Top 10 Incredible Sound Illusions
Published on February 29, 2008 - 293 Comments
Following the popularity of our optical illusions lists (20 Amazing Optical Illusions, and Another 10 Amazing Optical Illusions), we have put together an amazing array of sound illusions (auditory illusions). In these illusions, your mind is tricked in to thinking it is hearing something when, in fact, it is not. To get the most out of this list you should have a set of stereo headphones and a stereo sound system. Unless otherwise noted (before each audio file), you should listen to these sounds with your stereo. Laptop speakers are not suitable for most of these illusions.
This illusion was discovered by Diana Deutsch, and is an example of our brains “grouping” similar notes together. Two major scales are played: one ascending, one descending. However, the notes alternate from ear to ear – for instance, the right ear hears the first note of one scale, and then the second note of the other.
There are several ways in which people perceive these sounds, but the most common is to group the high and low notes together. Rather than hearing the two scales, people hear a descending and re-ascending melody in one ear, and an ascending and descending melody in the other. In other words, the brain reassigns some of the notes to a different ear in order to make a coherent melody. Right-handed people tend to hear the high melody in the right ear, and the low one in the left, while left-handers show a more diverse response. You can read more about this illusion here.
NOTE: Listen through stereo headphones, or stereo separated loudspeakers, best placed some distance apart.
Some pieces of music consist of high-speed arpeggios or other repeating patterns, which change only subtly. If they’re played fast enough, the brain picks up on the occasional notes that change, and links them together to form a melody. The melody disappears if the piece is played slowly.
Compare these recordings of Christian Sinding’s Frühlingsrauschen (”Rustle of Spring”). At the higher speed, the changing notes linger in your perception long enough to be linked into a melody, but at the lower speeds they’re too widely separated. (original recording: www.classicalmidi.co.uk / Slow recording courtesy of Karle-Philip Zamor).
This is a recording of Shepard’s paradox synthesized by Jean-Claude Risset. Pairs of chords sound as if they are advancing up the scale, but in fact the starting pair of chords is the same as the finishing pair. If you loop this sample seamlessly then it should be impossible to tell where the sample begins and ends.
This is a recording of a paradox where bells sound as if they are falling through space. As they fall their pitch seems to be getting lower, but in fact the pitch gets higher. If you loop this sample you will clearly see the pitch jump back down when the sample repeats. This reveals that the start pitch is obviously much lower than the finishing pitch.
This recording is subtle. A drum beat sounds as if it is quickening in tempo, but the starting tempo is the same as this finishing tempo. Listen carefully.
This is a demonstration of the stereo effect. Listening to it, you feel as though you are in a barber’s chair, with the barber moving around you, clipping away at your hair. As the barber “moves” to your right, the volume increases slightly in the right channel and decreases in the left. Similarly, increases in the volume of sound from the clippers give the impression that he is bringing them closer and closer to each ear. The illusion demonstrates our ability to locate sounds in space; by comparing the inputs to the two ears, we can work out where a sound is coming from.
NOTE: Listen through stereo headphones.
This, like the barbershop above, is another stereo illusion. In this illusion a man shakes a matchbox all around your body and lights matches occasionally.
NOTE: Listen through stereo headphones.
This illusion was also discovered by Diana Deutsch. In this recording, some people hear the two notes going from low to high, while others hear them going from high to low. The is a good one to listen to in a group so you can compare notes afterwards. The notes being played are called the tritone - it falls exactly in the middle of a standard musical scale. This note was once considered to be evil and was not used in music until modern times. You can read more about this here
Wait! Do not play the clip above until you have read this text. When you play this clip for the first time, play it with your eyes closed. Listen to what the man is saying. Now, play it again with your eyes open. Do you hear BA-BA, GA-GA, or DA-DA? Most adults (98%) think they are hearing “DA” - a so called “fused response” - where the “D” is a result of an audio-visual illusion. In reality you are hearing the sound “BA”, while you are seeing the lip movements “GA”.
