Lately I have been hearing a sound at certain times; mostly late at night, sometimes in the day. It is something like the sound that speakers make when they’re on, but much lower in pitch. It is really more like, uh… like feedback from a giant bass guitar. But lower. Well anyway, I don’t expect any of you to be able to diagnose it, but here’s what I don’t understand:
The sound gives all appearances of being to the left of me, no matter where or how I stand. It’s like I only hear it in my left ear. BUT when I cover my right ear, it goes away. If I cover my left ear, it also goes away.
If it’s a three-dimensional actual sound, I should have to cover both ears for it to go away. If it were somehow self-generated, then covering the opposite ear shouldn’t make it go away.
But I’m most curious about why covering only one ear will make it go away. Could it be that the sound is the result of a vibration that is causing one eardrum to vibrate sympathetically with the other one?
When I cover one ear, I hear a low-pitched sound, probably the blood in my head or hand. Maybe that is enough noise to cover up or interfere with what you’re hearing?
The Bristol hum was eventually attributed to some industrial fans. It has recently (last December) been reported again and locals are blaming a nearby wind farm.
I had something like this - turned out to be an extractor fan in the adjoining house - but (probably because of some resonation or interference wave pattern) the sound was most audible at the opposite side of the room from the sound source.