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Monday, June 12, 2006

Can You Hear This Sound?

This is cool. Teenagers have started to use a high-frequency ringtone that, apparently, adults are unable to hear:
The principle behind it is a biological reality that hearing experts refer to as presbycusis, or aging ear...
While most human communication takes place in a frequency range between 200 and 8,000 hertz (a hertz being the scientific unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second), most adults' ability to hear frequencies higher than that begins to deteriorate in early middle age.
Click here for a recording of the sound. I guess you're over the hill if you can't hear it, still young and hip if you can. (Amusingly, I was able to hear it clearly, as a high-pitched ringing sound, though Orthodad - only a few months older than me -heard nothing when I played it for him. My ears are young for their age, I guess).

Tell us in comments whether you were able to hear it, and put your age in (anonymously if you're concerned about anonymity).

111 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm 33 and THANK GOD, I could hear it. It is VERY annoying, listening to that.

9:02 AM  
Blogger orthomom said...

LOL. Yes, it was, wasn't it? I'm curious to hear more people weigh in. As I said in the post, my husband heard nothing at all. I do tend to be sensitive to high-frequency sounds, though. I'm one of those people who can tell immediately if there is a television on in a house, even if it is on mute, because I can hear the whine of the feedback.

9:08 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

45, I heard nothing.

9:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

28. I heard it. Surprised I did though, given the punishment I've given my ears courtesy of too much loud live music over the past decade and a half.

9:10 AM  
Blogger have popcorn will lurk said...

I heard it, and my Hebrew and secular birthdays were both on Friday!

And I have a 7 year old.

Guess how old I am. (Be reasonable.)

:)

9:20 AM  
Blogger have popcorn will lurk said...

If you didn't hear it - try it with headphones on (LOOSELY). But not twice in a row to test each ear - my ears should be bleeding now even though they're not!

Chana, feeling stupid

9:26 AM  
Blogger AbbaGav said...

Kind of heard it. When I stopped and started the sound, I could tell a slight difference from the usual background whine my ears always seem to hear so I guess technically it registered. But if that sound were to go off in my house, I wouldn't yell at anyone to pick up the phone. 45.

9:28 AM  
Blogger Just Passing Through said...

33 & I heard it. Whew.

9:45 AM  
Blogger and so it shall be... said...

That's a sound I haven't heard in a while....like an old TV set or a camera flash charging up.

The sound used to drive me to absolute distraction and still does. In this context, I guess that's a good thing.

9:47 AM  
Blogger LkwdGuy said...

Heard it loud and clear.

I'm 29, for another three and a half weeks.

9:52 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heard it loud and clear...of course I'm only 22.

10:04 AM  
Blogger AbbaGav said...

That is so wierd. I said I'm 45 when I know darn well I'm 42. Apparently the hearing isn't always the first thing to go.

10:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

36 -- loud and clear! and my 8 year old just chimed in from another room wanting to know what that noise was!

10:10 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

35 -- did not hear a thing. Yikes!

10:10 AM  
Blogger Jack Steiner said...

Woohoo, even at 37 I can still hear that. They'll drive the neighborhood dogs insane with that.

10:22 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

heard it. just short of 38

10:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Another almost 38 year old heard it!

10:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I AM 37 I HEARD IT BUT THE 59 YEAR OLD IN MY OFFICE HEARD NOTHING

11:24 AM  
Blogger Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Heard it...and over 35, younger than 40 (that sound is so annoying, why would anyone use it as a ringtone? Oh right, teenagers are annoying in general...)

I wrote something similar to this a few months back, about a cool device to keep teenagers away :)

Friday Night Mayhem in Muqataland

11:26 AM  
Blogger Jameel @ The Muqata said...

OM: What?! No Hat-tip to the NYTimes Technology section?

Had it been in the Jewish Week, I could have sympathized :)

11:44 AM  
Blogger Jameel @ The Muqata said...

OM: What?! No Hat-tip to the NYTimes Technology section?

Had it been in the Jewish Week, I could have sympathized :)

11:44 AM  
Blogger Looking Forward said...

i heard it (but thenb on i'm 21...) but wow is it annoying!

12:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

41 and barely made out the noise, next to the computer. Kids sitting a distance away heard it loud and clear.

12:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heard it. 30.

My younger sibling seemed to find it more annoying then I did.

And it seems to give even people who can't hear it brief headaches.

12:21 PM  
Blogger Gil Student said...

I heard it and it's terribly annoying (33).

12:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

owch. 23.

12:27 PM  
Blogger David said...

34 and, geez, that's awful. It set off my tinnitus... :(

12:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I barely heard it - what an annoying sound! But it would have to be awfully loud as a ringtone for me, and at that might wake up all the local dogs... I'm 49.

12:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

29 and I couldn't hear a thing. Sigh.

12:55 PM  
Blogger Somewhat Anonymous said...

24, suitably annoyed.

12:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

42 and can't hear it.

1:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

definitely heard it. sounds like a vacuum tube tv. i doubt that it would immediately get my attention in a room where someone is talking, though. Age 36

1:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can't hear it, but I think I'm going to broadcast it really loud of my front porch. That'll keep them rotten kids of my lawn!

/shakes fist

2:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

heard it and i agree - very annoying! (age 31)

2:22 PM  
Blogger Ezzie said...

22, loud/clear with the volume down.

More than hearing, it, though, I felt it - all over my head.

2:30 PM  
Blogger StepIma said...

I got a rock. only 36 (37 next month)

My computer has crappy speakers, though. Can I blame it on that?

sigh.

2:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT AAARRRRGH.....25 years old (even after 10+ years of my head-banging music ;-)

3:07 PM  
Blogger Jameel @ The Muqata said...

stepima: youre old youre old youre old!!!! BWAHAHAHA (uh oh, is that a shoe headed in my direction?)

3:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I heard it (26) Chana you're obviously 38

4:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can hear it, very loud and clear, but I suppose part of that is due to my hearing being more developed because of lack of sight. I've got a headache now. I'm going to have some real problems if this takes off. What the hell's the point in using a ringtone that high-pitched? Do they think it's cool?

5:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heard it..age 36...male

6:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

36 male: barely
36 female: yes

7:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am 46 and could not hear it. When I moved my head close to the speaker, I could just barely make out the tiniest sound. My almost 14 year old son, who was watching TV at the time, turned around and said, "what's that noise?!"

7:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

the above 46 with 13 yr old son --I am female btw.

8:00 PM  
Blogger projgen said...

Hubby and I both heard it, and we're over 40, but less then 50. And surprisingly, we've both always listened to music pretty loudly.

However, I am *very* sensitive to high-pitched noises. They don't bother me (and I also didn't find the tone annoying), but I hear them acutely. If I had teens, their ringtones would have to be more in the basso range to lose me!

9:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ow! Is it supposed to hurt? I am 41 and it sounded like a high-pitched background sound. I wouldn't have pegged it as a ringtone.

But I guess if my daughter (who is working me over for a cell phone for her Bat Mitzvah) used it at least I'd hear it.

10:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

35 y.o. female. I thought it was a practical joke since all I heard was soft static but my 2 year old son covered his ears and said "I don't like loud".
Cool.

8:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm almost 20 and I heard it but definitely not loud and clear... Uh oh, that doesn't bode well for me in the future, does it?

11:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

45--heard it loud and clear and wish hadn't, it's about as pleasant at fingernails on an blackboard (my ears are still throbbing!)

12:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

33- couldn't hear a thing.

12:43 PM  
Blogger socialworker/frustrated mom said...

Soooooo cool I never heard of that.

2:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heard though just barely. 32

2:54 PM  
Blogger WriterGrrl said...

I'm 30 and I heard it. My 33-year-old husband didn't hear a thing, and I had to bring in the 5-year-old to prove I wasn't just making it up.

3:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

31 - dead silence :(

8:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Between 35 and 40 and heard it, I think my ears are bleeding.

4:08 PM  
Blogger Sarah said...

Not a thing. Age 29.

6:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

31, Heard it, but for God's sakes,
don't these kids hear of "vibrating mode"?

8:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ok this is scary. i'm 19 and i could only faintly hear it. although my b aby was next to me and didn't seem to be bothered by the sound. (yes i'm 19 with a baby) my husband heard it clear though.yikes!