This illusion was first demonstrated by Diana Deutsch at the University of California, San Diego. The recording features overlapping sequences of repeating words or phrases, located in different regions of stereo space. As you listen to it, you’ll start to pick out specific phrases. However, none of the phrases are really there. Your brain is constructing them, in a bid to make sense of a meaningless noise. Indeed, you may find that the phrases you hear are related to what’s on your mind – for example, people who are dieting often hear phrases associated with food. This can be a very eerie experience.
NOTE: Listen through stereo separated loudspeakers, best placed some distance apart.
This is a sound that can only be heard by people under 20 (some over 20 can hear it but not many) - it is a sine wave at 18,000 Hz (by comparison, a dog whistle sounds at 16,000 - 22,000 HZ - meaning your dog can hear this “under 20s” sound as well). This sound is used by some teenagers as a ring tone on their mobile phone so that only they (and others of their age group) can tell when the phone is ringing. It is also occasionally used in England to play very loud in areas that authorities don’t want teens to congregate in, as the noise annoys them. As people get older they lose the ability to hear higher pitched sounds - that is the reason that only young people can hear this sound - it is too high for most people over the age of 20.
Some audio sourced from Diana Deutsch’s Audio Illusions
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1. dangorironhide - February 29th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Great list! The peice of music for #9 is brilliant. #10 is pretty funny actually, I keep trying but I can’t follow a scale all the way! #7 is pretty funny as well, it does sound like they are getting lower and falling away, but about half way through I realised it was actually getting higher!
3+4 seem too much the same to be 2 different entries I think. I can hear the note for the bonus entry! My hearing is fucked from too many loud band practises so I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to
2. aldi - February 29th, 2008 at 7:27 am
coool!
3. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 7:29 am
dangor: I was tempted to not put the matchbox on but I liked it so much I thought it deserved a place anyway
As for the bonus note - I can’t hear it 
4. Randy - February 29th, 2008 at 7:30 am
I need a metronome for # 6.
5. Randy - February 29th, 2008 at 7:31 am
dang
6. W Tom - February 29th, 2008 at 7:31 am
The matchbox one was the one I had heard before. I am glad I got a new haircut though. That was nice of them to do it for free.
7. dangorironhide - February 29th, 2008 at 7:31 am
I agree the matchbox one is pretty damn cool. It’s wierd how they can make it seem like theres a difference between it being above and below you, as well as being in front or behind. It’s wierd how they can do all that with just two speakers
8. islanderbst - February 29th, 2008 at 7:40 am
#1 is freaky. It was saying ‘oh well no man’!
and i heard the bonus, and im 35! yeah me
9. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 7:40 am
BTW, on the phantom voices - you can make it say what you want by listening hard for certain words - then they start to match the words and then you can make a whole phrase.
10. Randy - February 29th, 2008 at 7:41 am
I am 36 years old and I can hear the tone in the bonus. I am around teenagers often and they have played this on their cell phones and I can always hear it.
11. Randy - February 29th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Great list!
12. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Randy: heh - I don’t know whether to say I am sorry for you or happy for you
islanderbst: you don’t even want to KNOW what it told me to do! I am not listening to that again - EVER.
13. dangorironhide - February 29th, 2008 at 7:46 am
I played the bonus to a guy in the office who’s maybe 40-50 & he could hear it fine.
14. Ruairi - February 29th, 2008 at 7:48 am
does number 9’s pic use powertab? I love powertab!
15. ian - February 29th, 2008 at 7:49 am
for number 1 i seriously heard the phrase “no where” the ENTIRE time
i have no idea what that has to do with what i was thinking about at the time hahah
anyone else only hear that?
16. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 7:53 am
dangorironhide: wow
17. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 7:54 am
ian: I heard no where too - then I heard murder, meltdown, no where, no way, then meltdown again
18. islanderbst - February 29th, 2008 at 7:56 am
jfrater, lol! maybe we should all try #1 under the influence, that could be muy creepy
19. ian - February 29th, 2008 at 8:00 am
oh i forgot to mention this but, the virtual barber had freaking out haha
if i was high or on pills i would lovvve to listen to this lol
20. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 8:02 am
islanderbst: I am scared if I do it might convince me to do things I shouldn’t!!!!
