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Decibel meter

  • 1.  Decibel meter

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-22-2019 09:37
    Greetings,

    I have a hand held decibel meter that I would like to give away if someone is interested.  I bought it at Radio Shack a few years ago, The price was in the neighborhood of $25.  

    If anyone wants it I can send it to you for the price of shipping.  Its' small so the cost of shipping would be low.

    David Weiss

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    David Weiss
    Charlottesville VA
    434-823-9733
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  • 2.  RE: Decibel meter

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-22-2019 09:59
    Someone got back to me and wants the decibel meter so it is no longer available.

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    David Weiss
    Charlottesville VA
    434-823-9733
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Decibel meter

    Posted 04-22-2019 10:08
    Go to the app store for many choices.

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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Decibel meter

    Posted 04-22-2019 10:41
    I have one on my iphone.

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@pianocapecod.com
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Decibel meter

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-22-2019 10:55
    Yes I know, but I am trying to avoid sending it to a landfill.

    Sent from my iPhone



    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Decibel meter

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-22-2019 11:36
    I like my dumb phone. Yes, I'd like to get a decibel meter.

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    Susan Kline
    Philomath, Oregon
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Decibel meter

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-22-2019 20:46
    The Radio Shack decibel meter was an outstanding device. I wish I owned one. The problem with all but a teeny tiny few of the db meter apps available for your phone is they are Average readings. What we are interested in, in protecting our ears for example, is Peak readings. The Radio Shack meter did both average AND peaks. If anyone here finds a decent phone db meter app that will display peak readings please post. Interested in both Android and iPhone apps.

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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Decibel meter

    Posted 04-23-2019 11:07
    Suggested apps:

    The Center for Disease Control has tested decibel meter apps. Based on their first study (2014), I bought SPLnFFT. SoundMeter Basic 2018 (apparently the latest updated version] was the other top choice but costlier.

    In an updated study, four apps (SoundMeter, SPLnFFT, SPL Pro, and NoiSee) were tested with two mics (MicW i436 and Dayton Audio iMM-6 ). Links to the four apps:

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/soundmeter-basic-2018/id1457367090?mt=8

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/splnfft-noise-meter/id355396114

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audiotools/id325307477?mt=8

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/noisee/id549239949

    The updated study:

    https://asa.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1121/1.4964639

    "Although the study is limited in scope, and smartphone apps are still unlikely to replace professional instruments or comply with applicable ANSI or IEC standards in the near future, the results of this study indicate that, due to the advancements made in app design and external microphones availability, the gap between professional instruments and smartphone-based apps is rapidly narrowing."

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003682X17309945?via%3Dihub

    The CDC is behind the development of the NIOSH Sound Level Meter, which is free for iOS. The developer is EA LAB, which also developed NoiSee. 

    CDC - Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention - NIOSH Sound Level Meter App - NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic
    https://asa.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1121/1.4964639

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    David Bauguess
    Grand Junction CO
    970-257-1750
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Decibel meter

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-23-2019 13:21
    Thanks, David. I installed the Niosh meter and it appears to be doing the job very well. 

    Android users might be interested in this one. Comparing it to the results from Niosh, the readouts are close enough. 

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.melon.sound_meter 

    For me it's a matter of knowing what my ears are being exposed to. Plus or minus a couple db, peak, is close enough. I wear foam ear plugs, (Hearos), that are supposed to reduce my exposure by 32 db.

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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Decibel meter

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-23-2019 15:32
    I first got the decibel meter because I wanted to quantify what my piano tuning noise exposure was.   I used the meter in many different tuning situations, and eventually  decided not to tune with ear protection.  I found that 90% of the time I am not exposing myself to dangerous levers of noise.  I carry ear plugs, but I only put them in on rare occasions.  

    A sort of crazy concept is that you can sometimes cause damage to your ears by over protecting them.  I know, hard to believe, but  
    look up hyperacusis.  

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis

    Noise related hearing loss is complex.  Why do some famous rock stars have no hearing loss, and others are deaf? 

    An interesting thing about piano tuning noise is that there is a loud sound followed by a brief silence.  Most research on the topic looks at continuous noise. 


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    David Weiss
    Charlottesville VA
    434-823-9733
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Decibel meter

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-23-2019 19:20
    As Mr. Sykes mentioned in another thread hyperacusis is not the only concern with repeated exposure to intermittent loud noise. TTTS or tonic tensor tympani syndrome can result from hearing sudden loud noises repeatedly. I wear the cheapest least protective earplugs I can get (ear planes) and they keep me from feeling that my ears are stuffed up while letting me still tune by ear. I've had my hearing checked and it apparently hasn't changed in the last thirty years or so. TTTS  however can make my ears feel like I'm hearing less even though empirically I'm not. It's very disconcerting and not just a little frightening though not nearly as frightening as having ones hearing checked for the first time in thirty years. As with most things human related each individual needs to find what works best for them.

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    Karl Roeder
    Pompano Beach FL
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Decibel meter

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-25-2019 01:01
    I have been working with an earplug company to develop a product
    specifically for piano tuners, and have been compiling data as well
    as testing various premium sets. One thing I have found out is that
    many cell phone manufacturers set a decibel cap at 90dB. So getting
    an app may only be good up to that level. They also need to be
    calibrated and when installed may have significant deviation. 

    I have one of the analog Radio Shack meters, and they are good, 
    but it is hard to track what's being detected without a digital tracker.
    I also have an Agfa unit that is nearly equal to the RS and it keeps
    track of what the highest readings are. So far I have found peaks
    at around 123dB. 85 is considered harmful. Spinets, consoles and
    petite grands read surprisingly high.

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    Dave Conte
    Owner
    North Richland Hills TX
    817-581-7321
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    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Decibel meter

    Member
    Posted 04-25-2019 01:23
    Hearing issues are something we all should be concerned about since it is such an important element in our profession. Some loss is sudden, some gradual, some can be caused by medicines. If you do any type of woodworking using saws, routers, planers, sanders you need good hearing protection. I believe the higher the db rating on a hearing protection device the better and some of the things sold for hearing protection are next to useless. There are noise cancellation devices but again some are next to useless. Tracking down noises in pianos is often difficult but Ii have a set of electronic stethescopes that do an amazing job. However I am actually quite good at finding noises if I listen very closely and am focused. I would be interested in testing any device that would be specific to piano techs...

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    James Kelly
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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    Original Message