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What does 455 Hz sound like?
455 Hz is a low midrange frequency. It sits in the low midrange: a rounded, full tone in the region of male and female speaking voices and the lower notes of a piano.
A 455 Hz sound wave completes 455 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 2.2 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 75.4 cm (2.47 ft) long; in water it stretches to 3.25 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 455 Hz is 42 cents below A♯4 (466.16 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 910 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 227.5 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 455 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 75.4 cm |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 3.25 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 3.30 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 2.21 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 13.10 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 12.40 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 455 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 455 Hz?
Can hear it
Humans, Dogs, Cats, Horses, Cows, Sheep, Pigs, Goats, Rabbits, Rats, Gerbils, Guinea pigs, Hedgehogs, Raccoons, Ferrets, Chinchillas, Elephants, Bottlenose dolphins, Chickens, Canaries, Budgerigars (parakeets), Cockatiels, Owls, Bullfrogs, Tree frogs, Goldfish, Catfish, Tuna
Cannot hear it
Instruments and voices that can play 455 Hz
- Piano (88 keys)
- Guitar (standard tuning)
- Violin
- Viola
- Cello
- Harp
- Flute
- Clarinet (B♭, sounding)
- Oboe
- Bassoon
- Alto saxophone (sounding)
- Tenor saxophone (sounding)
- Trumpet (B♭, sounding)
- French horn (sounding)
- Trombone
- Tenor voice
- Alto voice
- Mezzo-soprano voice
- Soprano voice
Frequently asked questions
What does 455 Hz sound like?
It sits in the low midrange: a rounded, full tone in the region of male and female speaking voices and the lower notes of a piano.
Can humans hear 455 Hz?
Yes. 455 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 455 Hz?
455 Hz is 42 cents below A♯4, which is 466.16 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 455 Hz?
About 75.4 cm in air at 20 °C and 3.25 m in water.
Can dogs hear 455 Hz?
Yes – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.