Frequently Asked Questions

No, your uncalibrated reading is a clearly labeled estimate formed from weighted digital dBFS plus a nominal +100 dB offset. You can tighten device-specific agreement by calibrating against a known reference at the same spot and saving the difference as an offset. For safety, workplace, or legal decisions you still need calibrated Class 1 or Class 2 hardware.

You press Start once, grant microphone permission for this origin over HTTPS, and the page pulls mono input through the Web Audio API with echo cancellation, noise suppression, and AGC requested off. Each block becomes RMS, then dB, then A, C, or Z weighting with Fast 125 ms or Slow 1 s smoothing while Leq accumulates in your browser. Your input is never wired to speakers, never uploaded or recorded, and only anonymous usage counts reach Google Analytics.

You are seeing the honest idle state, which displays -- until you grant permission and press Start on your current Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari build. The page refuses to invent simulated numbers while it waits for real mono microphone blocks. After 1 tap on Start your live current, minimum, Leq, maximum, and duration row wakes up.

You read dB as the unit, dBA as the speech-shaped human-hearing curve, dBC as the flatter bass-keeping curve, and dBZ as flat raw sound across 20 to 120 on the visual scale. Fast follows every bark and clap with 125 ms smoothing while Slow rides through with a full 1 s window. Flip between them while your washing machine runs and you will watch Fast jump 4 to 6 dB higher on each spin pulse.

Leq is the energy average across your whole run, so a 10 second blender blast counts far more than 10 quiet seconds. You see it beside current, minimum, maximum, and duration, with the graph trailing your last 240 points. Leave the page running through an entire kettle boil and your Leq tells you the true dose better than any single glance.

No, your microphone blocks are analyzed inside your own browser and discarded within milliseconds, with nothing uploaded or recorded by this site. Session summaries plus your theme stay in localStorage on this device only, capped at 20 summaries. Google Analytics receives anonymous usage counts alone and never receives a single sample of audio.

You park your phone and a trusted reference side by side playing a steady tone near 70 dBA, then note how far your uncalibrated estimate sits off. You save reference minus meter as a device-specific offset that shifts every future weighted reading by that fixed amount. You redo the offset after any change of microphone, headset, browser, gain, weighting, position, or response, and you never reuse one phone offset on another device.

You can set 2 phones shoulder to shoulder on the same kitchen table and still watch them split by 5 to 10 dB before calibration. Capsule sensitivity, preamp gain, case shadowing, mount position, and hidden operating system processing all tilt the weighted digital chain differently. You erase most of that gap by giving each phone its own one-point offset against the same steady reference.

You can screen your own day by logging each Leq with its duration and stacking it against the 85 dBA 8 hour screening line. Every 3 dB rise halves your budget to 4 hours at 88 dBA and 2 hours at 91 dBA, while ordinary stretches below 70 dBA raise no concern. You must treat the result as personal awareness alone because medical, legal, and occupational calls demand calibrated Class 1 or Class 2 hardware.

You can export your current run as CSV or JSON and you can keep 20 recent session summaries plus your theme in localStorage on this browser. Compatible calibration must stay active or your export ships with no dB values by design, blocking misleading uncalibrated logs. You create every file locally with 1 click and nothing ever travels to a server.

You can relax through ordinary home and office stretches below 70 dBA without watching the clock. You should shorten time or wear protection once sustained sound reaches 85 dBA for 8 hours, 88 dBA for 4 hours, or 91 dBA for 2 hours. You still need a qualified professional with calibrated hardware for any health or workplace verdict about your exposure.

You can rely on this browser page for awareness, before-and-after comparisons, and classroom demos across 20 to 120 on the display. You cannot swap it for evidence in regulatory, legal, medical, or occupational cases that call for a calibrated instrument and a qualified operator. Your best move is screening here first, then hiring proper hardware when the numbers hover near 85 dBA.

You will see a quiet bedroom hover near 30 to 40 dB, your arm length chat land around 60 dB, and street traffic push 70 to 80 dB on this estimate scale. You should average each scene for 30 to 60 seconds and round to whole decibels because phones wobble below 30 dBA. Your everyday rooms almost always settle below 85 dB unless a blender or drill joins in.

