Your quote indicates that there is no "right" answer. The ear's variable frequency response as a function of SPL is why preamps used to have "Loudness" controls. Nowadays you have to play with the tone controls, but they have become rare in modern preamps, if not completely extinct. This is "progress"?
question on using my SPL meter
I've got a new toy, a Phonic PAA2 Audio Assistant that has an SPL meter with a 31 band spectrum analyzer. The manual tells how to operate it but doesn't offer much in the way of practical advice. From what I can gather from looking around the web I should be using pink noise, but I'm not sure about the weighting. It will let me use flat, A, or C.
I found the info below on one site but I found others that say to always use A. Any idea which is correct.
"For the most part, "A" weighting is used for relatively low level SPLs in the range of 20 to 55 dB and it's response curve correlates most closely to the ear's frequency response at these low listening levels. "B" is used for measuring moderate SPLs between 55 and 85 dB and the "C" weighting network is used for measuring SPLs of 85 dB or more. "
I found the info below on one site but I found others that say to always use A. Any idea which is correct.
"For the most part, "A" weighting is used for relatively low level SPLs in the range of 20 to 55 dB and it's response curve correlates most closely to the ear's frequency response at these low listening levels. "B" is used for measuring moderate SPLs between 55 and 85 dB and the "C" weighting network is used for measuring SPLs of 85 dB or more. "