Radioshack analog SPL meter?

[L.J.]

Alright, I got the meter and test CD. All I need now is some time.

I was wondering does anyone have any tips or pointers? Any advice on doing this would be appreciated.

Instructions seem to be straight foward and there's a pretty nice article at AH.

[paul_pci]

Alright, I got the meter and test CD. All I need now is some time.

I was wondering does anyone have any tips or pointers? Any advice on doing this would be appreciated.

Instructions seem to be straight foward and there's a pretty nice article at AH.

That article is about calibrating a sub, are you just calibrating your sub? or the whole system? The difficulty is of course, watching the readings while staying out of the way of the incoming audio signals, etc.

[L.J.]

My short goal, for both systems, is to measure my room's response and find the best place for my sub with the flattest response.

[paul_pci]

So, the test disc you got has a frequency sweep, I imagine?

[Woochifer]

Alright, I got the meter and test CD. All I need now is some time.

I was wondering does anyone have any tips or pointers? Any advice on doing this would be appreciated.

Instructions seem to be straight foward and there's a pretty nice article at AH.

That article is a great primer, and if you already got the Rives disc, you should have more than enough to get started. I totally agree with the author about using a camera tripod. At the very least, the tripod gives you more consistent results. Others on this board over the years have generally suggested pointing the SPL meter straight ahead and tilted about 45 degrees. Measurements taken after moving the subwoofer to different locations within the room really point out how much the room acoustics affect the lower frequencies. It also points out how much you REALLY NEED a parametric equalizer! (As if you really NEED to dump more money into your setup, right?)

If you're interested in learning more about the Behringer Feedback Destroyer, which is the lowest priced PEQ that I've seen, you should head over to Sonny Parker's website. Excellent pointers over there about room correction and how to use the BFD with a subwoofer. Plus, he has test tones available for download, as well as a spreadsheet that plots the before and after results (and includes the correction values for the Radio Shack SPL meter).

http://www.hometheatershack.com/bfdguide/

Paul's concerns about staying out of the way of the audio signals is relevant for level matching the L/C/R/LS/RS speakers because signals bouncing back toward the SPL meter can distort the readings. But, it applies less when measuring the lower frequencies.