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Decibel meter Accuracy


Natsuru

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Hey guys

I've been browsing various systems on youtube, and I've got a bit of a problem

A while back, I bought a very cheap (20$) decibel meter off of ebay.

Needless to say, I wasn't expecting accuracy, but I'm pretty sure this thing might be a complete piece of crap

I've been looking at videos with people using those Termlab meters, and the numbers they are hitting seem to be ridiculous

I could understand if it was just one guy with a meter not properly calbrated, but it seems like everyone is hitting ridiculously high numbers

For instance, I saw one video of a guy apparently hitting 149db using one of the cheaper Sundown 15"s (whatever model number that is)

Another video had some guy hitting in the 140s with Sony Xplodes

I'm running 2 15"s (Don't ask the brand, I don't want to get laughed at) on around 600W, and my cheap piece of crap meter claims that i'm hitting like 110db on test tones on basically any frequency, which makes me think it might be complete nonsense

To add to this, when I was running my Punch 55.2 on the same setup, it told me I was hitting essentially the same levels, even though you can clearly tell the system is almost twice as loud

So, is my meter completely crazy, and I don't completely suck at car audio, or are these videos inaccurate in the readings they are showing?

Either way, I have a feeling like my self esteem is about to kill itself...

2005 VW Jetta TDIStock headunit(2) Sundown Audio E-15s @ 35hzPower Acoustik BAMF 1250.2 (will be replaced with Cadence mono)GTMat 50mil Sound Dampener

http://natsurutech.blogspot.com/

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those videos are acurate, depends on box, its like an app on a phone, only goes up to like 97db or w.e

2007 Mazda 3 Sedan

Pioneer 80-prs
B2 Zero.7

2 15s 4inch coil psi recones temp til my subs are reconed
Focal P165-v15
Audison voce quattro

fully active


Only gonna get louder

146.1 at 38hz

138.x at 24hz

Build log
http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/191444-mazda-3-sedan-sql-build-audisonfocalb2aa/

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Im going to say your meter is shit. term labs never lie.... thats why they are so good at breaking people hah

PSN: Rcp_soundz

Good rule of thump is go by what fuse size is being used in these amps. The higher the more amperage it pulls, this is what I look at.

I'll stick a 300 amp fuse in a potato and sell it to you for $2k.

1991 Mazda 323VERY small build thread here: http://www.stevemead...23-small-build/

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So, it's possible that my car is much louder than this meter tells me?

Everything in may car seems to be flexing and shaking just as much as some of these people hitting 130+, so hopefully I can find a meter that doesn't suck and use it

Just out of curiousity, is 130db even loud?

2005 VW Jetta TDIStock headunit(2) Sundown Audio E-15s @ 35hzPower Acoustik BAMF 1250.2 (will be replaced with Cadence mono)GTMat 50mil Sound Dampener

http://natsurutech.blogspot.com/

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Loudness is all relative. Depends on who you ask if 130 dB is loud. Most on this forum will say NO, but someone like my mother or father would say HELL YES. All cars meter differently and all cars have different peak frequencies. If you are really curious what your car hits, get it metered on a properly set up TermLab. It will be all guesses and Ear-O-Meter until then.

Im not the one you want to try to troll. Just a fyi for you.

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To the Sony X-ploed´s, SMD-Member Fecupe hit over 150 with 1 or 2 15´s and Big Oki get German Championship with X-ploed´s. dB´zzz have more to do what did you do

with the enclosure and the car, to get loud.

Secondly, if you can´t afford a Term-Lab, maby you find someone near in the Audio-tool´s map http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/137758-smd-audio-tools-map/

"in the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty" Bob Marley

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So, it's possible that my car is much louder than this meter tells me?

Everything in may car seems to be flexing and shaking just as much as some of these people hitting 130+, so hopefully I can find a meter that doesn't suck and use it

Just out of curiousity, is 130db even loud?

140's is where it starts to get loud.

Used to have a loud truck

2009 Corvette Z06, H/C/I, 150 shot, g force tune, 730rwhp/690rwtq

2013 F-150 limited, MPT Tune, leveled on 35"s

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Alright, thanks for the information guys, you've all been really helpful

I'm glad to know that I (maybe) don't totally suck at speakers

Time to burn this stupid chinese crap.....

2005 VW Jetta TDIStock headunit(2) Sundown Audio E-15s @ 35hzPower Acoustik BAMF 1250.2 (will be replaced with Cadence mono)GTMat 50mil Sound Dampener

http://natsurutech.blogspot.com/

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