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The W - Random - Can you hear this tone?
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StingArmy
Andouille








Since: 3.5.03
From: Georgia bred, you can tell by my Hawk jersey

Since last post: 2957 days
Last activity: 549 days
#1 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.89
Linky (npr.org)

I've never heard of anything like this. It's almost creepy. After you read the story, click the "Listen" link near the top of the article (make sure your popup blocker is off). I'm only 24, and I can't hear the tone. This is not fair!

- StingArmy
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Mr. Boffo
Scrapple








Since: 24.3.02
From: Oshkosh, WI

Since last post: 3895 days
Last activity: 3856 days
#2 Posted on | Instant Rating: 5.12
I can hear it, it's freaking annoying! I'm going to have to show that to my boss and see if he can hear it.

EDIT: Wait, now I couldn't hear it on the radio part. I'm confused.

(edited by Mr. Boffo on 13.6.06 1111)


In the real world, WWE believes that no matter what our race, religious creed or ethnic background in America, we all share the common bond of being Americans. American-Arabs are a part of the fabric of America, and they should be embraced by all of us.
too-old-now
Bockwurst








Since: 7.1.04

Since last post: 4742 days
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#3 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.49
I'm a freakin' old guy but I can hear it.
The King of Keith
Lap cheong








Since: 4.11.02
From: Winchester, VA

Since last post: 3394 days
Last activity: 3393 days
#4 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.97
Woohoo...I'm less than 3 months from 30 and I can hear it! I wish I hadn't, though...I can still hear it rattling around in my head. Ouch.



That's not Wolverine...
Leroy
Boudin blanc








Since: 7.2.02

Since last post: 12 days
Last activity: 6 days
#5 Posted on | Instant Rating: 5.65
One of the morning news/talk shows has a story on this. I can just barely hear it.

Out of curiosity, I ran it through the spectrum analyzer in Audacity, and here's what it looks like:




Most of the energy is around 15kHz (14993kHz), which really isn't that high. Most people should be able to hear that frequency. I'm guessing "older" folks could still hear it, just not on the crappy cellphone speakers.

It's not really a sine wave, so I'd rather run it through something better before venturing a guess as to whether the energy below 15kHz is actually sound (deliberate or due to aliasing), or a result of Audacity's FFT.

This has been "Dorking Out with Leroy".

(edited by Leroy on 13.6.06 0949)

"Those of you who think you know everything are annoying to those of us who do."
David Brent, The Office

"Oedipus ruined a great sex life by asking too many questions."
Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report

"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets and then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again."
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Gugs
Bierwurst








Since: 9.7.02
From: Sleep (That's where I'm a viking)

Since last post: 3961 days
Last activity: 3090 days
#6 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.91
I can hear it.

I can STILL hear it.



This will get added at the end of each post you make, below an horizontal line. This should preferably be kept to a small enough size.
StingArmy
Andouille








Since: 3.5.03
From: Georgia bred, you can tell by my Hawk jersey

Since last post: 2957 days
Last activity: 549 days
#7 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.89
    Originally posted by Mr. Boffo
    I can hear it, it's freaking annoying! I'm going to have to show that to my boss and see if he can hear it.

    EDIT: Wait, now I couldn't hear it on the radio part. I'm confused.

    (edited by Mr. Boffo on 13.6.06 1111)

Radio part?

And why can't I hear this darn thing?

EDIT: Oh geez, I see now. There's another link in addition to the radio interview link. I can hear the tone using the second link but not the first one. It's extremely annoying when you hear it over headphones, but it's only moderately annoying played over regular speakers.

- StingArmy

(edited by StingArmy on 13.6.06 1359)
rinberg
Boudin rouge








Since: 30.1.02
From: South Georgia

Since last post: 4461 days
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#8 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.97
Here's a text article on the same topic.

I played it with about 4 guys in the office (19, 25, 37, and 50). The only guy besides me (I'm 33) that could hear it was the 18 year old and he said it was really loud and really annoying. I could hear it without straining, but it wasn't loud enough for me to be bothered by it.

Heck, I was proud that I could hear it at all. Made me feel younger....



"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." --Rick Cook
pieman
As young as
he feels








Since: 11.12.01
From: China, Maine

Since last post: 120 days
Last activity: 6 days
ICQ:  
#9 Posted on | Instant Rating: 7.79


At regular volume (during the radio piece), I couldn't hear anything.

If I turned up the volume on the second link, I could hear the sound, but it was loud enough to be annoying.

I guess there are some good things about having 46 year old ears.





Gabba Gabba Hey!
samoflange
Lap cheong








Since: 22.2.04
From: Cambridge, MA

Since last post: 3815 days
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#10 Posted on | Instant Rating: 7.87
That sound makes me want to throw up when i listen to it for more than 2 seconds. Don't they sometimes use high pitches noise like this for riot control?



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-Rick Scaia 06.12.2006
Wpob
Bierwurst








Since: 21.11.02
From: Williston Park, NY

Since last post: 1454 days
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#11 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.52
I am 39 and I heard it. I wish I wasn't able to because I can;t think of anything worse than a room full of cell phones with that ring tone.



Well, that's just drunk talk! Sweet, beautiful drunk talk....
Guru Zim
SQL Dejection
Administrator








Since: 9.12.01
From: Bay City, OR

Since last post: 8 days
Last activity: 14 hours
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#12 Posted on | Instant Rating: 8.81
I can hear it - its not that high.

By the way, I can also hear cheap TVs. I assume this is probably the same sort of deal. I always wondered why they made TVs that had the annoying high pitch whine.

Maybe they can't hear it.



