# High-Frequency TV Noise

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-frequency-tv-noise/312920>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 18, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-frequency-tv-noise/312920 "2005-07-18T00:40:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-frequency-tv-noise/312920/21 "2005-07-19T10:02:27Z")

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> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#):
>
> I don’t think there’s any special EM sensitivity going on here (or if there is, it’s something that is well beyond my understanding of electromagnetics and biology). Engineers call the range of frequencies of 20 Hz to 20 kHz the “audio range” because they are nice even numbers, but most people don’t hear quite this entire range. In fact, most people don’t hear much over 15 kHz, which is why most people can’t hear the TV whine. However, it’s been documented that many people can hear above 15 kHz, and in fact some people hear above 20 kHz, and in rare cases might even be able to hear up to about 25 kHz.
> 
> As RJKUgly said, the frequency range that you can hear generally gets worse with age. You tend to lose a bit on both the high end and low end as you get older.

The ultimate irony is that I can’t hear a lot of stuff when people are just talking to me. I guess I’m just attuned to it.

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**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-frequency-tv-noise/312920/22 "2005-07-20T00:48:55Z")

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> [@devilsknew](#):
>
> There really is a lot of this electronic background pollution all along the EM spectrum that at least some people are sensitive to.

You have a cite for that? Though generated electronically (as are the various voices, music and sounds coming from the speakers) the whine is just high frequency sound. There is no reason to believe that people who can detect the whine are sensitive to EM fields rather than sound.

Re Tinfoil hats- We’ve done threads on this. Unless you construct a Faraday cage around yourself and properly ground it, it won’t help.

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**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-frequency-tv-noise/312920/23 "2005-07-21T14:06:52Z")

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I can hear these high frequency sounds too. Just today I had to swap out a monitor at work because it started having that “TV” sound when it was on.

A few years ago, I was visiting my parents house. It was summertime and we were sitting in their kitchen with the windows open. Their garden is 2 floors down and on the other end of the house. Yet, I kept hearing this high-frequency sound coming on and off every so often. No one else could hear it. After talking about it for a while, we discovered I was hearing the electric fence my Dad had installed around the garden to keep critters out.

I’ve always had very adept hearing…

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