Sound meter apps?

[Lancsbreaker]

Not sure if this has been asked before....has anyone tried one of these downloadable apps to enable a phone to be used as a decibel meter? Any views on their accuracy?

I've just got one on an old Android phone, to give a quick check on our soon-to-be-finished Alfa 75 V6.....

I used to do noise checks on rallies in days of yore, so am aware of the ways that noise readings can be affected by location etc....

[Dave Brand]

Did you see the thread on the "other" forum where somebody was getting cabin noise readings of 100db in a GTV using an Android app?

Unless it can be calibrated any app is going to be wildly inaccurate.

[GORDON STREETER]

I had a DB meter on my old phone that was quite accurate as long as it was used properly, several times I compared it to the"official" one during pre practice testing.
Although it read different to the scrut's one it was accurate in itself on repeatability so I knew if it was ok .
It's like anything used for testing it must be able to give consistent readings even if dosen't give the "correct" one itself.
I once had my car fail at C Combe so I took it away and did nothing to it, took it back a while later and it passed 2db under !

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I once had my car fail at C Combe so I took it away and did nothing to it, took it back a while later and it passed 2db under !

Combe are known for their noise test 'enthusiasm' our car registered 105db first time at Combe and 104db at Goodwood - everywhere else we've been it's between 94 and 98db. We drove around the paddock for a bit at Combe to get the car hot - they re-tested it and it came in bang on 100db so they let us out (although we did get pulled for another check coming back into the paddock from the circuit as they thought it was too loud).