Whats the difference between cheap and expensive stethoscopes?
I use a variety of stethoscopes every day because I am too lazy to carry one around and so just borrow whatever is handy. There is a lot of variation in sound quality and it doesn’t always relate to costs. As mentioned above, proper technique is important. Also the properties of the tubing (length, diameter, stiffness) all affect the frequency response of the system, and most stethoscopes have two sides, one for high frequency sounds and one for low frequency sounds. I got a bunch of these to keep around the OR and like them; they were only $5.00 apiece, if I remember correctly. They sound surprisingly good for that price. Because you are using a microphone the acoustics will be different, though. I would suggest trying a few different cheap models and seeing which works best; if you know anyone in the medical field you should be able to borrow a few without having to buy until you find one that works well.