21. SocialButterfly - February 29th, 2008 at 8:03 am
That is a pretty sweet list Jamie. With # 4, I turned around to see if someone was there! #2 is very strange for me because even though I heard him say BA BA originally and very distinctly all I could hear was DA DA.
For #1 I heard 3 phrases: No Way, Right Now, and Rainbow. At first they were random when I heard them but then I started thinking about each word and it would change specifically to that phrase. Fascinating.
I could not hear the bonus (I’m 27) but my coworker who is 22 asked me to turn down my speakers because “that noise” was bothering her!
22. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 8:10 am
SocialButterfly: It is really interesting how different people react to number 1 - it is by far my favorite (hence being in position 1)
23. RMags - February 29th, 2008 at 8:10 am
The Virtual Barber Shop was by far the coolest thing ever. I closed my eyes and it took about a minute but then I felt like I was there and that this creepy dude was standing next to me whispering in my ear.
And that Phantom Words one, well at first I kept hearing “no way no way no way” and then i could change it back and forth to say “maybe maybe no way no way maybe maybe” all i had to do was think the words.
And I couldn’t hear the bonus and I’m 19, ahhh damn. My music’s too loud.
24. Rob - February 29th, 2008 at 8:13 am
This is why people love your site Jamie. Fresh, original, thought provoking. Absolutely amazing! Thank you…if the four Heinekens didn’t jump start my day, this did. Wow….
25. SlickWilly - February 29th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Haha…for #1, I heard: “Melville” and “No Bill.” Maybe I’m thinking about Moby Dick, and how I don’t want to pay the cable company.
26. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Rob: thanks
I appreciate that comment a lot. Also, have a beer for me! I will be joining you in an hour or two 
27. stevenh - February 29th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Hey Jamie:
Thanks for doing this list!
I was looking for the barbershop as an MP3. Glad that you found it.
(what no TOTH?:) )
28. Shabab - February 29th, 2008 at 8:25 am
My 50yr old mom could thoroughly hear the ‘under 20s sound’…it doesnt work
29. DanOhh - February 29th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Left off the List:
The effect I get when my wife tells me to take out the trash.
She say, “Take out the trash!” and all I hear is a series of faint clicks and whistles.
30. angryray - February 29th, 2008 at 8:28 am
#2 is very strange, when I close my eyes to listen, it sound like BA, no mistaking it. But when I watch it, it sounds like DA. #1 sounds like loose weight, milk ring, no way. And the bonus one im confused by. Im 25 and can hear it clear as day. But the last time I had my hearing checked they said it was better than perfect. I think the frequiency that a television tube puts out is higher than that, I can hear that. Can anyone else?
31. Magnolia - February 29th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Crazy awesome! I could get the paradox to switch from high-low to low-high, but I couldn’t hear the under-20 sound even though I’m not twenty yet. Dang.
32. SocialButterfly - February 29th, 2008 at 8:32 am
jfrater: You could almost use #1 as a Freudian slip…
33. goof_ball - February 29th, 2008 at 8:36 am
I can hear the last one
34. Shabab - February 29th, 2008 at 8:37 am
angryray: absolutely, i can tell if the tv is on or off, standing outside my apartment door
35. islanderbst - February 29th, 2008 at 8:37 am
for more info on the bonus sound, search wikipedia for ‘teen buzz’. notablely it says some speakers may produce distortion and that is what you may be hearing
36. Mom424 - February 29th, 2008 at 8:39 am
This is so f’ing cool that I am reduced to profanity. Wonderful list, well done!
I hear no way, no brain(my 16 year old is in the room), bueno, no bread, (geez could I be broke?)
I can actually “feel” the barber..this is so fascinating
gonna do ‘em again
Jfrater; I’m left handed(and I have neat hand-writing) but leaning towards ambidextrous, I eat , bat, golf, throw etc right handed (and I’m pretty good at sports),I hear #10 both ways,it changes, same with #3
37. Mom424 - February 29th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Oh, and I have way too good hi frequency hearing, that noise is plenty audible to me
(I’m 45)
38. Shabab - February 29th, 2008 at 8:41 am
i mean from the sound of the tube ofcourse (not the tv speaker hehe)
39. Angie - February 29th, 2008 at 8:47 am
I’m 27 and I could hear the bonus! /o/
Mind over matter, I wonder? *laughs*
The barbershop clip was awesome, too.
40. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Mom424: that is really interesting! (The ambidextrous thing) - how weird that it has an effect on our hearing perception!
41. stevenh - February 29th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Tested the bonus on 4 people here at work.
The only one who could hear anything was 22.
I made lots of people feel old just now
42. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 8:52 am
SocialButterfly: that is what I am afraid of!!
DanOhh: hahaha
43. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 8:53 am
stevenh: heheh - that is how I felt when I failed to hear it!
I was thinking of putting the brown note on the list as well - but I left it off because it is an urban legend. It would have been interesting anyway.
44. romerozombie - February 29th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Listen to this song: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ncSlPGnuOss
Then read the following: Think you can hear a voice but can’t quite make out the words? Well, there is no voice! It’s a computer maniulated to sound like a human voice! Well *I* thought it was cool…
45. romerozombie - February 29th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Mom424; Did you know women are naturally able to hear higher frequency sounds than men? Evolution made women that way so they can hear high pitched sounds like the cring of a baby at night.
46. Simone - February 29th, 2008 at 9:07 am
THis is probally my favorite, the last one is freaky as shit.
47. chershey - February 29th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Leave it to Adam in a Quailman costume on Mythbusters to disprove the brown note!
48. Simone - February 29th, 2008 at 9:09 am
I heard,”dont go”.
49. Me - February 29th, 2008 at 9:14 am
WOW the barber one freaked me out so much i kept looking behind me and stuff and when he puts the bag over i freaked out so much great list
50. Eric - February 29th, 2008 at 9:15 am
im 19 and listened to the bonus and heard it. the creepy thing was though that no matter how much i turned up or down my speakers, it didnt seem to affect the noise at all. i wonder how that can be
51. ppitstop77 - February 29th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Great list. With #1 I only heard ‘when,when,when’ all the way through it, probably ‘cos I was thinking when am I going to here something. Also I’m 30 and I didn’t here the bonus one but my 10yr old son did. He thought the stereo had broken.
52. stevenh - February 29th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Jamie, Re: the brown note… This was ‘tested’ by the Myth Busters and it was de-bunked.
Also, most (all?) PC speakers can not generate frequencies below 20Hz (the lower limit of most human hearing, and of course, most subwoofers) where this phonomena takes place, so you would have been safe.
On the other hand, why take the chance?
53. Shabab - February 29th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Comment #28: Scratch that. i played it on my phone speakers….after playing it on my pc speakers she claimed i was messing with her coz she cudnt hear anything…it works
!!! but cant use it on my phone 
54. corinthian0430 - February 29th, 2008 at 9:22 am
#1… i keep hearing “don’t know”
55. rational - February 29th, 2008 at 9:24 am
for the last one i heard beg no, random, magnum, and wake up… that last one is cool i heard different stuff everytime i listen to it… and for teh high frequency one i used to be able to hear when it first came out, now i cant anymore! haha
56. Mom424 - February 29th, 2008 at 9:27 am
reomerozombie; Yes I did know that, but I also do have an extremely high range to my hearing. I hear those horrendously high pitched interference noises that even my kids don’t.
Or maybe I’m just insane….Bwahahah….its alien signals…
57. eugene - February 29th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I love the virtual barber shop. I was listening to it at my college library with the screen minimized so I didn’t know where it started. Needless to say I kept looking behind me to see if someone was making the sounds I was hearing. Great list!
58. Stacy - February 29th, 2008 at 9:32 am
What does it mean if you can hear the bonus with headphones but not without headphones? I’m at work and not to annoy my neighbors with my choice in music I always have headphones connected to my computer. So to listen to any of these samples it was through my headphones. I heard the sound and though weird. So I unplugged and made my co-worker listen and neither one of us could hear it! So I plugged it back the headphones back in and she couldn’t hear it but I could.
59. chershey - February 29th, 2008 at 9:40 am
The virtual barbershop is used in the Great Moments with Mr Lincoln attraction at Disneyland. It’s been redone with some guy “getting you ready to meet Mr Lincoln” including a fresh haircut now in addition to the audio-animatronic delivering the Gettysburg Address.
