Maplins Sound Meter

[pikeyboy]

Hi has anyone used the cheapo sound meters you can buy from maplins for 15 quid? and then been ok on a track day. I'm worried becasue they only have an accuracy of 3.5db which is more than a doubling of the sound level. I need to check the noise of my caterham before book a trackday.

[tigggger]

My friend bought one of these last week, tested it on my car and it gave 128db. We then tried a sound meter app on his iPhone which gave 99db.

One of them was spot on, do I need to say which

[pikeyboy]

tigggger said:

My friend bought one of these last week, tested it on my car and it gave 128db. We then tried a sound meter app on his iPhone which gave 99db.

One of them was spot on, do I need to say which

Yes please, I'm a dumb ass!

[Silvester21]

pikeyboy said:

tigggger said:

My friend bought one of these last week, tested it on my car and it gave 128db. We then tried a sound meter app on his iPhone which gave 99db.

One of them was spot on, do I need to say which

Yes please, I'm a dumb ass!

Its cool, i don't understand which is better either!

[spdpug98]

I bought this one when I was getting my car ready for its SVA test, at the time the company where offering the meter with a Calibration Certificate for the same price. I used it for all my sound tests and it was almost bang on with the VOSA tester’s meter

Link: http://www.digital-meters.com/products/Sound-Level...

[tigggger]

Sorry, thought it was obvious

The iphone gave the same readings as I've had at various tracks

The maplin one is currently residing in a bin

[drakart]

Was going to ask if your 'car' was a jumbo?? !!! 128 decibles is just a slight over read!!

[Chris71]

...it doesn't mean the track ones are always accurate or always measured in the right way either, but sadly they have the final say. I've had significantly different noise test results from allegedly identical tests at different circuits run by the same operator before, so if you're marginal then it doesn't matter how accurate your own noise test is, you're at the mercy of the scrutineers.

[drakart]

Chris71 said:

...it doesn't mean the track ones are always accurate or always measured in the right way either, but sadly they have the final say. I've had significantly different noise test results from allegedly identical tests at different circuits run by the same operator before, so if you're marginal then it doesn't matter how accurate your own noise test is, you're at the mercy of the scrutineers.

Fact

[pikeyboy]

tiggger said:

Sorry, thought it was obvious

The iphone gave the same readings as I've had at various tracks

The maplin one is currently residing in a bin

Thanks for that, If I'd have been awake I'd have realised that 128 db was off the scale loud.

Chris71 said:

...it doesn't mean the track ones are always accurate or always measured in the right way either, but sadly they have the final say. I've had significantly different noise test results from allegedly identical tests at different circuits run by the same operator before, so if you're marginal then it doesn't matter how accurate your own noise test is, you're at the mercy of the scrutineers.

This is so true.

[fast eddys]

Yes i have that digital meters one for testing exhausts i make one and it reads spot on with 2 MSV sites on my track car on a rig like the track ones. Recommended.

Eddy

Edited by fast eddys on Friday 23 April 23:22

[DM112233]

tigggger said:

My friend bought one of these last week, tested it on my car and it gave 128db.

the cheap Maplin one is no use as it only measures dBC, you need dBA which is what they measure at tracks.

[martin thomas]

The £35 Maplin jobbie is perfect. I've had mine for a year now and used it loads.


MT

[hendy]

tigggger said:

My friend bought one of these last week, tested it on my car and it gave 128db. We then tried a sound meter app on his iPhone which gave 99db.

One of them was spot on, do I need to say which

Do you know which iPhone app it was that was quite accurate?