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What does 42 Hz sound like?
42 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 42 Hz sound wave completes 42 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 23.8 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 8.17 m (26.79 ft) long; in water it stretches to 35.26 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 42 Hz is 33 cents above E1 (41.2 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 84 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 21 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 42 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 8.17 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 35.26 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 35.71 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 23.98 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 141.90 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 134.29 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 42 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 42 Hz?
Cannot hear it
Dogs, Cats, Horses, Sheep, 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 42 Hz
Frequently asked questions
What does 42 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 42 Hz?
Yes. 42 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 42 Hz?
42 Hz is 33 cents above E1, which is 41.2 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 42 Hz?
About 8.17 m in air at 20 °C and 35.26 m in water.
Can dogs hear 42 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.