60. April - February 29th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I’m not sure about the bonus sound. I played it about ten times and didn’t hear anything then i tried it again later and heard it perfectly.
61. Ashyja - February 29th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Woah that bonus thing creeped me out so much, that I nearly threw my headphones away… I hate high pitched sounds, it feels like someone is putting needles into my body… oh and by the way, I’m 24
Guess that means I still have extremely good ears, heh.
Number 1 sounded to me like a repetition of ‘no way’ with an alteration between the left and right ear, hard to describe…
Number 2 I always heared Ba-Ba, even when looking at him.
Number 4 and 5 were really funny, I tried to imagine where I would expect to see them if they were real. Most of the time I imagined them behind me, seemed a bit odd to me.
Number 6 seemed for me to not increase in speed at all, I must have odd hearing abilities
Number 7… hm, I don’t know if I understood the explanation correctly (I’m not a native English speaker), but it sounded like the tone was higher at the end and lower at the beginning.
62. jfrater - February 29th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Stacy: I would say it is probably something to do with the ability of your headphones to play that high pitch, but your other speakers not
63. stevenh - February 29th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Stacy - it could mean that the speakers on your PC can not generate the 18,000 hz tone. Speaker manufacturers (like others) often would not give a product a capability that it does not need.
PC speakers are known to be crappy.
64. yeewooo - February 29th, 2008 at 10:08 am
i love 5!!!!! id heard of it before but never listened to it! i started jumpin nd twitchin when he was usin d scissors!!!
65. Syme - February 29th, 2008 at 10:09 am
creepy.. for #1.
I’m 17, use headphones, but can’t hear a thing.
66. R Brown - February 29th, 2008 at 10:39 am
I think the under 20 sound is bogus. I have AWFUL hearing and I had no problem hearing it. Perhaps it is the wrong frequency?
67. Lorcs - February 29th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Hmm the barber was the best one. It’s a lot like the experience of hearing voices though, which freaked me out quite a bit… as for the phantom sound, i just made out “no way no way no way” over and over. Didn’t hear the bonus sound at all! lol.
Great list!
68. JJ - February 29th, 2008 at 10:46 am
i’m @8 and i could hear the sine wave
69. JJ - February 29th, 2008 at 10:47 am
i’m 28 and i could hear the sine wave
70. MetalHead - February 29th, 2008 at 10:54 am
For #3, did anyone else here it ascend on the first time around and then descend on the second time?
71. downhighway61 - February 29th, 2008 at 11:00 am
woohoo! my 24 year old ears are bitchin’! i can hear the sound!
72. MetalHead - February 29th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I’m 19 and I can’t hear the sine wave. Too many concerts I guess.
73. MetalHead - February 29th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Ah…Never mind, had to use the speakers to hear the sine wave. Woot! My ears work still!
74. chris - February 29th, 2008 at 11:16 am
#1 I heard nowhere, no way, and bueño.
75. Donald B - February 29th, 2008 at 11:17 am
jfrater - awesome list. I’ve been coming to this site for about a two months now and I love it! This might just be my favorite list. The Barber Shop one freaked me out at first. I listened in my cubicle at work, and I was positive someone was just outside my cubicle walls.
I can’t wait to get home and show this to my wife. Very cool!
76. chris - February 29th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Also, I’m 25 and I can hear the sine wave.
Some of these were pretty cool.
77. downhighway61 - February 29th, 2008 at 11:37 am
maybe you actually have to be 30 not to hear the sine wave
78. Ravyn - February 29th, 2008 at 11:44 am
#1: For the first half of the clip i was hearing wano in one ear and newa in the other going at the same time. I then desided to make my own words and was able to change the sounds into no way, draino, yougart and go away. pretty cool
Bonus: I was able to hear it but faintly. It sounded like the high pitched noises from the tv.
