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There are, in my mind, three levels of distortion analyzer for the home tech to consider. First is the HP330 series, which seem to last forever, stay in good tune, and provide very useable results. It is the least expensive option, and probably the best value for occasional use. It requires about a minute to null out the signal to obtain the noise reading, but is well worth it for the cost savings for mild use. Next is the Sound Technology 1700 family. Costing around twice as much, it will appeal for more regular usage, as it provides faster answers with less fiddling, as well as a very nice low distortion signal generator in addition to the analyzer functions. It probably can read lower levels better than the HP, but either should be fine for almost all audio equipment work. This unit - the HP8903a - is the next step up. Cost here is double the prior unit, so it really isn't practical unless you're doing lots of test work, or just like the best regardless of the price. Like the ST1700, it offers low distortion signal generation, allowing it to do two jobs in one box, but adds a lot of automation. With this one, everything is selected by entering what you want via the keyboards, making it quick to use once you learn the commands. Essentially, this one incorporated a computer along with the analog test gear to make it easy to use and even programmable. Perhaps the biggest boost to productivity is that once you request distortion to be measured, it does everything by itself - no tuning in of the value required as it was with the prior two. And, if you wanted to do a sweep of the audio band and measure distortion along the way, all that is just a few commands and it's off and running. It's supposedly possible to interface to a PC to collect the data directly, as well as automate the operation of the unit via PC control, though I haven't tried this yet. I do suspect this unit would be much harder to repair than the others, given all the computer componentry involved, but given it's an HP, they may go a long time before that's an issue. All three do a great job of measuring distortion. What it comes down to is how much you want to spend, and how many extras you feel you need to suit your requirements. As noted above, you can't beat the HP330 series for cost, and it gets the job done. If you want/need the generator built in, the ST1700 series may be worth the extra cost, and they are beautiful, though big. But, if you are willing to pay the price, the HP8903a is without a doubt the fanciest of the bunch, and can provide time savings that may add up to being worthwhile if you do enough work with it. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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