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What does 27 Hz sound like?
27 Hz is a sub-bass frequency. It is a very deep sub-bass tone that you feel in your chest as much as hear. Small speakers struggle to reproduce it; good headphones or a subwoofer will.
A 27 Hz sound wave completes 27 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 37 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 12.70 m (41.68 ft) long; in water it stretches to 54.85 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 27 Hz is 32 cents below A0 (27.5 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 54 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 13.5 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 27 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 12.70 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 54.85 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 55.56 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 37.30 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 220.74 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 208.89 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 27 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 27 Hz?
Cannot hear it
Dogs, Cats, Horses, Sheep, Pigs, Goats, Rabbits, Rats, Mice, Gerbils, Guinea pigs, Hedgehogs, Raccoons, Opossums, Chinchillas, Bats, Beluga whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Chickens, Canaries, Budgerigars (parakeets), Cockatiels, Owls, Bullfrogs, Tree frogs, Catfish, Tuna, Greater wax moths
Instruments and voices that can play 27 Hz
Frequently asked questions
What does 27 Hz sound like?
It is a very deep sub-bass tone that you feel in your chest as much as hear. Small speakers struggle to reproduce it; good headphones or a subwoofer will.
Can humans hear 27 Hz?
Yes. 27 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 27 Hz?
27 Hz is 32 cents below A0, which is 27.5 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 27 Hz?
About 12.70 m in air at 20 °C and 54.85 m in water.
Can dogs hear 27 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.