Spectrum/Audio Analysers

[unabridged]

Hello there - I have finally joined this forum after years of watching it and getting truly excellent advice from it :)

 

Anyway, I am doing a project at the moment, the fine details of which aren't really important (and could be seen as a bit boring anyway :( )but I plan to use a spectrum analyser and an audio analyser to have a look at some audio signals (note that they will have been passed through an amp so we will be talking taking measurements from the speaker level output)

 

Problem is I have never used either pieces of equipment - so was wondering if anyone could recommend a particular site that could give me a brief introduction to this kind of equipment? I have googled around and there are lots of articles, but was hoping someone could suggest a good "introduction" to these bits of kit, so I can gain some knowledge on their use.

 

specifically the bits I have available are HP ones: the 3580A spectrum analyser, and the 8903 A or 8903 B Audio Analyser, if that makes any difference.

 

 

thanks in advance!

[paulears]

Might be worth adding in a convention scope so you can also see the waveform at the same time as looking at the spectrum - makes a bit more sense of what could be happening - the spectrum analyser is a simple way of seeing harmonics and spurious outputs that shouldn't be there, while the scope displays the integrity of the signal - leaving the audio analyser to look for noise and other artefacts.

 

We can't really help on how to do the tests as you haven't mentioned what you're up to?

[mervaka]

I'm looking at getting myself a DSO in the near future. I think I'm right in saying that the ones that can do fourier transforms can do frequency analysis.

[audiomik]

unabridged

would suggest that your first step would be to read the Manuals for the HP instruments as a starting point.

These are very informative and provide information on test set-ups as well:

HP3580A Manual available at:

http://www.ebaman.com/index.php/remository...yzers/HP-3580A/

HP 8903 at:

http://www.schematicsunlimited.com/?z=HP-agilent

The 8903 is fundamentally a Distortion analyser which will provide you with the percentage distortion of a steady state sinewave.

without further information of what it is that you want to actually test or measure then any further advice will be difficult, but both instruments are designed for 'steady-state' signal tests and not for program material which requires real time analysis.

 

Mervaka

watch specs of FFT analysis in DSO's as many only provide linear frequency display for the X axis - unlike the Log display we like for Audio

 

Mik

 

Edit: typos!

[AndyL]

Hello there - I have finally joined this forum after years of watching it and getting truly excellent advice from it :D

 

Anyway, I am doing a project at the moment, the fine details of which aren't really important (and could be seen as a bit boring anyway :P )but I plan to use a spectrum analyser and an audio analyser to have a look at some audio signals (note that they will have been passed through an amp so we will be talking taking measurements from the speaker level output)

 

Problem is I have never used either pieces of equipment - so was wondering if anyone could recommend a particular site that could give me a brief introduction to this kind of equipment? I have googled around and there are lots of articles, but was hoping someone could suggest a good "introduction" to these bits of kit, so I can gain some knowledge on their use.

 

specifically the bits I have available are HP ones: the 3580A spectrum analyser, and the 8903 A or 8903 B Audio Analyser, if that makes any difference.

 

 

thanks in advance!

 

I appreciate that you probably need to use the equipment that you have available already but I think you should probably take a look at the Prism Sound dScope III.