# Random poll: can you hear this sound? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2009, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170 "2009-02-02T23:34:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/61 "2009-02-03T05:25:58Z")
21 and clear as a bell. Clearly, I need to be listening to The Who louder. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/62 "2009-02-03T05:32:02Z")
46 Ow. My ears hurt. I may not be able to hear that sound again after tonight, but tonight I could. Both Attacklad and Attacklass could hear it well. They found it very amusing that Ms. Attack just sat there saying “What, what is it, what are you doing, I can’t hear anything.” ---
**Author:** ![Qwisp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qwisp/32/397_2.png) [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/63 "2009-02-03T05:34:48Z")
> [@Nicolas\_Bourbaki](#): > > Well, getting the sound file to even load on that site is kinda touchy. There’s an audible ‘click’ as the buzz is being turned on and off; make sure you’re hearing that, first. I heard the click just nothing after that ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Salt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Bacon\_Salt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Salt)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/64 "2009-02-03T05:44:02Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > 30/F/Boston Whoa, that takes me back to the old days. 22, could just baaaarely hear the 19 khz with the volume cranked all the way up. For me, there’s a very sharp drop in perceived volume starting at 16 khz. The dog sat there nomming her chew toy as I played the sounds. No reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/65 "2009-02-03T06:06:15Z")
Aah! Fuck! Damn, that’s annoying. 39, M, with some hearing loss and occasional tinnitus. I do wear earplugs at concerts, though. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/66 "2009-02-03T06:14:31Z")
Yes, I can hear it. Damned annoying, too. 44, F. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/67 "2009-02-03T07:05:18Z")
Female, 36, some hearing loss in upper ranges plus tinnitus. I could hear it, but only when turned up high enough to drown out the tinnitus. For those of you who are saying “augh what a horrible noise,” that’s pretty much what my tinnitus sounds like. Except there’s no off switch. ---
**Author:** ![williambaskerville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@williambaskerville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williambaskerville)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/68 "2009-02-03T07:18:45Z")
43, male, can hear it clear as a bell. It’s quite annoying. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/69 "2009-02-03T07:32:41Z")
Using a compressed file such as an mp3, like those examples, destroys any value in attempting to hear such an extreme pitch. Here’s .wav files of sine waves at various frequencies: 16000Hz 16500Hz 17000Hz 17500Hz 18000Hz 18500Hz 19000Hz 19500Hz 20000Hz I can hear specific pitches up to 16500, and ‘something unpleasant’ to 18500. (I’m 28.) However, this is playing them through a half-decent hi-fi, and I can only hear anything with the 16000Hz one on my laptop speakers, something to bear in mind, also for those using headphones. Edit: actually, I can hear ‘something unpleasant’ on my laptop at 19500Hz but not for the preceding ones, which further goes to show how unpredictable the playback can be. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/70 "2009-02-03T07:37:27Z")
I’d rather stab myself in the eyes than listen to that again. 28/M/SoCal 😃 ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/71 "2009-02-03T07:40:40Z")
39, I didn’t hear it although after trying to listen to it twice my ears feel weird. I used to be able to hear the high tone at the end of Sgt Pepper on CD (which is lower than the original LP-ending tone due to technical limitations - that tone, I think, was completely outside the limit of human hearing). Can’t hear it any more. So yes, I know I’m losing the very highest frequencies. A classmate of my 14-year-old son bought one of those ultra-high ringtones for his cell phone, so he could take the phone to class (which is against school rules) and hear when he gets a text message, without the teachers hearing the ring. This classmate, however, forgot one important point. The first time the phone rang, it’s true, the teacher didn’t hear it - but the rest of the class clapped their hands over their ears. _Oh my god, what’s that noise, that’s horrible, turn it off, turn it off!!!_ And the cell phone was immediately impounded. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/72 "2009-02-03T07:48:49Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Using a compressed file such as an mp3, like those examples, destroys any value in attempting to hear such an extreme pitch. Here’s .wav files of sine waves at various frequencies: > . If I was in a hearing test room I could hear 16K. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/73 "2009-02-03T07:58:12Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Using a compressed file such as an mp3, like those examples, destroys any value in attempting to hear such an extreme pitch. Here’s .wav files of sine waves at various frequencies: > > 16000Hz > 16500Hz > 17000Hz > 17500Hz > 18000Hz > 18500Hz > 19000Hz > 19500Hz > 20000Hz > > I can hear specific pitches up to 16500, and ‘something unpleasant’ to 18500. (I’m 28.) However, this is playing them through a half-decent hi-fi, and I can only hear anything with the 16000Hz one on my laptop speakers, something to bear in mind, also for those using headphones. > > Edit: actually, I can hear ‘something unpleasant’ on my laptop at 19500Hz but not for the preceding ones, which further goes to show how unpredictable the playback can be. That’s cool. I can hear up to 18000 clearly, then at 18500 I only hear a very faint sound. 19000 and above I hear nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/74 "2009-02-03T08:12:28Z")
That first link made my ears want to commit seppuku. On the mosquito tone link, I got up to 17. 24, F. As a data point, when I was playing the tones my kitteh lunged at my face and tried to eat my necklace. But then he does that when I’m not playing noises either, so I think he wasn’t really affected. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/75 "2009-02-03T08:20:20Z")
I could hear the sound, and the dog got extremely upset while it was playing. M, 27 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/76 "2009-02-03T08:31:56Z")
41 and yes, right on the threshold of audible, but extremely annoying for all that. I’m another one who gets my hearing tested semi-regularly ( job requirement ) and have a little better than average hearing for my age. For what it’s worth the whine of _real_ mosquitoes drives me absolutely insane - I can’t sleep with one in the room. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/77 "2009-02-03T08:34:32Z")
I remember when this came out and CNN had a clip of it. I could hear it clearly, if somewhat faintly, then - it must have been about 2 years ago, when I was 48. Now I can hear it in my right ear if I turn the volume up all the way and listen very carefully with my ear near the speaker. Nothin’ in the left ear, though. On the other hand, the air conditioner is filling the room with white noise and the nearby mosque is blaring the call to prayer. I might hear it more easily if it were quieter. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/78 "2009-02-03T09:18:45Z")
1. That’s annoying. It reminds me of something I used to hear around jewelry stores in the mall and a few other places… I eventually pieced it together that its high end alarm systems. I might’ve been 10 or so. Nowadays I don’t hear it anywhere. Except for that annoying link. On edit I could hear up to the 16500. ---
**Author:** ![stucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@stucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stucky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/79 "2009-02-03T09:38:35Z")
I heard it and I’m 65. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170/80 "2009-02-03T09:49:58Z")
Can you hear the drums , Fernando? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-poll-can-you-hear-this-sound/484170.md?page=5)