140 is certainly your best bet. They're quite consistent between units.

brucek

[drakan]

Should I be taking full range measurements? Is the RS meter a better buy I one is just calibrating a sub?

[tonyvdb]

No matter how you slice it the CM140 is an all around better db meter. It is a fair bit more accurate that even the digital RS meter.

[Guiria]

It really depends on your intentions. I've been perfectly happy with my digital RS meter but I use it to check channel levels and some sub measurements.

If you aren't using a receiver that has an auto-setup, an SPL meter is a must to get your channel levels adjusted correctly.

IMO, if you have the funds buy the nicer one but if you don't the RS meter is a good compromise.

[soundsgreat]

Hi,

Am a passive member of this site from some time ! I just visited back today and saw this post !

So what do you folks say about this meter !

http://larsondavis.com/Model831.htm

Regards.

[brucek]

Looks very expensive and a bit of overkill to make a simple room measurement for home theater. The Galaxy CM-140 is a reasonably priced SPL meter that we recommend.

brucek