Best Decibel Meters In 2022

The final product on our list is the REED Instruments R8060 Sound Level Meter. It’s by far the most expensive and was an obvious choice as our Premium Product. The reason it costs so much more is that it’s designed for professionals. This isn’t a decibel meter to see if your baby room is quiet enough or your neighbor is too noisy – that is, unless you’ve got money to burn. This is more designed for audio engineers, professional acoustics engineers, and people who need an audio recording that will stand up in a court of law. In fact, this version – which retails at around $200 – isn’t NIST certified, but you can buy one with a certificate of traceability to NIST for an extra $250.  That might sound like a lot of money, but it’s a drop in the ocean of a major court case.

It’s the accuracy of this device that sets it apart. It’s accurate to +/- 1.4dBA, which makes it the most accurate device on here. And, it meets IEC Type 2 requirements, which is a standards authority that determines the accuracy of measuring tools. So, you can really trust the reading you get from this thing. It’s best if you buy it with the corresponding Reed calibrator, but that’s going to set you back another $160. 

The first sound level meter on our list is the BAFX Products – SPL. It was really hard to choose a Best Choice product because all sound meters essentially do the same thing. They have slight differences in things like accuracy and price, but it’s hard to tell them apart. The reason we thought this one was the best is that it’s designed with the general consumer in mind. You can tell that everything has been made to be really simple and easy-to-use.

All you have to do when you receive your dB meter is turn it on and get a reading. There’s no need to calibrate it like you would on a more advanced model. There are also no unnecessary features to confuse you. In fact, the only buttons on it are the power button and a MAX/MIN button that lets you know the maximum and minimum dB levels that the device will record (it measures from 30 dBA to 130 dBA). On that note, it’s worth pointing out that it only reads in dBA, but this is the most commonly used sound measurement, so it shouldn’t be a problem. The only other features are the large backlit display, which makes it easy to read in any environment, and the microphone, which has a cover that reduces wind noise.

The VLIKE LCD Digital Audio Decibel Meter provides plenty of options for ensuring total safety for you, friends, staff, and customers in a wide range of scenarios. The measurement range can identify noises from 30 dBA to 130 dBA, which is the most ‘common’ variety of noise levels a normal person is likely to encounter at work or in their everyday life.

There is a Data Hold function that allows you to check previous readings to compare and contrast, while the large LCD screen makes reading the measurements straightforward to ensure there are no mistakes. It also boasts anti-interference performance that focuses primarily on the most important sound rather than struggling to cope with a range of noises at once. Its backlight feature is perfect for low-light areas to guarantee continued safety, too.

You can tell by looking at the RISEPRO Decibel Meter that the manufacturers really cared about the way it looks. The yellow and black color scheme makes it look considerably more attractive than the two noise monitors we’ve featured so far. Not only does it look better, but it comes with a durable carrying case so that you can keep it in pristine condition. And, you get a gift box. We’re fully aware that a decibel meter is an odd gift to give someone, but it could be suitable for the recording engineer in your life. Or, you could give it as a passive-aggressive present to your noisy neighbor.

However good it looks; you need to know that it’s capable of doing its job properly. And it is. In fact, it’s pretty similar to the BAFX Products – SPL in terms of its performance. It has a measurement range of 30-130 dBA and an accuracy rating of +/-1.5 dBA. In fact, based on those specs, it’s exactly the same. But there are a few ways that it differs from our Best Choice product.

The Protmex Decibel Meter includes an array of fantastic features that will ensure you never wake up after a loud and wild night with your ears ringing ever again. To maintain superb hearing health and reduce the risk of tinnitus and similar issues, this model could be the ideal option for you to select.

It measures a vast range of noise levels and can record sounds that get as loud as 130 dBA as well as anything as quiet as 30 dBA, which is the same as whispering with your friends at the library. The accuracy is also something to consider, and no matter what sound level you record, you can expect it to be accurate within 1.5 decibels, giving you plenty of peace of mind when it comes to deciding whether you should wear ear protection. The data hold function allows you to record sounds with greater confidence, while the backlight ensures easy reading regardless of the light level.

The Extech 407730 is a bit more of a serious tool in the world of sound measurement. You can tell this straight from the off, just by the fact that it’s got more buttons. Interestingly, it’s not as accurate as the first-decibel meter we featured, which is strange when you consider that it costs over three times the price. But, then again, accuracy isn’t always the most important thing. Generally, if you are using a sound level meter, it’s to determine whether something is too loud or too quiet. You don’t normally need to know exactly how loud or quiet it is, just a ballpark figure. So, we’ll brush aside the fact that it only measures with an accuracy of +/- 2dB. The other thing is that it has a minimum recording level of 40dB and a maximum of 130dB. So, this decibel meter is probably unsuitable for recording engineers and other people that are trying to find out how quiet a room is.

It does have a few features that make the higher price tag start to make a little more sense. Firstly, it has a large and easy-to-read LCD display. Nothing new there. But this display shows you the reading in two separate ways: a digital reading, with a 0.1dB resolution, and an analog bar graph, that has a 50dB range and updates every 40 milliseconds. This makes it much easier to read fluctuations in the noise that you are recording.

The Pyle PSPL25 sticks out like a sore thumb in this list of SPL meters. It doesn’t seem to be much different from the decibel meters that cost around the $20 mark, but it costs twice as much. It also doesn’t help that it’s bright red in color and has an oversized windshield covering the mic. So, why does it cost more money than the budget options but not as much as the professional models?

We’re not 100% sure, but we think it’s to do with the fact that it can read both A and C weightings. The only other decibel meter that we’ve seen this on is the Extech 407730, which is a bit more expensive than this one. The reason you’d want it to be able to read C weightings is that it has a flatter frequency response than A-weighting. That basically means that it isn’t as affected by bass frequencies and is, therefore, better for testing high-quality sound equipment. However, if you really want to sound test some high-quality equipment, you will probably want to spend more money and buy something like the REED Instruments R8060 that is last on our list.