Decibel X PRO: dBA Noise Meter

This is the best SPL meter app I’ve used. Well worth the purchase. The only suggestion I have is that it doesn’t rotate 180 degrees on the iPhone XS Max like it did on my old iPhone 6. I like to have the microphone at the bottom of the phone pointed at the speakers so to have the UI flip upside down was very useful. Also the “email support” button in settings didn’t work when I pressed it. Hence my notes here. Otherwise it’s great and I use it in the theater everyday when setting up for a screening.

I’m just a hobbyist, so I don’t need extreme accuracy. That said, previous apps I’d tried didn’t seem accurate, and compared to a handheld (actual) sound meter, usually weren’t. When I found the non-Pro app, it seemed spot on, and while the ads were ever present, they weren’t annoying (unlike another app that lets you use the trial version for 2 minutes and then stops working and puts up a “buy me” screen with an almost invisible close button). But after using the “free” version for a while, I decided this was worth it. I’ve been enjoying the new features such as the frequency charting feature. Pretty cool seeing what frequency the drum beat is, or why band X seems so much louder despite being a lower decibel reading (more sound closer to 1500 Hz vs 300 Hz).

03NOV2018, I went to a Nine Inch Nails Concert in San Francisco, CA. The warm up act was playing so loud that it showed 122db Z Weighted!!! That is INSTANT Hearing Loss!!!👂 wearing my Ear Plugs under my shooting muffs, that only dropped the sound level 6db or to 117db Z Weighted or Permanent Hearing 👂 after 20 seconds. I ran outside and during the break, confronted the sound crew, showing them the data and demanding the lower the volume else I’ll call OSHA and shut down the tour!!! The dropped it to 105db because of your program!!! Later that week, I got a room upgrade due to noisy neighbours and I got a seat 💺 upgrade because the engines were too loud. I am PROUD to be a HEALTH-NAZI (for fun and profit) and you can be TOO!!!