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 26 Hz sound like?
26 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 26 Hz sound wave completes 26 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 38.5 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 13.19 m (43.28 ft) long; in water it stretches to 56.96 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 26 Hz is almost exactly G♯0 (25.96 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 52 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 13 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 26 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 13.19 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 56.96 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 57.69 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 38.73 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 229.23 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 216.92 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 26 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 26 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
Frequently asked questions
What does 26 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 26 Hz?
Yes. 26 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 26 Hz?
26 Hz is almost exactly G♯0, which is 25.96 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 26 Hz?
About 13.19 m in air at 20 °C and 56.96 m in water.
Can dogs hear 26 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.