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Technical Pro VU Meter Review

Rate this product:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 78 88.6%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 7 8.0%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 2 2.3%

  • Total voters
    88

KxDx

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Radio Shack actually made a similar item back in the 80s that was somewhat useful and functional. Minus the outlet strip thing on the back.

I remember them being hooked up in the store, and it actually SHOWING a relatively accurate decibel rating.
Not perfection, but why can it not be done today, with even radio shack accuracy....sad.
Ooh! I used to have one of those!
 

Dogen

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A very cool idea for a product! Too bad they messed it up so badly.
 

EXIF68

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I like this VU-Meters
 

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magicscreen

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Christmas-lights for audiophiles. There are no bad products, only bad marketing.*
* I jest
A real audiophile will not use christmas-lights. Pfffff.
Ordinary users who like Christmas, yes, they will. Btw every house party/disco had an organ of light.
You stare at the graphs, how much better is that?
 

beagleman

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Apart from providing a bit of a light show and/or some visual interest, what's the point of a VU meter? It doesn't show levels or actual loudness so why bother? I can understand using a true-peak meter, I can even understand using a Type 1 PPM (as I do) or even a Type 2 PPM with BBC 1-7 scale if that's what one's used to, but VU? Virtually Useless.

S.
Yikes, you must be fun at parties....

a WORKING VU meter is useful. Maybe not to you obviously.
 

Harmonie

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Reminds me this:

1644961097609.png


Naa,

we prefer VU-meters



vu-meter.gif
 
OP
amirm

amirm

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For people wondering why I am testing this, a number of us like to have something moving when listening to music like we did in the old days with VU meters. I have RME ADI-2 DAC and I am frequently looking at its spectrum analyzer. Sometimes I play a track and there is no sound and I think nothing is playing but then the display shows that there is but the volume of the content is low. With my Reel to Reel tape deck, I keep looking at its VU meters and it is fascinating.

There are software visualizations but the problem with them is latency. Usually they are not in sync with the music like a hardware/analog one would be, sharply reducing the level of enjoyment/usefulness in my book. In a perfect world, I like to have graphic VU meters in the amplifier that can be switched to spectrum analyzer like RME.
 

m8o

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If I were to use any meter I would put an Aphex 124A buffer set to unity gain between the source signal and the meter. They are a dime a dozen on eBay; okay, maybe more like $50 but you get the idea.

@amirm Btw, I have many of those buffers going unused. If you'd like to kick the tires on one let me know. There is a pretty good chance that any music mixed in the analog era passed the signal thru one or more of them. Might be nice to see the "envelope of harmonic imperfections" added to every source signal's musical waveform.
 
Last edited:

Ralph_Cramden

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For people wondering why I am testing this, a number of us like to have something moving when listening to music like we did in the old days with VU meters. I have RME ADI-2 DAC and I am frequently looking at its spectrum analyzer. Sometimes I play a track and there is no sound and I think nothing is playing but then the display shows that there is but the volume of the content is low. With my Reel to Reel tape deck, I keep looking at its VU meters and it is fascinating.

There are software visualizations but the problem with them is latency. Usually they are not in sync with the music like a hardware/analog one would be, sharply reducing the level of enjoyment/usefulness in my book. In a perfect world, I like to have graphic VU meters in the amplifier that can be switched to spectrum analyzer like RME.
I kinda like having a DIN PPM right on top of the RME.

AVvXsEhwMCVFp548v0m0Ej8K41oxJ1MocD9LBIRs_CAKVMJoewVkB08DlVvr3bqCn2TkjB9PNvNNoUOAzyJuk9VXGCJhpNaNpT5ihwdsoJaZMxxrSNXme4QY5X8Uy4f0PgcAB358OdL2qpzBrqGXpPtiJtoPJ-uYCH8nleIEqwhQCJ9w3IjTgpcyPzv3SnKTEg=s2048
 

MC_RME

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You post these wonderful things all the time, yet I haven't seen a detailed description of how to achieve this. Others asked for that as well, even in this thread. Why not open a thread where you explain all the details, setup, parts, software, sources...?
 

Ralph_Cramden

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MC_RME

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Still might get one though, just for a 1U power distribution, as long as it doesn't to a Carver on me.
Even for simple power distribution it is totally overpriced. Look here, 8 outlets, central fuse and switch, 19" rack format, price below 10 bucks...

 

beagleman

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For people wondering why I am testing this, a number of us like to have something moving when listening to music like we did in the old days with VU meters. I have RME ADI-2 DAC and I am frequently looking at its spectrum analyzer. Sometimes I play a track and there is no sound and I think nothing is playing but then the display shows that there is but the volume of the content is low. With my Reel to Reel tape deck, I keep looking at its VU meters and it is fascinating.

There are software visualizations but the problem with them is latency. Usually they are not in sync with the music like a hardware/analog one would be, sharply reducing the level of enjoyment/usefulness in my book. In a perfect world, I like to have graphic VU meters in the amplifier that can be switched to spectrum analyzer like RME.


If this device would have worked as described, I was going to buy a couple instantly, for fun and to just see relative levels of sound. But......:(
 

P_M

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there was a time 20 years ago when I bought a 10-band (per ch) equalizer only for the lights on each slider/pot and the vu levels :)
 

Ralph_Cramden

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I would love to learn how to do this. Can you point to a knowledge base of content that explains how to. Thanks
Set up a Raspberry Pi Zero with an inexpensive DAC HAT like this one. Install piCorePlayer. Hook its analog output to the VU meter's input. Group or synch this player with the squeezelite player you're using for your music in LMS - they'll be in perfect synch with no lag.
 
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