Affordable Alternative to "True" RTA
John from STRUTHERS, OH on 7/13/2021
Unless you're a professional installer/true audiophile with cash to blow - owning RTA Analytical Equipment isn't logical. The options are to take your system to a shop, or purchase a 4140i SPL mic & tune from your garage; it's a "less-expensive" alternative (a little less expensive). Setup is easy; load the mobile app to your phone, set the mic up in your car, plug it into your phone, play some pink noise & commence tuning. The RTA options are flexible; choose 30, 15, or 7 bands, zoom in/out, measure dB level of individual frequencies, decay (feedback delay) rate goes from Real Time to 60 sec with Peak Hold & Average view options. A cool feature is the built-in Tone Generator, which allows you to play a sine/square wave, white/pink noise while you tune. Signal can be 0dB or attenuated to your preference, plus you can run sweeps tests for distortion. The FFT feature isn't something I'm familiar with, so I won't touch on it. Polarity Check is useful to determine if a speaker is In Phase & a selling point of this model over the 4100i is the SPL Measure tool; allowing you to test overall system loudness. My gripe with the unit is I've no way to verify accuracy (other than it comes with a certificate saying it is). I run into an issue where I tune my system to a near-perfect curve one day, then go back the next day to verify (using the same controlled measurements) only to see the RTA is no longer as perfect as I had it. So my tuning is never "complete
Pros: Easy to Setup, Easy to Control Options, Strong Visual Layout, Built-In Tone Generator, Plug for Phone Charger, Polarity Checker & SPL Measure features, Flexible Interface makes tuning easy even for an amateur. Great tool for hobbyists.
Cons: Expensive. Said Hobbyist/Amateur can't easily verify product accuracy (mic can be recalibrated, but process seems to need professional knowledge). RTA has a tendency to change visually from "one day to the next" - even if you do NOTHING to the settings on your equipment & control the environment, the RTA will show you slightly different frequency readings each time you go to check your tuning. This keeps you stuck in the loop of feeling like it's never done because you have to keep correcting.
0 of 0 found this helpful
Excellent tool!!
Crutchfield customer from Gig Harbor, WA on 2/22/2021
Excellent tool!! I never used an ipad before and i was up and running in minutes. Thanks audio control and crutchfield!
Pros:
Cons: None
0 of 0 found this helpful
AudioControl SA-4140i SPL
Crutchfield customer from Sherwood, WI on 2/5/2020
I am getting great results using this product. I actively crossing over 9 channels and tuning the DSP is fairly straight forward using this thing.
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2 of 2 found this helpful
Great product
Crutchfield customer from Honolulu, HI on 4/19/2019
Great tool for any car audio installer or audio technician. The app has more than just a rta, it also has a speaker polarity test and more. Great product.
Pros: The app is very useful
Cons: None
3 of 3 found this helpful
needs improvment
exclusive sounds from Brighton, MI on 10/17/2018
cool idea, app is easy to use, if you just want to have a ball park db meter its great for you. bought mainly to test out the RTA feature and it was sub par when using in real audio installation situation
Pros: easy to use, fun for a hobbyist
Cons: not accurate do not try and replace any of your current shop equipment with this
3 of 5 found this helpful
