Re: [AUDITORY] Sound level meter for earphone/headphone measurements

[Sam Mathias <srm112@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Sebastian,

I considered this device myself some time ago. There are some thorough reviews (with measurements) online by headphone enthusiasts, but as you wrote, not many. Here is a useful one you might not have seen, I found it via a link on a audiosciencereview.com forum post:

https://www.soundstagesolo.com/index.php/features/152-is-minidsp-ears-the-death-of-headphone-measurement-or-its-savior

The deviations from the standards-compliant GRAS at high frequencies were enough to put me off. I guess you could buy one anyway and use these data to compensate your measurements, or make your own compensations if you have access to the BK system.

If you have the time but not the cash, another possibility is to buy a cheap artificial ear coupler and mic rig made in China from Aliexpress. Here is a post by someone who did this. Apparently the devices can work quite well at approximating the standards but considerable work is needed to get there because the supplied calibration data are poorly done.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/iec-60318-4-clone-coupler-is-it-worth-it.23865/

Sam

On Mon, 6 Feb 2023, at 8:55 AM, Sebastian Puschmann wrote:

Dear all,

I am looking for buying advice on a budget-friendly sound meter system (< 1,000 EUR) to measure both headphone and insert earphone levels at our MRI facility.

We already have access to a B&K sound level meter + artificial ear that can be borrowed from another department whenever high precision readings are needed. Now, we want to add another device to be kept at the MRI center for “quick and easy” sound level checks.

When searching for suitable devices, I came across the “MiniDSP EARS Headphone Measuring System”. In principle, it should have the needed functionality, but the few available user reviews seem rather mixed.

I would appreciate any input and suggestions on what to buy.

Thanks a lot!

Sebastian

-- 
Dr. Sebastian Puschmann
Biological Psychology Lab
Department of Psychology
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg 
26111 Oldenburg
Germany