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 32 Hz sound like?
32 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 32 Hz sound wave completes 32 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 31.2 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 10.72 m (35.17 ft) long; in water it stretches to 46.28 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 32 Hz is 38 cents below C1 (32.7 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 64 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 16 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 32 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 10.72 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 46.28 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 46.88 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 31.47 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 186.25 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 176.25 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 32 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 32 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 32 Hz
Frequently asked questions
What does 32 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 32 Hz?
Yes. 32 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 32 Hz?
32 Hz is 38 cents below C1, which is 32.7 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 32 Hz?
About 10.72 m in air at 20 °C and 46.28 m in water.
Can dogs hear 32 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.