Ignorance is bliss for you, hell for me.
drjayphd
Scrapple
Moderator








Since: 22.4.02
From: New Hampshire

Since last post: 766 days
Last activity: 350 days
ICQ:  
#13 Posted on | Instant Rating: 7.06
You wanted the best, you got... Out of Context Quote of the Week.

"I know, I know you are saying "sure there was some bad calls, but Jake Gyllenhaal obviously dropped too many easy catches and Ang Lee had some horrible clock management at the end of each half!"" (krakken2000)


Heard it, and I might try to block it out if I was in that situation, but I'd probably run off crying like a schoolgirl at some point.



Parts Unknown
Lap cheong








Since: 2.1.02
From: Darkenwood

Since last post: 1763 days
Last activity: 1448 days
#14 Posted on | Instant Rating: 5.62
    Originally posted by samoflange
    That sound makes me want to throw up when i listen to it for more than 2 seconds. Don't they sometimes use high pitches noise like this for riot control?


Backstreet Boys and N'Sync played at high volumtes have been used to disperse riots at times. No joke.
I can hear the tone loud and clear. My eMac makes a similar noise sometimes for a couple of seconds and it drives me nuts.




"How could we possibly appreciate the Mona Lisa if Leonardo had written at the bottom of the canvas: 'The lady is smiling because she is hiding a secret from her lover.' This would shackle the viewer to reality, and I don't want this to happen to 2001." - Stanley Kubrick
AWArulz
Scrapple








Since: 28.1.02
From: Louisville, KY

Since last post: 99 days
Last activity: 99 days
#15 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.64
    Originally posted by too-old-now
    I'm a freakin' old guy but I can hear it.


I can hear it too, and Too-old, The Doc and I are the old guys on this board. So maybe just selected adults in the 20-30 age group can't hear it.

This sound is designed to run teenagers and old farts off. It's a conspiricy, I tell you!. Old Farts and kids unite against the facist 20 somethings!





We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.
Dutchie
Summer sausage
Moderator








Since: 29.1.02
From: Michigan

Since last post: 7 days
Last activity: 1 day
#16 Posted on | Instant Rating: 9.18
Leroy, is that tone's energy really concentrated below -50dB? yowzah! If you do rerun it, I'd be interested in seeing the new results too. I may try to download the tone and run it on one of our programs too.

The tone may not be tied into only age, it could also be due to how abusive a person has been to his/her hearing, which makes it even more interesting. If the cutoff age (for hearing the sound) the inventor picked was 30, that targets lots of us who grew up with a Walkman, Discman, iPod, etc, plugged into our ears as being unable to hear that tone.



Bananas bruise...on the inside
JayJayDean
Scrapple








Since: 2.1.02
From: Seattle, WA

Since last post: 2984 days
Last activity: 2562 days
#17 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.45
That's the same sound our TV makes when you turn off the cable box and leave the TV on, as Mrs. JJD is wont to do some evenings. Hearing that in the morning before I leave for work makes me riled up, and I don't know how she CAN'T hear it.



"You know what you need?
Some new quotes in your sig.
Yeah, I said it."
-- DJFrostyFreeze

TheBucsFan
TheChiefsFan








Since: 2.1.02

Since last post: 3516 days
Last activity: 3516 days
#18 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.42
    Originally posted by JayJayDean
    That's the same sound our TV makes when you turn off the cable box and leave the TV on, as Mrs. JJD is wont to do some evenings. Hearing that in the morning before I leave for work makes me riled up, and I don't know how she CAN'T hear it.


Ah you're right! I *hate* that sound. NOW I know why my old roommates could never hear it when they ALWAYS left the TV on.
Leroy
Boudin blanc








Since: 7.2.02

Since last post: 12 days
Last activity: 6 days
#19 Posted on | Instant Rating: 5.53
    Originally posted by StegDutchie
    Leroy, is that tone's energy really concentrated below -50dB? yowzah! If you do rerun it, I'd be interested in seeing the new results too. I may try to download the tone and run it on one of our programs too.


I'm fairly certain that all of the energy around -50dB is a product of the window size, and isn't audible. You trade off frequency resolution for time resolution. If I lower the window size, here 's what I get:





The frequency resolution smooths out, and the peak widens (about 50 Hz). And those two peaks below 15kHz look like they should be the 2nd and 3rd harmonics.

And I'm pretty confident that the waveform is supposed to be a sine wave, and that all of the energy below 15kHz is aliasing.





The frequency is SO high that there aren't enough points to recreate the sine wave, so you get the sawtooth/triangle hybrid, which is more harmonically complex, hence the aliasing. I doubt Audacity's FFT is all that great, so it's not low-pass filtering in the analysis. Is that good or bad? I'm not sure. But any decent DAC will filter that out.

It doesn't make any sense to have a complicated waveform at 15Khz. The sampling rate is 48kHz, so the highest frequency you could get is 24kHz (nyquist). The most you could hope for is one harmonic @ 30 kHz, which would either be filtered out or alias.

I'll rerun it on another machine and see if anything interesting happens. If anyone has Matlab....

(edited by Leroy on 13.6.06 1636)


"Those of you who think you know everything are annoying to those of us who do."
David Brent, The Office

"Oedipus ruined a great sex life by asking too many questions."
Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report

"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets and then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again."
Unknown, Marin County newspaper's TV listing for "The Wizard of Oz"
OlFuzzyBastard
Knackwurst








Since: 28.4.02
From: Pittsburgh, PA

Since last post: 1819 days
Last activity: 995 days
#20 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.36
I'm 26, and I can sense it more than I can hear it, if that makes any sense.



"That's my problem - I'm too frank. That's why my mother shoved me down the stairs. But then she is fat."
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