Re: Measurement equipment for beginners?
What are you hoping to achieve? Depending on the gear you have, thousands of dollars in measurement gear aren't going to make enough of a difference versus just setting it up and tuning by ear. Using the DriveRack auto EQ can be helpful, but I've never ended up using what it suggested. The problem with a system like that is it is only checking the EQ at that exact location. Unless your speakers are producing exactly linear results in the entire room (pretty much impossible) then the EQ adjustment isn't going to help for the rest of the room. It's really helpful in your home theater when you can put the mic right at your favorite chair and get the EQ right that way.
For a low cost entry into SMAART stuff, getting the iPhone module for Audio Tools is extremely cost effective. It does work with the built in mics, but realize that the calibration is going to be non existent that way. However, you can still make use out of it to fix major problems, or to see if the results are different from room to room.
In all reality though, if you learn how to properly deploy your gear in the first place, the improvement that you'll make by having measurement tools onsite is going to be quite small, especially for smaller systems.
