Silicon photomultiplier devices (SiPM) were investigated as a possible front-end detector system for the electromagnetic barrel calorimeter of the GlueX Project at Jefferson Laboratory, USA, and compared against a traditional two inch vacuum photomultiplier tube. The SiPM has gain and timing resolution comparable to that of a PMT, requires a simple electronic circuit and is not sensitive to magnetic fields. These attributes allow us to conclude that it is feasible to use the SiPM as a frontend detector for this calorimeter.
