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 48 Hz sound like?
48 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 48 Hz sound wave completes 48 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 20.8 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 7.15 m (23.44 ft) long; in water it stretches to 30.85 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 48 Hz is 36 cents below G1 (49 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 96 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 24 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 48 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 7.15 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 30.85 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 31.25 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 20.98 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 124.17 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 117.50 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 48 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 48 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 48 Hz
Frequently asked questions
What does 48 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 48 Hz?
Yes. 48 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 48 Hz?
48 Hz is 36 cents below G1, which is 49 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 48 Hz?
About 7.15 m in air at 20 °C and 30.85 m in water.
Can dogs hear 48 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.