Sound level meter comparison
This is an alphabetically ordered table of various sound level meters, i.e. test and measurement equipment which measures the sound pressure level and can log data your PC via USB, RS232, and so on. We do not list devices without PC logging functionality, as those are not really useful for sigrok.
This page lists commercial and non-commercial devices with a short overview of their capabilities. We list all kinds of devices here, not only those supported by sigrok.
You should not use the information here as the sole source for any buying decisions, this is just meant for informational purposes. Please carefully check the vendor websites if you intend to buy any hardware.
| Device | PC interface | Frequency range |
Measurement range (A-weighted) |
Resolution | Accuracy (94dB@1kHz) |
Frequency weighting |
Time weighting |
Memory (#records) |
Resources | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amprobe SM-20A | RS-232 | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.5dB | A, C | F, S | 14000 | 1, 2, 3 | $300 |
| CEM DT-173Note 3 | USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | - | 1.4dB | A, C | F, S | 129920 | - | $168 |
| CEM DT-2232Note 4 | RS-232 | 30Hz - 10kHz | 35dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 3.5dB | A | F | - | - | $50 |
| CEM DT-8851 | USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.4dB | A, C | F, S | - | - | $100 |
| CEM DT-8852Note 5 | USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.4dB | A, C | F, S | 32xxxNote 5 | 1 | $200 |
| Center 322Note 2 | RS-232 | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | - | 1.5dB | A, C | F, S | 32000 | - | $200 |
| Colead SL-5868P | RS232 | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1dB | A, C, flat | F, S | - | 1, 2, 3 | $92 |
| Extech 407750 | RS-232 | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.5dB | A, C | F, S | - | 1, 2 | $260 |
| Extech 407760Note 3 | USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | - | 1.4dB | A, C | F, S | 129920 | 1, 2 | $145 |
| Extech 407768 | RS-232 | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.4dB | A, C | F, S | - | 1, 2 | $300 |
| Extech HD600 | USB | - | 30dB - 130dB | - | 1.4dB | A, C | F, S | 20000 | 1, 2 | $500 |
| Extech SDL600Note 6 | RS-232/USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | - | 1.4dB | A, C | F, S | many (SD card) | 1, 2 | $599 |
| General DSM8922 | RS-232 | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | - | A, C | F, S | ? | 1 | $178 |
| General DSM3200DL | RS-232 | - | 30dB - 130dB | - | - | - | F, S | 32000 | 1, 2, 3 | $300 |
| HoldPeak HP-844A | USB | 31.5Hz - 8.5kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.5dB | A, C | F, S | 4700 | - | €74 |
| Lutron SL-4012 | RS-232 | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.5dB | A, C | F, S | - | 1, 2 | $145 |
| Lutron SL-4013 | RS-232 | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | - | A, C | F, S | - | - | $240 |
| Lutron SL-4112Note 7 | RS-232/USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | - | A, C | F, S | 1600 | - | $278 |
| Lutron SL-4113GNote 7 | RS-232/USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | - | A, C | F, S | - | 1, 2 | |
| PCE PCE-222Note 4 | RS-232 | 30Hz - 10kHz | 35dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 3.5dB | A | F | - | - | €58.31 |
| PCE PCE-SDL 1Note 3 | USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | - | 1.4dB | A, C | F, S | 129920 | 1 | €99.96 |
| PeakTech 8005Note 5 | USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.4dB | - | F, S | 32000 | 1, 2, 3 | €145 |
| Reed SD-4023Note 1 | RS-232 | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.4dB | A, C(?) | 200ms, 500ms | many (SD card) | 1, 2 | $204 |
| Reed ST-173Note 3 | USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.5dB | A, C | F, S | 129920 | 1 | $139.- |
| Tecpel DSL-331 | RS-232 | 31.5Hz - 8Khz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.5dB | A, C | F, S | 32000 | 1 | £160 |
| TES TES-1350R | RS-232 | 31.5hZ - 8kHz | 35dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 2dB | A, C | F, S | - | - | $205 |
| Tenmars TM-103 | USB | 30Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.5dB | A, C | F, S | 14000 | - | $220 |
| Tondaj SL-814 | USB/serial | 31.5Hz - 8.5kHz | 40dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 2dB | A, C | F, S | - | - | $27 |
| Tondaj TDJ 834 | USB | 31.5Hz - 8.5kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.5dB | A, C | F, S | 43690 (?) | 1 | $89 |
| Voltcraft DL-160SNote 3 | USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.1dB | 1.4dB | A, C | F, S | 129920 (?) | list | £85 |
| Voltcraft DL-161S | USB | 31.5Hz - 8kHz | 30dB - 130dB | 0.01dB (typo?) | 1.4dB | A, C | F, S | 129900 (typo?) | - | €99 |
1 It is unclear if the meter can stream data live, or only log to SD card. Does not appear to be compliant to IEC 61672-1:2003: time-weighted measurements are wrong, and frequency-weighting C is also wrong.
2 More likely made by Tecpel.
3 CEM DT-173 = Voltcraft DL-160S = Extech 407760 = PCE PCE-SDL 1 = Reed ST-173. Note: The original manufacturer is CEM, the rest are rebadges. Some explicitly specify a resolution of 0.1dB (CEM doesn't specify any at all), and the Reed ST-173 specifies an accuracy of 1.5dB which is likely a typo (CEM and all other rebadges specify 1.4dB).
4 CEM DT-2232 = PCE PCE-222.
5 CEM DT-8852 = PeakTech 8005. Note: The CEM DT-8852 has a datalogging function, but it is unclear how many entries it can actually store. CEM says 32700, other sites claim 32600 or 32000.
6 The device usually logs to SD card, but according to the manual it is also possible to get live data output via the "RS232 output jack" and the "optional 407001 software".
7 The "RS232 jack" can apparently be used via the "USB-01" USB cable or the "UPCB-02" RS232 cable. There is a "SW-U801-WIN data acquisition software" and a "SW-DL2005 data logger transfer software".
Internal details:
| Device | PC interface | PC interface chip | PC protocol | Architecture/chip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colead SL-5868P | RS232 | CPU | custom (binary), 2400/8n1 | Nuvoton W78E052D |
| PCE PCE-222 | RS232 | ? | ? | ? |
| Tondaj SL-814 | USB/serial | Prolific PL2303xxx | custom (binary), 9600/8e1 | Atmel ATmega8/L |
| Voltcraft DL-160S | USB | ? | ? | ? |