Dial display stethoscopes are commonly used in vehicles to help identify issues such as worn bearings, broken gear teeth, and wind and air leaks. Set their sensitivity to match your environment using the high/low switch. High sensitivity will better detect quiet sounds but might be too reactive in loud environments. Low sensitivity is a better choice for noisy environments, since loud sounds can damage your hearing when further amplified.

Digital display stethoscopes are an upgrade from those with a dial display. Designed for sophisticated machinery, they’re often used to inspect precision bearings. A user-friendly screen makes it easy to operate these stethoscopes with no special training. Volume levels are displayed both in digits and graphs so you can accurately compare across multiple measurements. An output jack lets you connect a recording device to document sounds, so you can play back noises to track progress and confirm issues are resolved. They come with recorded example noises to teach you the sounds of both functioning parts and specific problems—a damaged outer ring, for example—so you can pinpoint issues before opening your equipment.