A Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter is a device specifically designed to measure the magnitude

of sound pressure at a given point. During a site survey for an AV installation, its primary and

most direct application is to quantify the ambient noise level, also known as the noise floor. This

measurement is a critical piece of data, as it establishes the baseline against which the new audio

system's performance will be designed. It directly informs the required sound reinforcement levels

to achieve a satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for clear speech intelligibility or program

audio.

CertEmpire.com

1. AVIXA. (2020). CTS Certified Technology Specialist Exam Guide, Third Edition. McGraw-Hill.

Page 68, Chapter 3: "You should measure the ambient noise in the room using a sound pressure

level (SPL) meter... This information will help you determine the audio requirements for the

space."

2. Everest, F. A., & Pohlmann, K. C. (2015). Master Handbook of Acoustics, Sixth Edition.

McGraw-Hill. Page 43, Chapter 3: "The sound-level meter is the workhorse of acoustical

measurements... It is essentially a device for measuring sound pressure."

3. Ballou, G. (Ed.). (2015). Handbook for Sound Engineers, Fifth Edition. Focal Press (an imprint

of Taylor & Francis, an academic publisher). Page 1315, Chapter 36: "The first step in any sound

system design is to measure the ambient noise level of the space."