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Decibel - Accurate dB Meter

This tool is absolutely free.
Category Price Seller Device
Utilities Free Xiangyi Liu iPhone, iPad, iPod

Decibel Meter turns your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch into a professional accurate sound meter, precisely measures the sound pressure level all around you. This extremely useful tool. Have you wondered how quiet is your room or how loud is a rock concert or sport event? Decibel Meter will help you answer all those right now.

A decibel meter is a device which measures sound pressure to determine how intense sounds are, measuring in decibels. Decibels are a logarithmic scale based on the sensitivity of the human ear. Prolonged exposure to sounds over 85 decibels can lead to hearing loss, making measurement of decibel levels important for people who work in noisy environments so that they know when they need to protect their ears.

For a frame of reference, normal conversation occurs between around 40 and 60 decibels, depending on who is talking. A firecracker is about 140 decibels, and a jackhammer runs at around 100 decibels. Musicians, mechanics, construction workers, and other people who work in loud environments can endanger their hearing, especially if they work in environments with explosives, which can generate sound waves intense enough to cause pain and immediate hearing damage. A decibel meter can indicate when sound has reached the danger zone.

The decibel meter measures the sound pressure and provides a reading in decibels for the convenience of the user. Some may also provide readings in other units of measurement, depending on the uses they are intended for. Decibel meters are often designed to be portable so that people can move them around as needed, and are often hand held, although sometimes they can be part of a permanent instrument array which is designed to take continuous measurements in a given area.

One application in which a decibel meter can be used is in the reinforcement of municipal codes. Many municipalities bar sounds above a certain decibel level for safety and comfort, and may have restrictions on noise during certain hours. Police officers can carry decibel meters to determine whether or not a sound is violating the noise ordinance. These devices are also used in noise pollution studies which are used to determine the impact of passing vehicles, aircraft, and other sound-generating objects on a community.

The decibel meter is also used in the music industry, during recording and setting up for concerns as well as monitoring of conditions in a concert. Similarly, meters may be installed in noisy workplaces to monitor conditions, and may be designed to send out alerts when people need to wear ear protection or take other precautions to protect their hearing. These devices are also utilized in testing of hearing protection such as ear plugs and headphones, with such products coming with a decibel ratings to provide an indicator as to which settings they can and should be used in.

Reviews

Calibration
Moggy3506

The calibration isn’t even close on this app. Don’t waste your time...


?
allenrussell8883

Reads about 20 dB higher than two other dB meters I have. No way to calibrate it.


Not Accurate - Reads High
Mkendieo

The app is visually appealing but the readings are way too high with no way to calibrate. (I have compared against multiple apps and my iWatch 5.) No app is going to be super accurate, but this one is so far off that it is useless.


Great Data Calibration Tool
Orca688

I use this app to measure ambient noise level Ad Hoc before proceeding with a kilo $ measurement It ensures I am in “the ball park” Youse Guys Rock! Thank You Television Network Special Projects Engineer


Overly sensitive
Bartemous Black

First it’s free so I wasn’t expecting much but it does need some way of calibrating. Also would be helpful to have some way of notifying the user when the decibel level reaches a pre-set level. I don’t want to have to open the application and take a reading but would like it to run in the background with a notification of when decibel reach a certain level.


No calibration!?
faro20

Why not provide a way to calibrate this app?


Needs a calibration method.
Jumbara

I used this app first at a rock concert and it seemed to register correctly- around 110db. However, late at night at home with almost no noise around, it showed about 50-60db! Clearly, it is over reading at lower decibels. Wish there was a way to calibrate the app.


Good app!
steve123765

The meter works well for real time decibel levels. It would be nice to be able to zoom in a little so that I can narrow the range of decibels seen


Great
DebBee1965

Exactly as described.


Terribly inaccurate!
Sdhjcfhjhfd

On an iPhone 6S a quite room shows as loud conversation. The thump of a cat jumping down from a sofa 6 ft away is labeled as being dangerously loud. Absurd.


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