Poll: Can you hear this hideous noise?

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:49 pm

On Wanderer's link I could hear a faint high-pitched sound but just barely. I'm really not even sure I was hearing "it". On Lambcho's link I could hear nothing at all like that---which is why I doubt I'm hearing the right sound on Wanderer's link. Gee, I'm surprised. I wish there was someone young here I could try it out on. This evidence is hard to argue with

. I'm 56, for purposes of our little study.

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:44 am

Strange, playing Wanderer's ringtone.mp3 in Winamp I plainly hear a high-pitched whistle. But putting the same file into CoolEdit and playing it in there, I hear something completely different, the whistle disappears, and there's a high-intensity 'sensation' of 'tv noise' others have referred to, not a simple high-pitched whistle at all. (That 'tv noise' people have mentioned comes from the HT line transformer, btw, the pokey device supplying hugelyvolts to the cathode ray tube).

Here's the frequency analysis of Wanderer's ringtone:

A massive spike at just over 15 kHz.

In the "mosquito" sound file, I don't hear anything when it's played either in Winamp or in CoolEdit. But that's because the 'anti-yob' frequency is quite low volume compared to the ambient sounds around it (street noise and the kids). Here's the frequency analysis:

A definite spike up around 12 kHz, but it's at -84 dB compared to the -21 dB of the 'ringtone'.

The Swindon Experiment is positively humane compared to what the Aussies are doing to their yobbery! Cruel and inhuman...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-p ... 047610.stm

I.D.10-t · Post by **I.D.10-t** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:51 am

Wanderer wrote: http://www.tinwhistler.com/misc/ringtone.mp3

Turn the speakers up they say.

That sound made me rip the headphones out of my head!

32 years of age, I think.

GaryKelly wrote: The Swindon Experiment is positively humane compared to what the Aussies are doing to their yobbery! Cruel and inhuman...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-p ... 047610.stm

I find it disappointing that rather than adults and kids trying to communicate and form a community that they would set up yet another divide in society. It is yet another turf war to shove youth into the basement where they are invisible.

Edit for clarity.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 4:45 am

Lambchop wrote:Oh, Lord, Wanderer! That one was really noticeable.

I hear three tones. One is a low hum, but above that is a higher-pitched sound like cutting a piece of metal in a saw. Above that is a really hideous, needle-sharp, high-pitched pheeeeeeeee. Like one of the highest tones in the hearing test.

I assumed the hum was an artifact of background noise...it's the high pitched "pheeeee!" that I hear, but not the cutting sound. And, as I said, only with headphones or really close to the speakers...

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:49 am

GaryKelly wrote:The Swindon Experiment is positively humane compared to what the Aussies are doing to their yobbery! Cruel and inhuman...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-p ... 047610.stm

This is quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen:

Post by **Dale** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:53 am

I have a feeling that this story that's circulating on the news right now, that teenagers are using this as a ringtone, is a bit of an urban legend, or at least a mountain being made of a molehill.

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:57 am

Dale wrote:I have a feeling that this story that's circulating on the news right now, that teenagers are using this as a ringtone, is a bit of an urban legend, or at least a mountain being made of a molehill.

Yeah, it's probably, "Hey guys, I have this ringtone that old people can't hear!" And then they ring it once, and everyone that can hear it instantly comes down with a splitting headache, and so they go back to vibrate.

fyffer · Post by **fyffer** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:09 am

I'm 37, and once I turned up the V on my headphones, I heard it.
Yep - it's akin to that TV whine. I don't see how that could possibly deter vagrants from storefronts, or serve as a ringtone.

I just use "vibrate" mode when I want my cell not to be heard.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:15 am

I.D.10-t wrote:
Wanderer wrote: http://www.tinwhistler.com/misc/ringtone.mp3
Turn the speakers up they say.

That sound made me ripe the headphones out of my head!

32 years of age, I think.

I find it disappointing that rather than adults and kids trying to communicate and form a community that they would set up yet another divide in society. It is yet another turf war to shove youth into the basement where they are invisible.

I thought it was the youth trying to outfox the teachers. They ain't too many youths in their basements around here. They're blasting my eardrums with motorcycles, loud cars, loud pickups, and music you can hear several block away. Hey, if they find some sounds I can't hear, I'm all for it. I guess I've crossed that line. Although listening to Barry Manilow might not be worth the relief. I wouldn't mind Bing Crosby.

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:26 am

Yes. 46.

It didn't register to me as being "loud" at all, but I could easily pick it out of the background.

However, after taking off the headset, my head and ears felt as if I had just been to a loud rock concert.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:35 am

It looks like the difference between young and older ears is the intensity of the sound (except for the few chiffers who've retained sensitivity to that frequency.) I can detect it (the ringtone version,) even on the iBook with tiny speakers, but have to put my ear right next to the laptop to get a good sense of the tone. This morning I tested my 14 year old at 30 feet away, same computer, and it was still very acute to him.
My husband, who has had hearing loss since his early twenties, would not believe us that there's a sound at all if it weren't for the kid's ability to name the start and stop points with no view of my fingers on the keyboard.

djm · Post by **djm** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:02 am

Maybe I'm not set up to read mp3 correctly. I was not able to get the mosquito version to display in Cool Edit. However, based on Gary's findings, I set Cool Edit to generate a 15000 Hz tone and, boy, can I hear it.

djm

Post by **Nanohedron** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:41 am

Since I don't have a need to be clandestine about it, my ringtone is sort of the opposite thing. It's just one of those generic ones offered by my setup, but it's this really, REALLY obnoxious version of the "French Can-can", as some of us know the tune. It's so Monty Pythonesque and manic-sounding, I'm forced to answer or let myself and others suffer.

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:20 am

Ok...that one from Wanderer KILLED my ears when it was on. And that was through my speakers. I'm glad I didn't have on headphones

I'll bet that C&Fer from Swindon was the one who came up with this.

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:23 am

izzarina wrote:Ok...that one from Wanderer KILLED my ears when it was on. And that was through my speakers. I'm glad I didn't have on headphones

I tried it with headphones and the volume cranked all the way up; couldn't hear a thing. (I can't hear most high frequencies; inherited my hearing loss from my dad.)

Chiff and Fipple Forums

Poll: Can you hear this hideous noise?

Can you hear "The Mosquito" noise? Yes, you have to listen to it FIRST!