Douk Audio VU56 PRO MIC & Analog Sound Level Meter, LED Music Spectrum Visualizer, Audio Splitter with Remote Control

lots of noise for such a small device

Remember - it needs a power adapter/cord!

Update:It seems that this product introduces a buzzing sound in my chain, essentially this makes it a poor product for audio passthrough.--- Original Review ---Good for what it is, it's useful in my case to see which equipment in my chain is causing clipping at a glance, however gain adjustment is very limiting vs other similar products since it only is able to adjust ±3dbOtherwise, it does passthrough really well.

Bought this item to monitor sound levels and it back fed into my system almost taking out my entire system. Followed the instructions, though it is pretty idiot proof, worked well the 1st time I powered it on. 2nd time it didn't read right and back fed into the main system causing the protection system to light up and shut the system down. Took some diagnostic work but once this was removed the system worked as it should. Everything is plugged into a true surge protector with the protector being turned off after the system is shut down. So I know it is not a power surge that caused this.

This is my first review on AMAZON. I had to take the time to show my appreciation for this piece of gear. I won't waist time explaining how it works, because only the people who already understand the many uses would be here reading this review in the first place. I will say that there was only a difference of maybe 1-2 dB's when comparing levels between this meter, my TASCAM UH-7000 and my Focusrite ISA-1. If I were to make a suggestion, it would be to add a digital input (optical/coax) or passthrough to give it the most precise source as possible. Visually, It makes my setup feel "BIG". There is something to be said about those flashing bars while in a dim room with ambient lighting that makes you feel like a "PRO" who just happens to be working from home. Almost like a mastering setup, where the engineer is focusing on a stereo mixdown. So whether u want it for easy to read levels or because the lights make u feel all "MUSICy", it's worth it, at least to me it is. Thanks DOUK! Good Looks!

It is as advertised - no more or less, with one exception. It is not a frequency analyzer, only a sound level measuring device that works well for line voltage and ambient volume with the microphone. In my environment the ambient measurements matched pretty well with my hand held sound level meter set to the 80db range which perfectly serves my reason for purchasing the device.One strange quirk I ran into was that the remote conflicted with one of my other devices, but this is not a fault of the product.

This device has eight dancing light display modes, selected using the remote control. Most of them are only eye candy, as is any use of the built-in microphone. It is somewhat useful in the first three display modes as an audio level meter for a line-level audio source. For this purpose, it has both a VU (RMS) mode and a PPM (peak to peak) mode, which you select by pressing either 5 for VU or 6 for PPM on the remote control. I found the VU mode to be calibrated as specified, in that 0db is about 0.775Vrms. However, on the unit I received, 0db in PPM mode corresponded to about 0.775Vpp, which is a much lower level than the 1.5Vpp specified and corresponds to about 0.274Vrms.. I verified this with a sine wave test signal and a digital oscilloscope.

This audio level meter has a compact design, and looks good. However, when trying to use it, it kept switching back to microphone mode. Anyone using this as a true audio signal meter has no use for the microphone feature, so I removed the microphone module from the circuit board, which eliminated the problem. Would be nice if it had some trim pots to calibrate the levels with, which I will likely add to the unit. The remote control allows you to control some settings not accessible on the unit itself. The remote is very small and uses a button cell battery, which can be inconvenient to find. Overall, I like the device, but it is not really designed for the professional audio user.