Are 1/3 octave spacings enough?

1/3 Octave spacings are enough for some things, but not for all. We chose the 1/3 octave spacings on our test CD because of what it's being used for. It's a basic measurement and it's being used primarily with the RS meter. This will give you a reasonable idea of the overall frequency response. It will not give you detailed information such as energy time curves, but you can't do that without a spectrum analyzer anyway. Oddly enough the 1/3 octave spacing yields the same results when setting up our PARC as does our very sophisticated software. I was very surprised by this myself--but time and time again and 2 reviewers later and the results are consistent.

As to the software--it's actually more reasonable than you think. We sell the ETF software for $150--and it is really incredible what it can do for you. You can even use the RS meter as a mic input (we have the calibration files for it). Of course the RS meter is not as good as a calibrated microphone, but it does surprisingly well.

Rives Software and Measurement Tools

"Oddly enough the 1/3 octave spacing yields the same results when setting up our PARC as does our very sophisticated software. I was very surprised by this myself--but time and time again and 2 reviewers later and the results are consistent."

Thanks for this info. It puts my mind at ease :P The test CD is officially on my Christmas list and if I don't get it I'll buy it myself. The ETF software sounds very interesting and I will review again once I get a better laptop.