Question
What sound level meter applications for iPhone do you recommend?
Answer
There are a variety of iPhone sound level meter applications available through iTunes such as SPL Meter, Decibel Meter and SoundLevel Pro. I haven't personally tested them myself, so I can't make specific recommendations. Some of the apps let you calibrate them with a traditional sound level meter to ensure accuracy, the idea being that you can then use your iPhone as a portable "in a pinch" sound level meter, or as an extra, etc. If you have an iPhone, considering the low cost of the apps (anywhere from free to $1.99) I would recommend that you download them, calibrate, and then do some testing to compare the results with a traditional sound level meter. According to some of the reviews these apps are "in the ballpark" but if I were you I'd test them myself to find out.
This Ask the Expert was based on Dr. Fligor's course, Music-Induced Hearing Loss: Risk and Prevention for Musicians and Music Consumers that can be viewed in the AudiologyOnline library: www.audiologyonline.com/ceus/recordedcoursedetails.asp?class_id=13989
Brian Fligor, ScD, is the Director of Diagnostic Audiology at Children's Hospital Boston and Instructor in the Department of Otology and Laryngology at Harvard Medical School. His primary research interests are investigating causes of acquired hearing loss from ototoxicity and noise, particularly in the pediatric population. Dr. Fligor's work on potential for noise-induced hearing loss from using portable media players with headphones has received considerable popular media attention, including being spoofed on David Letterman's show in 2005.
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