Sensitivity of human hearing

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I too could at one time hear ultrasonic alarms... like the one in the Gem room at the Museum of Natural History in NYC... couldn't stand being in the room after they put it in...

But anyhow, while it could have been an aliasing down in frequency, I do not think it was because I could also hear the TV horizontal frequency, and had signal generators that I could hear the hf from good tweeters, and this was HIGHER sounding than those.

But most people were unaware of the existence of the sound coming from those ultrasonic alarms... nor did they hear the hash coming from many tweeters...

But no matter, it is unimportant if people can discern frequencies higher than 20kHz. as tones at normal levels. It is only one octave up from 10kHz. to 20kHz., not such a far leap musically speaking.

_-_-bear
 
I don't believe for a second that my father could actually hear 23 khz,
more like a subharmonic, probably more like 11500 hz (I think).

I don't know of any *cheap, 4 inch paper cone drivers capable of producing such a frequency for starters! (*dad was so tight, he could swim with a fistful of loose change, and it wouldn't get wet!)

What 'I' do believe to be an absolute certainty however is this;

If 5000 people, had a quiet gathering on a hill, on a quiet day, you know, just talking quietly among themselves. For every 100 people, there was a dog, (just 4 fun).

If unbeknown to all, someone played a frequency of 20.5 khz, (somehow with no subharmonics & the like), at the exact spl of the gathering.......

I would not be in the least bit suprised if, NO HUMANS, and less than 8 dogs pricked an ear !javascript:smilie(':judge:')

Would that be a fair test?javascript:smilie(':cheers:')

Just another mans opinion!

PLEASE NOTE; The only things in this post KNOWN to be factual at time of print, is that my father IS infact, pretty frugal, & his 'test' WAS, conducted with a cheap 4 inch paper cone!
 
I'll standby what i quote, I do not know of any "CHEAP" (read 'less than five aussie dollars'), 4" paper cones that can produce 23khz!

At least not well enough to make for a definitive test.

If yours can produce 21khz well, (as opposed to poorly), I dare say they probably weren't that kinda cheap!

I would love to be proven wrong as i could save a pretty penny on future projects!

I guess i'm merely pointing out that, while some people probably can hear a fraction of an octave higher than 20khz, in a real world situation, I strongly doubt it!

As i said, just my opinion!
 
Yes panomaniac, tv tube is not high sounding, people confound easy ultrasound and appliances high pitched sounds.

Prickears, not cheap indeed :) quite good!

Did you know that the external and median ear doesn’t respond to frequency over 2khz ? Means the tympani and 'ocelots' (in french= little bones ?) don't vibrate adequately at more than this.

The high frequencies get through the bones and directly stimulate the internal ear, fascinating!
 
Sorry, I can hear 11.5kHz now, and would never ever in a million years confuse it with an octave up. Never.

I'm not talking about blasting at >110dB SPL levels either...

When I could hear into the ultrasonic range, I could hear it.
Nothing else lower in freq sounded like it. Too bloody "small" sounding to be confused.

I can't anymore - a mixed blessing.
Ask Beethoven about that? ;)

It seems that a vast majority of individuals are not born with the serindipity of an ear mechanism that works up there, I am certain that some are.

_-_-bear
 
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