Now that I own both SpectraFoo Complete and Smaart 7 and have used them both enough to have an opinion, which one would I choose if I could only have one? If it was for measuring sound systems, I would go with Smaart because of the Live IR function, delay tracker and the ability to have multiple overlapping transfer function traces active at the same time. These three things are a game changer in my opinion.
Rational Acoustics – Smaart 7 webpage
This isn’t say that SpectraFoo Complete can’t get the job done. In fact I tend to use SFC for most transfer functions just because I’ve spent more time with the app and know it so well.
Another thing I like about Smaart 7 is that I can capture the FR, PR, Coherence and IR at the same time. For someone like me who wants to share my results, this is ideal. Otherwise I’m left to take lots of screenshots which are hard to manage and impossible to revisit.
Why must one choose between cake and ice cream? I believe that the strengths of both apps used for the right purpose justify the cost of both applications. Metric Halo has lowered the retail price for SpectraFoo & SpectraFoo Complete enough to where I think anyone who works with audio would benefit from having it.
SpectraFoo Complete has instruments designed specifically for studio use (bit scope, bit range meter, phase torch, phase scope, power balance meter, vast level metering options (multitrack audio and Bob Katz K metering), THD analyzer, etc… as well as instruments for live audio purposes. Very useful.
