LinearX LX500

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Hi Mates,

I am looking for an audio analyzer to buy. I was quite resolved for an AP 515 when my attention was distracted by this unpresuming box:

LX500 - Precision Audio & Acoustic Analyzer - 1

Does anyone has experience with it? Does it compare with the 515? It cost about half the price. What about its software?

Basically I am looking for investigating small signal stages. FFT, THD+N and other basic measures...

Many thanks
 
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That's an old thread and for professionals it may not be ideal. It was designed for manufacturing environments in China which is why its so cheap. I have had good results and find its well suited to mobile electronics. Its not for acoustics and needs help for dealing with higher signal levels. However at the price your options are quite limited. You could get a used analog analyzer or a soundcard and then deal with software and system instabilities. It depends on what you want from your measurement efforts. If you need state of the art its really only a few options and they are all $25K +.
 
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Its pretty easy to see the amplitude of the individual harmonics and there is a cursor to measure them. It does do an accurate calculation of the THD and THD + N. As an analyzer is pretty easy to use once you get comfortable with the controls. As a source its a little unusual since the source is not continuous so using it as a source to something else won't be useful. For $200 its a good deal and has good support behind it.
 
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Unfortunately, eBay prices on used analyzers has gone up a lot since we have been modifying and recommending models --- The prices for a used Boonton, HP or other are now a bad choice and poor value. That was not the case a couple years ago. The QA400 now looks better than ever as the Go-To product for low cost, quick and easy measurement of basic audio distortion harmonics (FFT and THD), IMO.

I have Linear X products since day-one for acoustics measurements. Even went up to the head quarters and took their training course for 3 days. They are very comprehensive in features. Not easy to learn on your own. I would expect their new test instrument to be similar. Much more can been done with them and the price seems fair. But for just the basic FFT/THD test, the QA400 is the one.

THx-RNMarsh
 
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Hi RNMarsh and thank you for your feedback.

I went on the LinearX website and products related to LX700 result out of stock at the date of today

Also the website has a 1995-2004© despite we are in 2014.

I got a bad impression from the website. And the website is today the business card of every serious company, imo.

I am quite surpized they do not offer a serial audio output interface module for their mainframe.

So you confirm the products are good quality and they are still on business and supportive?
 
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They are good quality. No idea if they are even still in business, though. Just a hell of a lot of bells and whistles in them to sort thru. versatile to a fault. Would have liked to see setups in advance for the common tests we all do. But it is buried so I gave up on it. No patience even after the course. Might be great for an advanced user in the field..... not a hobbyist. Now it sits in a shelf unused and lonely.

THx-RNMarsh
 
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Sorry any one has experience with this :
PC USB Oscilloscopes, Spectrum Analyzers, Signal Generators, Audio and Acoustic Analyzers - Virtins Technology
I planned to buy their hardware after do some measurement with their software and I found its very easy to use.
my configuration just an ISOMAX trafo from jensen and MAudio DUO USB sound card there is no difficulries to do measurement in 100dB range I verify the measurement with my friend 8903B there is not much differences. the price also look ok to.

Sorry I do not have economic relation to them just want to share my experience.
their also very quick in respond my email.
 
The outcome of my research lead to this that arrived today in my geeky hands...
 

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