Any experience with them? Longevity? Quirks?
Thanks,

for $50.00 a radio shack cat # 33-2055 has been pretty good to me. i typically use mine for monitoring in the control room, checking bleed, ambient noise of rooms, sometimes on sources (cause i am curious). it is easy to use and is used by a surprising number of audio type people.

edit:

if it doesn't work for you, take it back for a refund.

I second this Radio Shack emotion. I actually have both this digital model and the old VU meter one--having the needle is good for average level, but the digital catches transients better and will log max and min and whatnot. I use mine in live situations generally, though, being a FOH guy. There are better meters for more critical situations, but if you're just wanting to check how long you can stand the current level before real damage happens or trying to stay out of trouble with the fuzz, this one will do it, and at a fraction of the price.

Plus it'll match your Tandy goggles.

There are many software options, too, though, if you want to use something like this with a reference mic. It's a solid piece of gear you can carry around with you, and you won't have to keep calibrating a meter. I do that at work, running into SmaartLive on a laptop, but I'm sure there are less expensive [maybe opensource?] options. It lets you do all kinds of fancy analyses, though, so you can tell just how badly your Bose Panaray system blows.

Fuckin' Panaray.

what is it about north carolinians and quality? seems to surpass those northern folk. thank you both. as for the rest of you, i thought you were my answer team. i really did.

hardware is the way i roll...

edit:
my northern roots are overlooked? i'll rule your northland!


take a ride eyahy...