Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) Practice Exam

What weight setting should be used on the SPL meter to demonstrate that the noise level in an AV rack room doesn't require hearing protection?

1. A Weighted

2. C Weighted

3. Flat Weighted

4. Exclusive Weighted

The correct answer is: A Weighted

Using the A-weighted setting on the sound pressure level (SPL) meter is appropriate for assessing the noise level in an AV rack room to determine if hearing protection is necessary. The A-weighting filter simulates the human ear's response to sound, particularly at lower frequencies. It emphasizes mid-frequency sounds, which are more significant to human hearing, while attenuating very low and high-frequency sounds where human sensitivity is less. In environments like an AV rack room, where noise might stem from cooling fans, equipment operation, and other electronic components, using the A-weighted scale is standard practice. This allows for a measurement that reflects the potential impact of noise on human hearing, as it correlates more closely with the frequencies that could be harmful or disturbing to people working in or near that space. Other weight settings, such as C-weighted, are typically used for assessing peak levels of more intense sounds, when it's crucial to measure wide-band noise without frequency bias. Flat weighted measures all frequencies uniformly and is less common for occupational noise assessments, as it doesn’t account for the sensitivity of human hearing. Exclusive weighted is not a recognized term in standard acoustics practices related to this context, thus it wouldn’t be relevant here. Thus, using