Just about a few years ago I started noticing that when any electronic in my house is turned on, (tv, laptop, etc.) I can here a steady low frequency noise. It’s loud enough for me to definitley know its there, but it’s not too loud where as it’s an annoyance. I tested this by having my TV on, and then turning it off; just as I turned it off, the noise I was hearing dissapeared. I tried the same experiment with having my phone plugged into a charger. When it was plugged in, I heard the noise. When it wasn’t plugged in, I didn’t hear the noise.
It’s almost as if the electronics are giving off some non-audible frequency that for some reason or another my ears can pick up.
This is probably really irrevelant, but just in case it has nearly anything to do with what I’m experiencing, my left eye is blue and my other eye is green. It’s not very noticible from a distance, but while looking in a mirror I surley notice it.
If anyone can figure out this “noise” i’m experiencing that’d be great. It’s such an odd phenomenon that i’m extremely curious to find out what’s really going on.
It’s not inaudible because you can hear it. There is nothing wrong with you, the noise is actually there. An engineer or some such will be able to explain it better than I.
How low-pitched are we talking, about three octaves below middle C? Many things that plug into wall power will hum slightly at 60 Hz (or 50 Hz, if you’re in Europe), the frequency of the alternating current.
We talked about this recently, though I’m too lazy to go looking for it. I haven’t experienced what the OP is describing since I was a kid, but I know what he’s talking about when he says it’s “inaudible”: for me it wasn’t like a sound at all, but a sensation almost of pressure that affected my eardrums. (Except I thought of it as extremely high pitched.)
I have this too, although I don’t think of it as hearing exactly. It’s almost like I can feel it.
When I was younger I somehow developed this weird ability to “sense” when I was getting a text message or a phone call. I would dig in my bag for my phone because I thought I felt it vibrate, and just as I flicked it open, then I would get the text/call. Dunno if this has anything to do with the OP though.
I was able to sense CRT TVs/monitors being on by their high pitched whine for a long, long time as a child. My parents never had any clue what I was talking about, so I assume their range of hearing had already diminished… I assume I can still hear them, but it’s hard to tell given that CRTs are sadly so rare these days. I think this is a fairly common ability though, at least among younger folks, and probably doesn’t have anything to do with Heretochromia.
As for the exact mechanism responsible for making the sound… well, I also don’t know. :o
A very high pitch is charateristic of a switching power suppy. And indeed it can sometimes be perceived as a pressure or sort of undefinable sensation, but one that doesn’t resolve to a clear tone. Switching power supplies are becoming ubiquitous. They are becomming cheaper all the time, they are more efficient than transformers and are smaller and lighter. Also they are agnostic towards input voltage and frequency (at least within the range of worldwide mains power.)
Anyhting you own that has a universal power supply (i.e. something like 48-65 Hz, 100 to 250 volts) is a switcher.
Power lines are 50 or 60 Hz, depending on where you live. Transformers and such will therefore tend to vibrate at these frequencies, producing what is often called “transformer hum”. If it is low frequency hum then this is probably what you are hearing. Some people describe it as more of a pressure than a hum.
Koxinga’s high pitched “pressure” is probably switching noise, though, not transformer hum. Switching power supplies are more efficient and smaller than simple transformer and rectifier power supplies. The switching frequency is intentionally chosen to be high enough that most people can’t hear it. The key word in that sentence is “most”.
Engineers like to call the frequency range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz (20,000 Hz) the “audio range” since this is what most people can hear, but people vary. Some people have a more limited range like 40 to 15 kHz, and some people can hear below 20 Hz or above 20 kHz. I think the world record is somewhere around 26 or 27 kHz. Generally speaking, our hearing degrades as we get older, especially on the high end (google “presbycusis” if you want more info). Most children and teenagers can hear up to about 20 to 22 kHz. Most adults don’t hear well above about 18 kHz. Kids are therefore more likely to hear high frequency noise, like the kind that comes from switching power supplies.
Cell phones can also have high frequency chirps come out of their speakers. This is due to radio noise getting coupled into the circuitry that drives the speaker. Most people can’t hear it, but some people (like HazelNutCoffee, apparently) can. Again, since it is high frequency noise, younger people are more likely to hear it. Some people can’t sleep with their cell phone in their bedroom because they hear the periodic chirps whenever the phone talks to the tower (which it does periodically to basically tell the tower “hey, I’m still here”). It’s basically the same effect that will cause your TV or computer speakers to chirp when a cell phone is next to them. Cheap amplified computer speakers are great for picking up cell phone chirps.
I have extremely good end range perception, high end and low end. Most people are good at one or the other. Though I will admit that fluorescent light fixtures that are borderline going bad and flickering drive me nuts with the popping and snapping and buzzing …
I was a guinea pig for a couple studies in the audio lab, my favorite one [that paid the most and took the longest] was listening for tones embedded in white and pink noise.
Actually the frequency you hear is double the power line frequency, i.e. 100-120 Hz. See magnetostriction; this is the shape change of the transformer core due to the magnetic field, and it happens twice per cycle, hence 120 Hz instead of 60 Hz.
I have been able to hear these “sounds” too. I remember one time visiting my parents house, and complaining of such a noise. Problem was, there were no TVs or monitors or anything like that in use at the time. Later discovered that they had put up an electric fence around their garden (at the other side of the house, 2 levels down from where we were). I was hearing it “pulsing” every so often…
I sometimes hear that kind of sound in the hallway of my house. It’s a low buzzing sort of sound. When I touch the switch for the light in the hall the noise goes away. Is it the wiring in the walls? It’s the only place in the house where I hear that sound.
Not meaning to ask a stupid question but is this dangerous? The house is approximately 40 years old and was . . . well, if most all the houses in this subdivision were cars they would have been built on a Monday, they’re not exactly examples of superior home construction.
No great danger but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to replace that switch or check the connections to make sure they’re tight. Some loose connections buzz, some don’t. After years in service the contacts on the switch could be corroded or pitted. Easy job for an electrician if you aren’t comfortable doing it safely on your own.
Is it a dimmer switch? Sometimes dimmer switches will noticeably hum. Note that some switches that look like normal light switches are in fact dimmer switches. You tend to find these in newer houses though, not 40 year old houses.
If it’s an old fashioned regular type of switch it’s probably not a bad idea to have someone knowledgeable take a look at it. Switches are dirt cheap and easily replaced, and a loose wire can burn down your house.
In addition to this, many transformers use laminated cores which tend to get loose and vibrate as they age. You also get some vibration in the wires. But yeah, magnetostriction certainly is a common cause.
Do you know what frequency compact flourecent light bulbs whine at? We got a free one from somewhere and put it in the bathroom, and I hate the whine it makes. Not looking forward to mandated usage of these things.
I’ll chime in as another person that can hear electronics. It’s much better now that I don’t have a CRT monitor, but a so-called quiet house when everyone else is asleep isn’t quiet to me. I register it as noise, not pressure. When the power goes out it’s spookily quiet.
often noise from transformer, inductors, switching power supplies can be enhanced by it’s environment. a globe, diffuser or shade around a light can act as a megaphone or vibrate harmonically with the device. switch boxes and switch plates (either loose or acting as a diaphragm) can amplify sounds. cases, shielding and loose components can all vibrate.
I poked around a bit and the lowest I could find was 23 kHz. Frequencies in the range of 30 to 60 kHz or so seem to be the most common.
The good news is a lot of the newer ones are moving to higher frequencies (above 40 or 50 kHz or so) to avoid interference with infra-red remote controls.
If you are concerned about whine, look up the specs online for the various bulbs that are available in your area and make sure you pick one with a higher frequency.