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I have wanted to get a computer based audio spectrum analyzer for a while, but never have quite gotten around to it. My aim is to check speaker performance and room acoustics in a couple of different listening rooms for stereo and HT audio. I guess this is driven by my science background and the desire to measure stuff. I tried the simple Radio Shack Sound Level Meter and CD approach, but found it tedious and time consuming. A computer based system sounds like the ticket, so the data can be quickly captured, stored and displayed.
I searched AA and find lots of references, but no simple suggestion. Based on what I have read, I have come up with the following to run from a Toshiba laptop:
1. True Audio’s TrueRTA, Level 4 - $99
2. Behringer ECM8000 Condenser Microphone Omni - $55
3. Microphone USB MIC Link Cable USB Male to XLR Female 3M - $15
Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Follow Ups:
It's a lot of fun to watch a multi-band display dance around on a screen, and novices who watch your fiddle with the knobs and hit a "hold peak" button will be very impressed. You can make a lot of money doing that for HT clients.
But there's nothing like having complete control over the signal content and duration, and a gated/time-window capturing system with adjustable window open/close controls and data analysis software to play with it after you've recorded it.
Sure, you can get some simple tone-generator stuff and a mic, and then see when the sound gets really loud at the mic position, but you can do that with a plain old tone generator and your ears. Who needs a stinkin' computer for that?
;)
seriously consider adding RoomEQ Wizard (freeware) to that tool kit. It will permit more useful measurements than just RTA.
Kal
I feel you are in for a grave dissapointment.
Recordings/Products are far from flat in the powerband-
Those microphones are no where close to calibration quality, such as a Bruel&kjaer system.
Early reflections in your room will throw off the results by orders of magnitude.
If you want to have fun with readings and experiment, no worries there but as far as any of that being a meaningful tool to help the overall quality of your system, the tools you have on each side of your head will always be the final say when arranging a system for maximum enjoyment.
I personally have not seen anyone get favorible results by using a specrum analyzer for judging the quality of the room/speaker system when playing music. As per test tones, they also do not represent music reproduction but simply represent deviation in the chain. Moving the microphone one inch will give completely different results. We listen with two ears, not one. (..as suggested with single microphone usage.)
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