Nobsound 14x24 Music Spectrum Audio Spectrum Sound Level LED Level Meter Display Analyzer for HiFi (Black)

My usage scenario:I build speakers as a hobby. When I'm testing different combinations of speaker drivers in order to pick a set for a project, I usually use a Real-Time Audio analyzer called "RTA" running on my laptop while listening. The RTA display combined with sound anomalies help me weed out poorly matched drivers which will be troublesome to combine. RTA can make super accurate measurements but they are complete overkill when I'm just trying to figure out which of the speaker drivers is not playing well with others. Plus, it makes it a pain to use my laptop for other measurements or to change my ever-evolving component list for that project. That's one reason I ordered two of these LED Audio Spectrum SPL displays. So far, I love them, but I had to adjust my thinking to the way they display the frequency band. Normal audio spectrum analyzers use a logarithmic scale which shows a lot of detail in the low-to-mid frequencies but compresses the entire high-frequency range into about 1/4 of the chart smashed against the right edge. These LED displays seem to be using a linear scale, which spreads the entire frequency spectrum evenly across the entire display. That's perfectly fine as long as you know in advance and keep it in mind while deciphering the information on the display. Keep in mind that the columns of LEDs are not labeled in any way. So, you have to figure out the frequencies on your own. I used these devices side-by-side with the RTA software for a bit so that I could see how the sounds mapped between the two different scales. So, now I have a "good-enough" estimate in my head of which frequencies I'm seeing on the LEDs.Other nice details:I was a little surprised that these displays were somewhat configurable. There are 3 buttons on the back which you use in combinations of short presses or long presses to do things like adjust the LED brightness or increase/decrease the update speed of the LEDs. Another pleasant surprise was the fact that in addition to the usual Chinese instruction sheet, they tossed a quite usable English instruction sheet into the box. It made it simple to figure out all the customizations.Each of these includes a built-in electret microphone on the bottom edge of the back side which does a surprisingly good job of "hearing" the full range of frequencies."Now, for the bad points:In addition to the microphones, the other form of input is a headphone jack. This might seem like a great addition, allowing you to test the music without picking up room noise. Normally, I would agree. Unfortunately, they forgot that when you plug these cables into most headphone jacks, the sound through the speakers shuts off. For this reason, I really wish they had added a pair of line in RCA jacks rather than a 3.5mm headphone plug on a relatively short cable. Line in wouldn't shut off the speakers and it would improve the accuracy/usefulness of these boxes.Last observation:I have to admit, I partly wanted a pair of these simply because they look cool while listening to music. I'm a big fan of visualizations in audio playback software. Yeah, that may sound stupid given the price of these, but I figure if you can find something that makes you even a tiny bit happier, grab it! And this is about what you would spend on a super rare imported SACD of a big name artist. If you can afford them (or catch them on sale) I recommend grabbing one or two.I've enjoyed mine a lot with the bonus of them actually being useful, too!

The media could not be loaded. I like it. Simple. The LEDs are nice and bright, with the perfect shade of blue. The upper row of red is a nice touch.My only complaint: the cord.It sticks out of the side. Wishing it had a similar setup to the switch dock where if it has to be horizontal, it's at least behind the device.Also, the coord seems proprietary (I've never seen a combo USB/3.5mm cable). To compound that negative, it's super short. You're pretty limited with what you can do with it unless you buy separate USB/3.5mm extensions.

The overal quality was cheap, and i actually found the pieces to assemble yourself for ridiculously cheap on e bay, regaurdless I kept it cause it looked great and was assembled. 7 months later it stopped worked, tested it and still nothing. Sorry i dont write reviews but its a rip off, the parts used in total do not cost more than $18, atleast if it lasted a year i would be somewhat ok with it

You can't really see these details in the pics provided so i added these but i got this because i wanted it to sit under my tv for some added cool effects and i am not disappointed.it works very well with the built in mic and does what its suppose to do and measures the live sound in the room,i could use the jack and then just the music will show on the spectrum but what fun is that,a cough a whistle or talking in the room and its working.yes it seems a bit pricey but its better quality than shown plus these types of gadgets are a little hard to come by unless you go for a DIY also i have a usb on the back of my tv so it is so easy to plug in and turns on with the tv and off with the tv,there is a little switch right above where the power cord plugs in but it is small and a little tough to switch.in the end its all about what you want it for.i really like it and glad i took chance on it.

Broke already. Overpriced. Measurements must be milameter because it is not 24 inch **update** Nobsound made things right

leds are very sharp any bigger might be annoying easy set up and use i like it

I really like this device because it looks fantastic. The leds are very bright easy to see with the lights on.My only complaint is that I wish they made a larger unit. If they had a one foot or two foot model - WOW!

Just got it today. Great idea with corners cut in execution. I love the light show, responsiveness, and customization. I HATE, HATE, HATE that the USB is on the side (instead of the back), the directions are 90% useless (but it's not hard to figure everything out by playing with it), it only picks up highs when directly in front of tweeters, and it costs WAY too much (they're selling for $45 with free shipping on other sites, so I ordered one from elsewhere, too - it'll get here in 3-4 weeks). I'll either build a custom enclosure (high-end finished wood or similar) incorporating an external microphone placed directly in front of a speaker or I'll return it. Not sure yet.Edit: I ended up using a pre-out from a splitter/mixer as the input on this device, and it works well. It still seems heavy on one side the hz scale, even after adjusting for high and low options, per the terrible instructions.I received the other significantly discounted unit from another site, which is exactly the same, and it arrived from China in a bunch of pieces after about 3 weeks, and I'll have to assemble it myself. Since I won't have time for that in the near future, I'm keeping both of them. But, just be aware, that if you buy this unit pre-assembled and want it quickly, you're paying about $90 for that convenience.