79. tjgrs - February 29th, 2008 at 11:45 am
i’m 21 and i can’t hear the bonus…my ears must be old. I do hear something, but I’m not sure if it’s me knowing I should be hearing something or maybe I’m hearing it and don’t know what it is. Whatever I’m hearing is very faint.
also, on #1 i hear “no where” and “want to” both with a Boston accent, and I’m from Boston. I heard “No whaa” and “wanu” but thats all i could here. The virtual barbershop was cool too. and I agree with what W Tom said earlier…it’s nice that they did it for free.
80. Chickensoup - February 29th, 2008 at 11:51 am
After a while, I kept hearing #1 say “Marlon Brando” in my right ear…
81. magnidude - February 29th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I bet almost everybody freaked out at least as much as to make a jerky involuntary movement when the guy in the barbershop started to whisper in the ear. I did.
And how nice I can hear the under 20-yrs-old sound. Something to cheer me up in the first year of my 30′ties :).
82. rearden - February 29th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
When he put that plastic bag over my head, I was this close to smoking that pervy barber right in the ball sack!
83. Jmurf - February 29th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Great list,
For number 1 i heard no way, no brain, nutmeg and wake up. For the bonus i cant hear it and im 18 :O Could be my speakers tho, is it the same frequency as the end note in ‘a day in the life’ by the beatles? the one john lennon put in to piss off your dog, cos i can hear that fine. For number 10 i can hear it in both ears except for every third note where it went low and i heard in my left. im right handed is that the average response?
84. Cedestra - February 29th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
You guys played perfectly into Jamie’s trap. See, he added that note to see what his demographic was to adjust his advertising. Now you knows your ages! Oh, wait, wrong list: I need to head over to the Top Ten Conspiracy Theories.
85. Sidereus - February 29th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I’m 23 and I can barely hear the Bonus track. It reminded me of when I was in middle school and my friend and I could tell when someone had left the TV on even though the screen was black. Apparently some TVs make that high pitch noise while they’re on.
86. Kevin - February 29th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I’m 19 and I barely can hear the bonus..I hear it but it’s not a sound that anonying..
87. JC - February 29th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
jfrater: did you get my membership request? i was just wondering cause i have a list that i want to submit and i think you need a username to submit it. well anyways, thanks for checking.
88. iver - February 29th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
hmm, pretty sure mp3s are the worst way to hear any kind of subtle phenomena in music, especially the bonus one considering most mp3s don’t have much of any response above 16 kHz.
#9- if you anything about voice-leading or melodic embellishment in music theory, you can a melody at both speeds
#8- those aren’t “chords” it’s one note on an organ (which has higher-register harmonics)
#7- notes aren’t getting “higher”, lower harmonic content is being slowly cut and a reverberated higher octave is slower getting louder
#2- i heard “ba” the first and second time
sorry if i’m a party pooper
but hey..
i just spent $40K at a music school and i need something to do in my free time
89. Shadow - February 29th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Number 8 is easy to discern if you just close your eyes and have a trained ear.
Number one was cool. I started off hearing “No way.” A little bit of concentration gave me “Norway” and a few other related sounding words and phrases.
I was actually surprised that I could hear the bonus one, since I’m 28 and have hearing problems anyway from so many ear infections and sinus problems as a child.
90. SocialButterfly - February 29th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Ravyn(#78): That’s all it was! I heard the high pitched noise! I thought I was waiting for something else!!! HAHAHA
Mom(#36): I am left handed as well but I also have many of the same ambidextrous qualities that you have.
91. eric - February 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
dammit…i’m 21 and I couldn’t hear the bonus. Too much rock’n'roll I guess
But the Barber Shop was really great
92. Bananas - February 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
As soon as the bosn started, my eyes started to water! It hurt my ears so badly!
93. Csimmons - February 29th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I have the bonus sound for my ringtone, none of my teachers can hear so it helps during tests
94. Csimmons - February 29th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
this is a pretty cool list, the phantom voice thing is awesome, and the mggurk effect is weird!
95. the midnight knight - February 29th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
For number #1 I hear no way and no brain the first time and the second time I heard no brain and no, don’t know.
I student at NIU and with the recent shooting on campus, I been grieving.
96. JimmyKnipps - February 29th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I’m 22 and couldn’t hear the high pitched Bonus at all…but it has given me some minutes of fun annoying my 19 year old girlfriend who can hear it perfectly and is about to kill me. =)
97. Joni - February 29th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I just heard “no way” for number one.
Really liked number 5 :D.
