Before the decibel—Sound measurements—Physical, aural, electrical

Efforts and methods to measure absolute or relative quantities of sound prior to establishment of the decibel will be discussed. Starting with Rayleigh, we will discuss early methods of physical measurement, aural observation methods at Riverbank Laboratories, early microphone development the origin of the audiometer, early contributions of Wente at Western Electric, the first practical portable direct measuring sound meter, and early efforts to evaluate community noise using audiometers.