The Liechtenstein-based company has clearly put a lot of thought in designing the new XL3 Acoustic Analyzer. This is a Class 1 sound level meter that can serve as a detailed spectrum analyzer, reverberation time analyzer or sound insulation analyzer, working as a fully contained handheld instrument or remotely controlled and monitored.
The intuitive XL3 user interface is optimized for basic noise monitoring applications as well as offering extensive analysis tools for professionals. The sound level meter is fully networked and therefore allows operation and data access from any mobile device, being ready for 8 hours of battery operation when working in remote wireless mode.
The large 4.3" IPS color touch display offers a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. This allows the intuitive control of all measurement functions and presents noise level readings in large, clear digits. Users can even select between a traditional white, blue or black background theme and an additional haptic keypad with eight buttons controls the common instrument functions, such as power on/off for the XL3 and start/stop for the measurement.
The XL3 includes an integrated web server and file server accessible through the instrument's built-in Wi-Fi or LAN connectivity. This allows users to use any web browser on a smartphone, tablet or laptop to connect to the XL3 sound level meter through the NTi Connect service. This way, the instrument can be controlled by an authorized user from anywhere in the world. Alternatively, users can connect directly to the device's IP Address through a local network. As an example, this enables to measure sound levels directly from the sending room in building acoustics.
All measurement data can be easily downloaded without interruption to an ongoing measurement. To log prevailing weather conditions, a weather station can be added. Additionally, the online XL3 synchronizes to the actual time automatically using the ntp protocol. And using optional APIs, users can control the instrument to retrieve historical and current noise, audio and weather data, simplifying the integration into monitoring systems.
All measurement data is stored in an open txt-format on a removable 32GB SD card for download via USB-C. This capacity can be increased to terabytes of storage with a larger SD card or an external SSD. Additionally, an audio signal is recorded.
The XL3 is optimized for integration into customized noise monitoring applications - the sound level readings may be optionally streamed in an efficient binary format. At the same time the live audio is available online for identifying annoying noise sources.
The XL3 forms a class 1 sound level meter in combination with NTi's measurement microphones M2230 or M2340. All sound pressure levels are measured precisely at the same time and presented in large digits on the color display. Readings exceeding the preset limit turn red indicating non-compliance, while the data is logged in 1 second intervals and the audio is recorded simultaneously. This makes the XL3 a perfect tool for an easy investigation of noise complaints and long-term noise monitoring. Type approval is pending.
Additionally, the noise spectrum is measured in both octave or one-third-octave resolution, e.g. for tonality investigations, as well as the optional event-marker, back-erase and pre-trigger - all of which extend the sound level meter capabilities for effective attended environmental noise surveys.
The XL3 determines the frequency spectrum with a Class 1 filter bank in octave or one-third octave resolution between 6.3Hz and 20kHz. The minimum, maximum and average sound pressure levels of all frequency bands are measured in parallel. The frequency axis can be freely zoomed and scrolled to e.g. 125 Hz – 8 kHz for appliance noise investigations. The summed level of the selected frequency range is shown in the spectrum view at the same time.
The handheld instrument also measures the reverberation time in octave bands from 63Hz – 8kHz using the standardized T20 or T30. The room may be excited using an impulse source or an interrupted pink noise. The Acoustic Analyzer averages all the recorded decays for each measurement position automatically. Additionally, installing the Extended Room Acoustics Option enables reverberation time measurement in one-third octave resolution, visualizing the decay curve, calculating the spatial average of the room and simultaneous T30/T20/T15/EDT measurement on the XL3 Acoustic Analyzer. Additional quality indicators, such as linearity and curvature, describe the decay curve in accordance with the standard ISO 3382-2. An audio file of the level decay may be recorded for more detailed analysis.
The optional Building Acoustics module enables direct determination of airborne, impact and facade sound insulation on the XL3. Simply measure in the sending and receiving room and see the sound insulation values displayed for immediate compliance confirmation on-site. For additional partitions with the same source or receiving rooms, the XL3 offers time-saving features by re-using measurement data from previous measurements, e.g. reverberation time data or background noise measurements for a common receive room. In order to prevent any sound absorption from the user's body, the XL3 can be controlled from a mobile phone using Wi-Fi or the 4G/5G network. Generating the final measurement report for sign-off is easy utilizing the optional Sound Insulation Reporter PC Software.
The available optional software includes the Extended Noise Measurement Option for the more challenging tasks of noise consultants; the Extended Room Acoustics Option for extended reverberation time measurements; Sound Insulation Option for building acoustic applications; API Interface Option for integration of the XL3 Sound Level Meter into customer-specific monitoring solutions; and Type Approval Option (pending) for certified measurements.
NTi Audio also offers the NTi Connect 365 free service, which enables the online communication with the XL3 Acoustic Analyzer from anywhere around the world for easy and secure access to webpage and data files, up to 2 GB/month. The XL3 also works with NTi's existing Data Explorer, Room Acoustics Reporter, and Sound Insulation Reporter, PC-based software applications.
As NTi Audio confirms, the new XL3 sound level meter builds on the latest processor and display technologies to provide a comfortable user experience. High-performance hardware packed in a robust housing offers precise 96kHz data sampling in 32-bit resolution. With a frequency range from 0.3Hz to 45kHz, the XL3 is prepared for infra and ultra sound measurements. With single-range measurement and the automated sensor detection reading the electronic data sheet from the connected measurement microphone, the XL3 Acoustic Analyzer is indeed the equivalent of a Swiss Army knife for noise measurement professionals.
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