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What does 38 Hz sound like?
38 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 38 Hz sound wave completes 38 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 26.3 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 9.03 m (29.61 ft) long; in water it stretches to 38.97 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 38 Hz is 40 cents below D♯1 (38.89 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 76 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 19 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 38 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 9.03 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 38.97 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 39.47 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 26.50 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 156.84 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 148.42 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 38 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 38 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 38 Hz
Frequently asked questions
What does 38 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 38 Hz?
Yes. 38 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 38 Hz?
38 Hz is 40 cents below D♯1, which is 38.89 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 38 Hz?
About 9.03 m in air at 20 °C and 38.97 m in water.
Can dogs hear 38 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.