The NIOSH app also lets you run an analysis over time and generate a report, so I clicked the “run” icon on the lower left to gather more data. The reading varied a lot, and this app still showed a lower decibel level than the BASX meter, which registered at 38.2 dBA. In the second example, I’ve switched the NIOSH app to use C-weighted decibels with a “fast” response time. A few tweaks to the default calibration or threshold settings might change the results. Normal room noise in my home is typically around 35 decibels, so the 23.5 dBA reading in the NIOSH app seems rather low. In this example, my NIOSH app was set to “slow.”Ĭuriously, I think the hand-held meter in this photo might be more accurate than the NIOSH app on the smartphone. This is a complex app with a number of settings that enable you to calibrate it manually, set a threshold level (in this case, the threshold was set to “80”), use a frequency weighting of A, C, or Z, and choose a slow or fast time weighting. In this first example, I placed the handheld BASX meter next to a smartphone running the free NIOSH Sound Level Meter. But it’s an easy, entry-level way to get a quick dBA reading at the press of a button. This model doesn’t offer a lot of settings or features and it doesn’t offer C-weighted measurements. Price-wise, it’s on the low end of the spectrum (~ $20 USD). For example, the BAFX 3370 decibel reader in the images below measures A-weighted decibels (dBA) in a range from 30-130 dBA. Whether you use a decibel app on your smartphone or a hand-held device, the settings can also produce different results. Readily available apps such as the NIOSH Sound Level Meter, Decibel Meter, and SPL Meter give you the ability to choose between A and C-weighted decibels. When you use C-weighted decibels, they include the lower frequencies that get cut off by A-weighted measurements. You can also measure C-weighted decibels (dBC). The good news: A-weighted decibels are not your only option. These low frequencies might not get measured accurately if they focus on A-weighted decibels alone. This includes rumbling that might be caused by a toddler thumping across uncarpeted hardwood floors, or by construction equipment, motorcycles, leaf blowers, jackhammers, and garbage trucks, to name a few. Erica Walker explained in an interview with Soundproofist, it’s often the low frequencies that really bother people and cause stress. In many applications, this is perfectly fine. An A-weighted measurement cuts off the extreme high and low frequencies, measuring the typical frequencies that humans can hear. Typically, noise-measuring tools use A-weighted decibels, or dBA. Your results might depend on your tools and settings. If you try to measure the decibel level of a noise and get unexpected results, you’re not alone. Why a noise might seem louder than its decibel reading
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