How many multi-meters do I need to start?

[Lightages]

It is amazing to me how people recommend old analog scopes to people who want to do only audio work. You might have a chance of getting something that works, but also a chance where nothing is within spec anymore. Yes a person who has $50might benefit from an analog scope because there isn't another choice, but there sin't anything a modern analog scope can't do. OK, some might be pretty shit for update rate on X-Y mode, but that is it. Everything else is far superior in a modern DSO to any old analog scope.

[tautech]

It is amazing to me how people recommend old analog scopes to people who want to do only audio work. You might have a chance of getting something that works, but also a chance where nothing is within spec anymore. Yes a person who has $50might benefit from an analog scope because there isn't another choice, but there sin't anything a modern analog scope can't do. OK, some might be pretty shit for update rate on X-Y mode, but that is it. Everything else is far superior in a modern DSO to any old analog scope.

Because the CRO learning curve isn't as steep much because WYSIWYG.
However the risk of 'cheapness' can be a mirage to a scope newbie that isn't likely to have the skills to keep an old CRO working.
Been there and done that......migrated to DSO's and won't go back !
Time at the bench is too valuable to be spent repairing test equipment.

Basic DSO usage isn't that complicated, certainly no more so than a CRO and in some ways easier for those that can't get their head around it by just using the Autoset button.

The first scope I used was at high school when I got permission to use one in the science lab to check the ripple on a home built valve HT PSU. I got the check done before my teacher asked how many volts did that 'thing' produced.
320VDC and IIRC ~3V ripple.  I was 13.

It was probably 30 years later before I got my own CRO and used one again. Like riding a bike, once learnt never forgotten. 

[jgalak]

I'm very much a newbie, but it seems to me that for someone only interested in audio freq and below, the Analog Discovery 2 is an amazing unit.  Scope (get the adapter board to use real probes), SpecAn, Network Analyzer, Arbitraty Waveform Generator, Logic Analyzer.  It's 12 bit (compared to a Rigol or Siglent's entry scopes, which are 8 bit).  And it's cheap.

If only it wasn't such low bandwidth....  But plenty for audio.

[byoungblood]

I'm in the you need two meters group. Swapping leads around just doesn't waste time, but it also deprives you of being able to observe both voltage and current simultaneously. Of course I can hook up my 'scope to act like a glorified volt meter, but for DC measurements or steady AC it is overkill.

I have a Fluke 179 plus a 20 year old RS meter that I bought when I worked there way back when. 

[daedalux]

I have lots of them, but I have to admit that the most useful for me has been the UNI-T mini current clamp with DC. It works quite good from about 100s of mA to 200A, even when not very precise, but no fuse or burden voltage. It's genius for automotive work.

Is one of the small thing, and measuring current without contact is the most safe way and you can't blow the meter.

The bad thing is that is not very confortable to use in voltage modes due to its form factor so i would add a common mA 10A COM V multimeter.