Your iPhone ships with no built-in decibel number, yet Safari on current iOS opens this page over HTTPS in under 10 seconds. You tap Start, allow the microphone once for this origin, and mono audio flows into live estimated dBA with no account and no download. You get stronger agreement by calibrating your exact handset against a steady 70 dBA reference at ear height.

You already carry everything you need because any current iPhone browser runs this online meter as an instant estimate. You load the page over HTTPS, uncover the bottom microphone, and track current plus Leq through a 60 second living-room check. You should treat the digits as screening alone and recalibrate whenever you swap cases, headsets, or seating spots.

You are already looking at one that acts like an app with live dBA, dBC, dBZ, Leq, minimum, maximum, duration, and a spectrum view across 240 graph points. You run it in current Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari with zero installs and zero accounts. You only need a native install when you must log overnight in the background or measure with 0 bars of signal.

You pay nothing here and you create no account, download nothing, and upload no audio while answering how loud your room feels. You press Start, grant permission once per origin, and read an estimated dBA within 5 seconds. You unlock tighter device-specific agreement later by adding a 1-point calibration offset from a trusted reference.

You can picture it as an instrument that turns microphone movement into decibel numbers you can compare. Online versions like this one process mono Web Audio blocks in your browser and label the weighted result plus +100 dB offset as an estimate. You step up to calibrated Class 1 or Class 2 hardware when you need evidence rather than awareness across 30 to 100 dBA.

You will meet the same tool under 4 everyday names counted across stores and guides. Sound level meter, SPL meter, noise meter, and sound meter all describe a box or page reporting dB, while decibel meter app usually means phone software. You can search any of those 4 labels and still land on this browser page for a quick 60 second check.

You get useful screening with clear edges after you calibrate your exact phone against a known tone. Expect 5 to 10 dB spreads between uncalibrated models, thin bass from tiny capsules, optimistic readings below 30 dBA, and clipping near 95 to 100 dBA on loud peaks. You tame the wobble by averaging 30 to 60 seconds and rounding to whole numbers.

The winner on your shelf is whichever copy you calibrate against a trusted reference at the same spot. One careful offset lifts a free browser page past any uncalibrated rival flashing 2 decimal places. You still need Class 1 or Class 2 hardware with a qualified operator when your lease, claim, or audit hangs on 3 dB.

You squeeze the best from any phone app by rounding to whole decibels and averaging a steady 30 to 60 seconds. You then pin the remaining shift with a device-specific offset measured at the same position and settings. You must hand formal exposure assessment to calibrated Class 1 or Class 2 hardware rather than stretching a browser estimate over 8 hours.

You can trust your phone for relative stories like curtains open versus curtains closed or Room A versus Room B measured from the same chair. Absolute claims stay shaky because gain, distance, weighting, and response tilt every uncalibrated number by several dB. You make each reading comparable by logging distance near 1 metre, weighting choice, and Fast or Slow response beside all 5 stats.

You grant microphone permission once per origin, uncover the tiny mic hole, and hold the phone at ear height aimed toward your television. You wait 10 seconds for Fast 125 ms numbers to settle, then watch the energy average build across 30 to 60 seconds. You jot current, minimum, Leq, maximum, and duration together so your 1 evening check stays repeatable.

Your voice hits mono capsule input that the page slices into short blocks for RMS energy math. Each RMS value turns into dB, passes through your chosen A, C, or Z curve, then eases through Fast 125 ms or Slow 1 s smoothing while Leq piles up. Your whole chain stays inside this tab over HTTPS with no file upload and no speaker loop across 240 plotted points.

You set your device beside a stable reference playing an unwavering 70 dBA tone at the same table spot. You subtract meter from reference and store that single difference as your offset profile for this microphone, browser, and weighting. You re-check with a second 30 second run and freeze position plus settings before trusting the next 10 readings.

You spend 0 on this browser meter across current Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari with no account wall. Handheld checkers ask for a modest sum, Class 2 hardware reaches into the hundreds, and Class 1 rigs climb into the thousands plus recurring recalibration. You should match the spend to your stakes across 70 to 100 dBA, from curiosity to formal evidence.

