Arny Krueger wrote:
Having access to a computer, soundcard and microphone
requires none of those things. Yet many still think
their results are beyond reproach.

Chauvenism aside, the results one gets with intelligent
procedures, intelligent equipment choices, and the use of a
computer, soundcard and microphone does serve one's
technical interests a whole lot better than a 10-band audio
analyzer.

So, you say that good technical measurements require the
following ingredients:

1. Intelligent procedures
2. Intelligent equipment choices

I would agree.

I would further point out that the majority of audio measurements
are done using, at most, only one of the two above.

Thus, having made "intelligent equipment choices" does NOT,
as suggested, automatically mean that the results are better
than some random 10-band real-time analyzer.

Case in point: a modern PC and sound card choice running FFT-
based software can easily show that a stable, very low distortion
sine wave has lots of sideband distortion and jitter, simply
because the person running it doesn't understand the issues
of window edge discontinuity and proper windowing techniques.
The very same signal, measured two different ways, could exhibit
itself as a pure, single-bin spike or something with wide, shallow
skirts that extend to the band edges, all because of differences
in procedures.

In the hands of someone who does NOT understand these sorts of
subtleties, I would argue, based not only on theory but on watching
people doing it, that they're probably better off with the
equivalent of a 1/3 or 1/2 octave real-time analyzer.

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...
Chauvenism aside,

An extreme interpretation.

the results one gets with intelligent
procedures, intelligent equipment choices, and the use of a
computer, soundcard and microphone does serve one's
technical interests a whole lot better than a 10-band audio
analyzer.

The results one gets with either need to be interpreted properly and not
taken as gospel.
Some knowledge and experience is usually required.

MrT.