The behavior of soil under transient dynamic loading can be of interest in many security-relevant problems, such as ground shock on buried protective structures or disposal of unexploded ordnance in urban areas. For a good understanding of the material behavior, the first step to take is to perform a proper and consistent material characterization. While the dynamic material behavior of some construction materials has been broadly analyzed, a comparable investigation for soils is not yet available for the decisive pressure and stress-strain rate regime. Deformations and derived stresses are very difficult to predict, not only because the soil skeleton structure is complex, but also because the properties of each component are significantly different. One main experimental method used for the dynamic characterization of granular materials is the Split Hopkinson Bar (SHB), where strain rates up to several 102 s-1 can be achieved for granular materials. This work presents the optimization on the SHB acquisition data system. It includes a pressure chamber in order to obtain dynamic triaxial loading scenarios, the use of force foils for the derivation of stresses, and contactless measuring extensometer for the derivation of the strains. While the classic SHB theory derives stress and strain from the strain gauge signals, this acquisition method instead derives them from a more local and realistic point of view. A numerical SHB model was developed using AUTODYN hydrocode for further analysis. The results, based on the comparison between the experimental and numerical analysis, show how important it is to choose a proper acquisition data system.