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Annual acoustic, biennial exhaustive

Audiometer Calibration to ANSI S3.6

A functional or biological check before each day of use - you do this, not us. An acoustic calibration annually, verifying output levels, frequencies, linearity and crosstalk against the standard. An exhaustive calibration every two years,…

The three levels, and how often each is due

A functional or biological check before each day of use - you do this, not us. An acoustic calibration annually, verifying output levels, frequencies, linearity and crosstalk against the standard. An exhaustive calibration every two years, covering the full specification. Skipping the daily check is the most common gap, and it is the one that catches a fault while it is still one day of tests rather than a year of them.

What we actually measure

Output sound pressure level at each frequency against the reference equivalent threshold, frequency accuracy, harmonic distortion, attenuator linearity across the range, crosstalk between channels, and rise and fall times of the tone. Earphone cushions are checked and replaced when hardened - a cushion that has gone stiff changes the acoustic seal and quietly shifts every threshold you record.

Out of tolerance, and what it means for past tests

If an instrument is found outside tolerance we report the as-found readings before adjustment, not just the corrected as-left figures. That matters: as-found data is what lets you judge whether audiograms taken since the last calibration are still usable, or whether a cohort needs retesting. A certificate showing only as-left values withholds exactly the information you need.

Certificates that survive an audit

Instrument make, model and serial number. Date. Standard applied. As-found and as-left data. Traceability to national standards through the reference equipment used, with its own calibration status. Next due date. Anything less is a sticker, not a certificate.

More from Audiometer Maintenance

Sources

Primary regulations and standards referenced above. Where a standard is published commercially it is named in full rather than linked to a copy.