You want 6 checklist items before you trust any meter for more than curiosity. Demand device-specific calibration offsets, A plus C plus Z weighting, Fast 125 ms and Slow 1 s response, Leq with minimum and maximum, and local CSV or JSON export. You already get all 6 here, while dedicated hardware adds a known capsule sensitivity with a plug-on tone generator for 94 dB checks.

You recognize countertop hardware by its candy-bar body, stubby mic capsule on top, and glowing dB window near 60 dBA. You recognize this browser version by its oversized live number, trailing 240 point graph, A C Z pills, Fast Slow switch, and export panel. You can show a friend either shape in 20 seconds and they will know where to glance during a loud ad break.

You will watch your phone shrug at deep bass because its tiny port and processing roll off lows near 60 Hz. You keep more thump in the figure by tapping C or Z weighting instead of A during your subwoofer sweep. You still need calibrated hardware with a known low-end curve when your 40 Hz room mode decides a refund.

You hear little more than a soft whisper, a dozing library, or your bedroom at 2 in the morning. Physically you face no time limit down here across 8 to 12 quiet hours. Technically you sit near the capsule noise floor, so your phone may flatter reality by reading 32 dBA for a true 28 dBA hush.

You chat at arm length, hum along to background music, or unload dishes while the meter idles near 60 dBA. Your home feels alive yet ordinary through 4 to 6 such hours without strain. You can stay here all day because levels in this band carry no screening limit for typical listeners.

You stand beside a busy street, push a roaring vacuum, or crank the match highlights past comfortable. Your ears notice the step up from 60 dBA chatter across a 10 minute burst. You still sit at the screening edge because ordinary stretches just below 70 dBA carry no duration worry.

You shout across a sizzling restaurant table or jolt awake to a blaring clock at 7 in the morning. Your voice strains after 15 minutes because 80 dBA drowns the consonants you need. You need no panic for a short dash through it, though you should step back when the same roar fills your entire 8 hour shift.

You feel a passing motorcycle, a biting chainsaw, or your headphones pinned to maximum rip through your chest. Your safe screening budget shrinks to about 15 minutes at 100 dBA before damage risk climbs. You recognize the aftermath from gigs across 2 hour sets that leave midnight ringing till breakfast.

You cross into caution when your daily average lingers at 85 dBA for 8 hours or 88 dBA for 4 hours. Your risk steepens past 90 dBA across repeated shifts and spikes toward immediate harm near 120 dBA from blasts. You guard your ears at concerts and workshops with plugs, distance across 10 metres, and shorter stays.

You read dB as the straight physical pressure count with no hearing tweak. You read dBA as that same count after an A filter that trims lows near 100 Hz and highs near 10 kHz to mirror your ears. You quote dBA for exposure talk because 85 dBA over 8 hours means something to health while 85 dB alone stays vague.

You engage a curve that politely turns down rumble below 200 Hz and hiss above 10 kHz while leaving 1 kHz to 4 kHz speech almost untouched. Your resulting dBA tracks perceived loudness far better than a flat number during a 60 second cafe sample. Your screening math from 70 to 85 dBA leans on this curve for almost every everyday limit.

You switch to C when your concert bass near 63 Hz vanishes under A weighting across a 90 dBA chorus. Your C curve stays nearly flat and keeps that low-end punch visible for machinery and music checks. You pick Z for completely flat honesty with zero correction when you compare 2 speakers tone by tone.

You average each short mono block by RMS so a buzzing 500 Hz tone counts by its true energy rather than its spikiest instant. Your ear judges loudness the same rough way across 125 ms slices. Your live current dB springs directly from that RMS math before weighting and Fast or Slow smoothing across 240 points.

You catch the quietest dip with minimum during a 30 second lull, the loudest slap with maximum when a door bangs, and the everyday middle with your current plus Leq pair. Your Leq carries special weight because it averages energy rather than digits across 60 seconds or more. Your duration stamp tells you how long that story ran, from 10 seconds to 2 hours.

You can nail your room tone by testing near midnight with heating paused and your phone resting on 1 cushion. You let Slow 1 s numbers settle for 30 seconds, then trust minimum or Leq over jumpy instants. You repeat the same seat across 3 nights and your 35 to 40 dBA baseline emerges.

You set the phone where your head actually rests on the sofa, mic hole open toward the window across 2 metres. You hush the room for 60 seconds without talking while Leq gathers. You stack that Leq near 45 to 65 dBA against the chart to name the culprit before buying a single panel.

