I designed and built my "Sound Level Indicator" project 9 years ago and it has operated continuously 24/7 ever since. Its original 9V Ni-Cad rechargeable battery failed after a few years and was replaced by a Ni-MH 9V battery. I hardly ever use the battery, just to demonstrate this project to people who have not seen it before.
When sound levels are low, its gain is 1820 times and when levels become high it reduces the gain to 182 times. Then its total range is 50dB, from fairly quiet to fairly loud. It shows all audio frequencies because it has no filters. The bass beat in music and my dogs barking are the strongest sound levels it shows.