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 30 Hz sound like?
30 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 30 Hz sound wave completes 30 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 33.3 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 11.43 m (37.51 ft) long; in water it stretches to 49.37 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 30 Hz is 49 cents below B0 (30.87 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 60 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 15 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 30 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 11.43 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 49.37 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 50.00 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 33.57 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 198.67 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 188.00 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 30 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 30 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
Instruments and voices that can play 30 Hz
Frequently asked questions
What does 30 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 30 Hz?
Yes. 30 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 30 Hz?
30 Hz is 49 cents below B0, which is 30.87 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 30 Hz?
About 11.43 m in air at 20 °C and 49.37 m in water.
Can dogs hear 30 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.