I was curious how loud my apartment is. I live on a busy street. I waited until there was little to no traffic noise to do the test. I tried two iPhone apps.
| Category | Expected result | The free Decibel Meter app | The 99 cent DbVolume Meter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside my apartment | 35-45 | 55-60 | 44-46 |
| On my terrace (mild honking) | 50-60 | 75-80 | 50-60 |
| My normal speaking voice back inside | 50-60 | 75-85 | 50-55 |
| My voice when projecting back inside (like giving a speech or on the phone) | 60-70 | 90-100 | 57-60 |
Guess the free one is free for a reason. It’s highly inaccurate! All in all, an interesting experiment.