[f1shy]

You can measure all the parameters you want. The question is: does it really matter? I know many doctors, and one of my favorite questions is about stethoscopes: I have unanimously the answer "I could just roll a piece of paper and if the room is quiet enough, I can do my work". My grandpa used one made out of wood, just a cone. Once, I was fascinated by a Littmann, with bluetooth audio, I told a friend doctor, that would be great (thinking about a present) the answer was "That is all hype, I can do with a $2 piece exactly the same". I pointed out the possibility to record the sound, to possibly defense in case of being sued: she laughed out loud, said is unpractical to record everything, would take too much time, and again, just a toy.

[morkalork]

Lots of nurses and EMTs swear by the amplified Bluetooth stethoscopes but unlike a Dr working in a nice quiet office, they're often in much noisier conditions.

[bombcar]

The difference between a $100 mic and one that costs ten to a hundred times as much is not how well they work in perfect conditions, but how well they work in the worst conditions imaginable.

Doctors often have the seniority and authority to make the room quiet; nurses and EMTs are often working in much different conditions.

[matheusmoreira]

> I could just roll a piece of paper and if the room is quiet enough, I can do my work

That is true. The job is certainly doable. It's also possible to press one's ear against the patient's body to directly listen to the sounds without any tools whatsoever. Stethoscope was itself invented because a male doctor doing that to a woman's chest was uncomfortable for obvious reasons.

There is some kind of difference between a good littmann and a cheap stethoscope. My experience is that the important sounds are just easier to hear with the littmann. Would love to know why that is, and why the cheap ones just can't seem to match it.

[dlcarrier]

Handling recorded data opens up more paths to a lawsuit than it heads off.