Time and again, we hear of the need to avoid exposure to harmful noises that may damage the inner ear and lead to permanent or temporary hearing loss. I have heard of the TooLoud available to iPhone users. Are there any other apps that you can recommend?
There are quite a number of noise measurement apps on Google Play, though I've never cared to check these out. Do they really give the desired results?
Sound Meter for Android is a good one. Five million downloads, a 4.7 average rating and it is good for measuring the decible levels of the traffic around you.
We can usually tell by instinct if a place is too noisy when our ears hurt. Earphones and headphones may pose more danger as sometimes we set the volume so high in purpose. If we can have an app to alert us of the high noise, I think that's better.
Lindzz Messages: 13 Registered: July 2018 Location: California
Chancellor
I used Decibel X before and it is said to be accurate, but I really don't know how accurate it is in reality. I do believe that my ears are no longer as sensitive to high volumes as they used to be...
My wife is using the Samsung Galaxy A7. She doesn't need to download external apps because the phone will warn us when the volume is set too high. It will still be our decision whether we adjust the volume to higher or lower, but at least the phone warns us that it may damage the ear.
gofar99 Messages: 1949 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, The problem with apps is that they rely on the phone microphone. It is not as wide band as you really need and its calibration (if any) is a joke. A cheap solution is to find a used Radio Shack sound level meter. Either the analog one or the digital one. They are reasonably accurate and a lot better than the phone. In my system I personally use a calibrated mic and feed it into a Behringer DEQ2496 or alternative into an I7 ASUS laptop with suitable software. Even then I suspect that the accuracy is still only in the 95% range.
Another way for us to know the noise level, without using apps or complicated gadgets, is through our neighbors. If they come and complain, then the sound is a bit noisy. If the police are at the door, then it is really noisy.
Serious question, how do we calibrate a microphone?
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