The Use of Sound Level Meter Apps in the Clinical Setting

• Published in: American journal of speech-language pathology 2016-02, Vol.25 (1), p.14-28
• Main Authors: Fava, Gaetano, Oliveira, Gisele, Baglione, Melody, Pimpinella, Michael, Spitzer, Jaclyn B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis; Audiometry, Pure-Tone - instrumentation; Ears & hearing; Equipment and supplies; Equipment Design; Female; Humans; Laboratories; Loudness Perception; Male; Measurement; Measuring instruments; Meter; Mobile Applications; National Standards; Noise; Patients; Phonation; Smartphone - instrumentation; Sound; Sound pressure; Sound Spectrography - instrumentation; Speech Acoustics; Speech Language Pathology; Speech therapy; Voice Quality; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1058-0360; 1558-9110
• DOI: 10.1044/2015_AJSLP-13-0137

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. 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. Overall, the 3 SLM apps and the RadioShack SLM yielded inconsistent readings compared with the Type 1 SLM. 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.