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What does 46 Hz sound like?
46 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 46 Hz sound wave completes 46 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 21.7 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 7.46 m (24.46 ft) long; in water it stretches to 32.20 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 46 Hz is 9 cents below F♯1 (46.25 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 92 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 23 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 46 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 7.46 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 32.20 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 32.61 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 21.89 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 129.57 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 122.61 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 46 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 46 Hz?
Cannot hear it
Dogs, 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 46 Hz
Frequently asked questions
What does 46 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 46 Hz?
Yes. 46 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 46 Hz?
46 Hz is 9 cents below F♯1, which is 46.25 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 46 Hz?
About 7.46 m in air at 20 °C and 32.20 m in water.
Can dogs hear 46 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.