You stand at ear height by the wall where thumps enter, roughly 1 metre back, and run the meter for 10 to 15 minutes. You log maximum for each bass hit near 50 Hz and Leq for the whole pattern across 5 to 8 events. You keep the notes for your own awareness because a browser estimate across 40 to 80 dBA never counts as proof.

You rest the device at desk height in the middle of 25 desks, clear of projector hum and vent hiss by 2 metres. You run it through a full 45 minute lesson while current, Leq, minimum, and maximum accumulate. You read typical load from Leq near 60 to 70 dBA and flag any spike above 80 dBA as a disruption worth seating changes.

You clip the phone at ear height in your real stance and capture the full task cycle for 30 to 60 minutes. You compare that Leq to the 85 dBA 8 hour screening line with 3 dB halving to 4 hours at 88 dBA. You escalate to calibrated Class 1 or Class 2 hardware with a qualified operator before any compliance verdict touches your 8 person crew.

You park the phone about 1 metre from the grille, mic aimed dead centre, and play a familiar chorus for 60 seconds. You read average or Leq near 75 to 85 dBA for typical punch and maximum for the loudest drum peaks. You remember tiny capsules trim bass near 50 Hz, so your subwoofer will meter lower than your chest feels across 3 test tracks.

You hunt the loudest culprit first by walking your phone from fridge to window across 5 rooms and noting each Leq. You soften reflections with rugs and curtains, seal whistling gaps around 2 doors, and mask steady hum with a low fan near 45 dBA. You call a professional with calibrated hardware when neighbour bass above 70 dBA survives through 3 weekend tries.

You move beyond a single dB when you open the Spectrum tab and watch energy split by pitch. Bass near 60 Hz lights the left bars while speech near 2 kHz dances mid-screen across 8 to 12 bands. You spot a humming fridge in 1 glance because its narrow 120 Hz ridge never moves while voices flicker.

You read it as bars laid left to right from low rumble near 50 Hz to sharp hiss near 8 kHz. Your live display-only spectrum on this site refreshes several times per second through 240 trailing points. You learn your room in 30 seconds by watching speech bounce mid-bars while a kettle lifts the high edge toward 6 kHz.

You can call this page either name without blushing because both describe decibel counting in everyday talk. Your browser check across 30 to 90 dBA suits curiosity and comparison either way. Your formal jobs still call for calibrated Class 1 or Class 2 hardware, though the RMS to dB idea stays identical through 5 processing steps.

You batter the tiny hair cells deep in your inner ear when strong vibration slams them for hours near 85 dBA. Those cells translate motion into brain signals and they never regrow across your remaining 40 to 60 years. You protect them by cutting both knobs that hurt, intensity above 85 dBA and duration past 8 hours.

You toss more when your bedroom lingers above 40 dBA through 7 night hours because your brain keeps one ear on guard. Your stress and focus fray after weeks near 70 to 75 dBA days with broken nights between. You sleep deeper by sealing 2 window gaps, parking the phone meter overnight for 1 Leq, and plugging ears at 100 dBA gigs.

You run this meter today in current Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari on desktop plus mobile across 4 major engines. You load the page over HTTPS, tap Start, and grant microphone access once per origin within 5 seconds. You simply update to a release from the past 12 months when the input selector stays empty.

You plug in your USB headset or lavalier, then choose it in the input selector and reload once when it hides across 5 to 10 seconds. You lock stand height near 1 metre and freeze weighting plus response before measuring. You build a fresh offset against a known 70 dBA tone because your last phone-mic value never transfers to the new capsule.

You watch fresh numbers land several times per second with near-live feel across the 240 point trail. Fast 125 ms leaps on each clap while Slow 1 s glides through your 10 second chatter. You wait 5 seconds after moving the phone, then trust Leq or average over 30 to 60 seconds rather than 1 flickering digit.

You scan a visual scale stretching roughly 20 to 120 dB while your phone hardware tells a narrower truth. Readings below 30 dBA crowd the capsule noise floor and skew high by several dB across 5 quiet tests. Loud blasts near 95 to 100 dBA can clip and meter low, so you treat both ends as disclosed screening edges across 80 dB of middle trust.