Answer three quick questions about your measurement requirements and we will recommend the ideal Bedrock Elite sound level meter or acoustic analyzer for your specific needs. Our product range covers Class 1 and Class 2 sound level meters, dedicated STIPA analyzers, instruments with octave band analysis and data logging, and high-power talkboxes for voice alarm testing. Every instrument ships fully unlocked with all advertised capabilities included.
The most common decision points when selecting an acoustic measurement instrument are: accuracy class (Class 1 vs Class 2), speech intelligibility measurement (STIPA or Full STI), and the breadth of additional capabilities needed (octave analysis, reverberation time, FFT, data logging). This guide helps you navigate these decisions systematically.
Choose Class 1 if your measurements will be used for regulatory compliance, legal proceedings, environmental noise assessments submitted to authorities, building acoustics documentation per ISO 16283, or professional acoustic consultancy work. IEC 61672-1 Class 1 provides tighter measurement tolerances (±1.1 dB) and is accepted by all regulatory bodies worldwide.
Choose Class 2 if you are conducting general-purpose noise surveys, screening assessments, or non-regulatory monitoring where legal defensibility is not a requirement. Class 2 provides ±1.4 dB tolerances and is less expensive. Bedrock's SM50 (with STIPA) and SM30 (without) cover Class 2 applications.
If you commission, test, inspect, or maintain voice alarm systems, public address systems, PA/GA systems, or any system covered by EN 54-16, BS 5839-8, ISO 7240-19, IEC 60849, or IEC 60268-16, you need STIPA capability. For life-safety critical systems or complex acoustic environments, consider whether Full STI is needed — the i10 is the only instrument that performs Full STI in under 60 seconds.
Consider whether your work requires: octave band analysis (building acoustics, product noise, frequency-specific environmental noise), reverberation time (room acoustics, building acoustics, ISO 3382), data logging (long-term unattended measurements), statistical analysis (Ln percentiles for environmental noise per ISO 1996), or FFT analysis (electroacoustic, transfer function, tonal noise). With Bedrock Elite, all of these are included at no extra cost.
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