Fava G, Oliveira G, Baglione M, Pimpinella M, Spitzer JB. The Use of Sound Level Meter Apps in the Clinical Setting.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2016;
25:14-28. [PMID:
26882093 DOI:
10.1044/2015_ajslp-13-0137]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to compare sound level meter (SLM) readings obtained using a Larson-Davis (Depew, NY) Model 831 Type 1 SLM, a RadioShack (Fort Worth, TX) SLM, and iPhone 5 (Apple, Cupertino, CA) SLM apps.
METHOD
In Procedure 1, pure tones were measured in an anechoic chamber (125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz); sound pressure levels (SPLs) ranged from 60 to 100 dB SPL in 10-dB increments. In Procedure 2, human voices were measured. Participants were 20 vocally healthy adults (7 women, 13 men; mean age = 25.1 years). The task was to sustain a vowel "ah" at 3 intensity levels: soft, habitual, and loud. Microphones were lined up equal distances from the participant's mouth, and recordings were captured simultaneously.
RESULTS
Overall, the 3 SLM apps and the RadioShack SLM yielded inconsistent readings compared with the Type 1 SLM.
CONCLUSION
The use of apps for SPL readings in the clinical setting is premature because all 3 apps adopted were incomparable with the Type 1 SLM.
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