3:51 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

46... NOTHING. Oh shreck!!!

10:41 AM  
Blogger eem said...

yep - 21.

9:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm forty three and could hear just what I presume to be the result of the intermodulation distortion of the foreground "real" sound. By the way, our 13 year old child found it very irritating..
Rui Sousa - Ericeira - www.gestix.com

5:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

heard it loud and clear, 21. those high frequency sounds never bothered me much. where can i download this mp3?

3:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm browsing through your archives.

At the tender age of 17-next-month, I heard it. My iPod habits haven't ruined me just yet.

Shockingly, the 61-year-old in the room heard it too. But the 56-year-old did not and is now practically suicidal.

10:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i could hear it (12) my sis could (6) and my nana could and she is (8?)

2:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

cant hear it, but can feel the vibration.... kinda notice a difference in the background.. im 24 but i have 2 years in Iraq damn the the marine corp. my other 2 friends who are 20 and could hear it .....oh and my other friend who is 25 and also a Iraqi war vet in the marines could not hear anything at all.......

8:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

eugh my god, horrible sound, the kind that kind of pierces you're head
only 20 of course, so not a surprise
but isnt it obvious why young people use it?
it's so that in class they can know when they're being contacted without teachers yelling at them to switch off their cell phones

1:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

40 and heard it - very high pitch

10:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heard it, course I'm only 15. heh. But ow! painfull. I've got a headache now. Frequency's are so much fun. That's the reason for the nails on a chalkboard thing. Different people react to different frequencies. My stepmom can't stand styrofoam because of the frequency. My biology teacher hates chairs going across the floor. I hate hearing someone jus WRITE of a chalk board never mind the nails!

12:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

52 and I cannot hear a thing. My 19 year old hears it just fine.

2:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

33 and almost shrieked when the sound came on. Like nails on the chalkboard.

2:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Holy Moly!! I'm 42 and I not only heard it, I felt it....like pressure in the air and between my ears....and it kinda HURT!! Man I'm just way to sensitive...always been sensitive to noises...light sleeper, etc.

9:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm 22 and heard it, my husband is 30 and he also heard it. It really hurt our ears. Hopefully our ears will be this good when we have teenagers.

1:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Im 19 and i can here it of course my sister who is 28 can here it but not as loud as i can she said that it sounds far away.

7:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I m 13 and heard it but so strange!!! It wasn't anoying?!??;)

7:29 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm a 73 year old grandfather whoi used to teach physics and I always told my students that after the age of 40, you lose a small percentage off the top of hearing the high frequencies each year. Guess in was right, I couldn't hear a thing.

9:14 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am 47 and I heard it clearly, when in front of my computer. However, when my husband played it and I was 5 foot away and fan was near me, I heard only a very slight hum.

3:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm 44 and sadly I did not hear it...bifocals recently and now I can't hear? FML!

5:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

37 - loud and clear only in one ear though

11:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm 45.5 and I can barely hear it.

Weird. I shouldn't be able to hear it at all.

5:05 PM  
Anonymous Neph said...

27 and I can hear it. I had heard about this from my guy (34) who cannot hear it at all but was amused by torturing his younger coworker with it. It's not painful, but it is a little irritating... like having a ringing in your ears.

12:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

55 and CAN most definitely hear it! In fact it is so annoying it hurts! My husband can't hear it tho. When I was teaching this one wouldn't have gone unheard by me in my classroom.

4:08 PM  
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Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm almost 44 and I could hear it no problem. Shrill, scratchy bug noise. My dog jumped up when I played it. It wasn't faint or at all hard to hear. Quite the opposite.

7:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm 21 and I heard it loud and clear. My 25 year old husband can't hear it what so ever.

it's almost painful to listen to

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

44 years old female. heard it loud and clear. very annoying

2:33 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Almost 45 year old caucasian female. Heard it clear as a bell. Quite annoying.

4:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am 41 and I heard it just fine.

5:22 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

40, it's load and clear. Wife 34 heard it too. I even played live music in my 20's

4:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm 19 and I heard it, Sounds like a mosquito. I thinks it's pretty awesome (:

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