Digital Multimeter, which one?

Looking to buy an inexpensive multimeter to test with. Found two at home depot and was wondering which one to get. Both are made by Gardner Bender. They have a 19-range for $19.99 and a 32-range for $39.99. Will the 19-range work or do I need the 32-range. What's the difference. Excuse my ignorance but I've never used one before and was thinking of getting one to set the gains on my amp. Please advice. Thanks in advance, Heath

I don't know that company.  If yu want a reliable meter that is accurate and will last a long time, buy one from Fluke, Simpson or Biddle.  I always use Fluke meters.Support the12volt.com

I carry a Fluke Model 11 compact VOM in my car kit.  Can be purchased for around $75 and will outlast and outperform any $30 meter.  Plus I know when it tells me a voltage reading that I can rely on it to be correct!Support the12volt.com

GB is a respectable company in the HV electrical industry, but not as highly regarded as a Fluke or Simpson... (Not as expensive either, but I digress.) I have used GB gear for many years, and have had good luck with them, but for a first time meter, I'd look at Radio Shack. Here's a good little, (and I do mean LITTLE) meter perfect for doing what you want to do. I prefer analog meters, personally, (even though I do not use meters for gain setting...) they are a little more difficult to read, but their slower reaction time gives a better window into what is really happening in a circuit...It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

When I was in school a couple years ago, through a series of experiments in electronics class we learned that some inexpensive multimeters are not very accurate at any other frequency than 60 Hz for metering voltages and currents.  This was done on one of the trainer boards and by varying the voltage frequency but not the voltage level, the meter would read different voltages other than what was actually there.  More expensive(for lack of another way to describe it) meters were able to read the accurate voltage no matter what the frequency of it.  I use a GreenLee DM-100 and a GreenLee DM-110 myself.   The 100 was about $80 while the 110 was about $100(but I got that one on eBay for $50 and it's the nicer of the two).   The difference between them is that the 110 will read frequency and capacitance as well as volts, amps, and ohms.  Both meters are Autoranging, meaning that they automatically go to the range necessary to read the voltage output(either volts, kilovolts, megavolts, millivolts, microvolts, and so on)They were chosen because not only do they have a digital readout but they also function like a analog meter does, though the displayed needle movement is also digital.  I also had a GB digital meter that I gave about $10 for a while back, and it proved very inaccurate at other than 60Hz as well.  I have a friend who also went through that class with me and he had a Craftsman meter that he paid about $30 for.  It was also pretty accurate no matter the voltage frequency.  So you don't have to pay a lot for a good one, but you have to watch which ones you get.  Sometimes there is a better deal. audeogod

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While it is true that a "True RMS" meter would be your best option, any of the meters that have been mentioned in this thread will be JUST FINE and dandy for use in car audio. Even if you are using it to set your gains (which, as I said earlier, I personally wouldn't do) all you are looking for is a general point of reference. If you continue to turn the gain up, and your voltage doesn't increase, the amp is clipping - 'nuff said... Music is EXTREMELY dynamic, and by the time you are actually running MUSIC through everything, all of your static numbers you got, they go right out the WINDOW. Save the cash, especially if you are looking to buy a one-time use meter (or one you'll only ever use a few times), and get a little cheapie. You don't have to spend big money on a high-end meter, or even one with "True RMS", at least for this project.It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."