[engk]

Ok, possibly another dumb question.

The frequency response specs of some music players (cd, mp3, md) are often listed as 20 to 20k hz. Does that mean the extended frequency response of some headphones that so below 20hz and above 20khz is redundant?

Thanks.

 

[mgoretex]

From a strictly technical point of view, the average humans cannot even hear sounds close to 20Hz and above 20KHz. For an average person, they may be able to distinuish something like 40Hz to 18KHz spectrum. So, if you can't hear it, the fact that your equipment can reproduce it kinda doesn't matter

 

[bobzemuda]

Quote:

Originally posted by mgoretex From a strictly technical point of view, the average humans cannot even hear sounds close to 20Hz and above 20KHz. For an average person, they may be able to distinuish something like 40Hz to 18KHz spectrum. So, if you can't hear it, the fact that your equipment can reproduce it kinda doesn't matter

I strongly disagree with this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your ears can't hear it, but your body can feel it. I guess it might not apply as much to headphones as it would to a full stereo system, but your body can feel those extended frequencies.

As I've mentioned before, I tape concerts. In that application, the extended frequencies that your body can feel lend the recordings a since of "being there."

Another instance, would be a techno/dance club. They'll hit you with low end because you can not only hear it, but you can feel it.

Bill

 

[jessica00]

i can *barely* hear a 22 khz tone out of my 590s, maybe my hearing rocks. i dunno.

 

[d_wilson]

You are probably hearing a distortion harmonic

 

[jessica00]

no, its a tone, on the extreme edge of hearing, i can only tell i was hearing it by the lack of sound when i cut it off.

 

[bobzemuda]

In case anyone was curious to try and hear various tones.

Here's a link to a webpage with test tone .wavs

http://mdf1.tripod.com/test-tones.html

I can hear a 20hz tone, but I can't hear anything above about 17000hz personally.

The whole loud rock concert thing would explain a lot of that I think.

Bill

 

[jessica00]

ok, yeah, it dies off around 20500, but i can still hear it (again, on the bare edge) above that

 

[wallijonn]

engk, edit: (sorry, Jessi)

be careful that you do not fall into the comsumer spec trap which has been carefully constructed by the manufacturers. Even $2 headphones list 20 Hz - 20 KHz.

You may want to get a chromatic scale cd to see what your actual hearing can go out to.

Many here argue that a person can not hear 0.5 dB difference. I feel that I can detect a 0.25 dB difference. And on my computer I can easily detect a 1 dB change at 16 KHz. The problem with equalisers is that they have a broad affect around any given frequency. You would think that they use more than 6 dB/octave filtering. I would like to see a 24 dB/octave filter, myself. Along with it not being +,- 10 DB or 15 dB travel, but rather a +,- 1 dB travel over the same 10 clicks (0.1 dB per click).

also remember that all inherent sound can be manipulated with higher grade components, and that synergy seldom happens, except by accident. after all, isn't that why we love our hobby?

when you get into dvd-a and scad, you'll find some interesting articles which say that even though the human ear can not hear past 20 KHz, the higher frequencies (out to 100 KHz) can affect timbre at lower frequencies (inverse harmonics?).

as always, trust your ears. they know what sounds good. and when they do, you'll find a smile pasted on your face.

a grin is just plain heaven.

 

[jessica00]

yeah, so is just plain chilling out to endorphin rushes caused by trance.

 

[engk]

I think its quite possible. I got intrigued by all the talk about hearing frequencies. So I downloaded a tone generator off the net. Frequencies as low as 25hz was quite easily detected, using my sony mdr-e888. And this is coming out of the really noisy headphone out of my compaq armanda 3500 laptop (I'm poor). The tone gets softer till about 22hz when I can not really hear it over the noise but I can still detect a small vibration in my ear. I would think that if you got a clean output plus some really good phones, you'll probably can feel or even hear stuff below 20 hz.

I could not test the higher threshold because the generator could not produce tones that high in frequency.

 

[jessica00]

switch it to 44100 instead of 22khz sampling.

 

[gerG]

Us bass-heads can hear down to 10hz!

I wish. I can hear clean tones to 25, then it turnes into a uniform LF energy that I can hear down to 20.

Oddly enough, I can "sense" a 7 hz tone going on in my office. I am probably hearing a harmonic, or maybe it is just the backside of my eardrums slapping together in the middle of my head. I should measure the level and spectrum just for grins. We have the technology!

Unfortunately my HF rolls off between 14 and 15 k. Getting old is a bummer. otoh it really opens up tweeter options when 15 khz is good enough.


gerG

 

[engk]

Jess:
not sure whether you were replying to me but the noise in the headphone-out might be due to the high voltage, I don't hear it when I connect to speakers, only when using headphones.

I could easily hear the 20khz wav file. I guess this tells me to stay away from any phone that only does 20-20k hz.

 

[engk]

Also this tells us that sensitivity to different frequencies varies from person to person. No wonder reviews of headphones can vary so much. If we can get a wave form of our hearing frequencies and that of headphones, we can theoretically try to get the best fit headphones by superpositioning both waveforms! But I guess thats why we have equalizers.