Start with your device volume low. Very low tones may be inaudible on phone or laptop speakers; very high tones can be uncomfortable on headphones.
What does 50 Hz sound like?
50 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 50 Hz sound wave completes 50 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 20 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 6.86 m (22.51 ft) long; in water it stretches to 29.62 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 50 Hz is 35 cents above G1 (49 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 100 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 25 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 50 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 6.86 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 29.62 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 30.00 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 20.14 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 119.20 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 112.80 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 50 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 50 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, Greater wax moths
Instruments and voices that can play 50 Hz
Frequently asked questions
What does 50 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 50 Hz?
Yes. 50 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 50 Hz?
50 Hz is 35 cents above G1, which is 49 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 50 Hz?
About 6.86 m in air at 20 °C and 29.62 m in water.
Can dogs hear 50 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.