98. Rob Nixon - February 29th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Yay! I’m 26 and I can hear the bonus tone…very quiet though?
99. Csimmons - February 29th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I just showed my mom and dad the bonus and were so annoyed that they couldn’t hear it!
100. DK - February 29th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
ZOMG!!! oops…I mean…gosh I’m a geek…
This is so weird, I was just going to suggest a list like this! A coworker showed me the Virtual Haircut yesterday, and I found a couple of the other ones in “related videos” on youtube, but there are some that I hadn’t seen yet. I’ll have to wait until I get home tonight to have a listen though.
101. ry guy - February 29th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
im 15 and cant hear the noise
102. Crimanon - February 29th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Ah my ears are bleeding!!! I wasn’t supposed to be able to hear that!!!!
103. Genesis105 - February 29th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Wow, for no. 1 I keep hearing ‘no way’ in one ear, and ‘rainbow’ in the other, simultaneously! But it kept switching back and forth. Weird…
104. Phillies - February 29th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I’m 21, and I didn’t really hear anything…but I did feel my ears vibrate EVER EVER so slightly.
105. Michael - February 29th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
For #1, try positioning your head differently throughout the recording. You can hear a lot of different things that way.
106. Ryan - February 29th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I’m 19 and couldn’t hear the sound :(. Great site btw jfrater, I visit it almost daily.
107. Mikerodz - February 29th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I thought the bonus part is just pulling our legs ’cause I really can’t hear nothing but when I called my 6 years old niece, she said she can hear something. I tried to fake it and she said she can’t hear nothing. This is one of the best list here.
108. FifthSonata - February 29th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I’m over 20 and I heard the bonus listening. I can hear the TV frequencies when they’re about to turn on, I can hear it when it’s left on but on a blank channel…it’s an annoying sound.
What’s even better is I’m a band teacher, over 20, and I heard it:)
For those who want to test their ability to perceive pitch (especially directed at those who heard the bonus listening)–visit this website:
http://tonometric.com/adaptivepitch/
It also has links for rhythmic and “tone deaf” tests!
109. John - February 29th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
#1 says “no way” and “random” … everybody hears this the beginning text is the illusion
110. Fili - February 29th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
#1 definitely was saying “random random random … ” to me.
And the barber shop is extremely freaky.
And I’m turning 21 and the NOISE hurt my face.
111. BrotherMan - February 29th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
In #1 I heard “Please come” from one speaker and “No way” from the other. Maybe because my girlfriend does not come and see me on most Friday nights because she is too beat after work even though sometimes I try to convince her to see me. heh heh.
“Please come over, baby”
“NO WAY! I am too tired!”
112. david - February 29th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
on # 1 i heard dont rape
113. Winston B - February 29th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
For #1, I’m hearing “no way” from the left speaker and, oddly, “window” which keeps switching to “milk me” from the right speaker. To my surprise after taking off my headphones, there was a 5 day old carton of milk sitting on top of my computer desk that I hadn’t noticed until then. Freaky… O_o
114. Stephen Siracusa - February 29th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
PINK FLOYD did NOT ruin our ears afterall!
Both my wife and I can hear the last one - that’s 100%! So much for loud concerts ruining our ears back in the 70’s!
…huh?
115. Dana - February 29th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
That was fun…and #5 was great! My 12 year old daughter loved it too
116. Canuck - February 29th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Wow, definately started to hear “Randall” on that last one. Last time I get into a debate with that guy on this site.
117. SarahJ - February 29th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
OMG I just played the under 20s sound to James (16) and he ran off and told me to turn it off. I sat here laughing because I couldnt hear a thing. I didnt tell him a thing I just called him down here ! WOW!!
118. Rodrigo - February 29th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
i loved number 5. quite an experience with eyes closed…
119. Dana - February 29th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Oh, and for #1, I hear, “No way.”
120. Hoagy13 - February 29th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I’m over 80 and clearly hear the tone for the under 20s. I must be younger that I think. Just a minute…my wife tells me I often act like a teenager which probably explains its. Nope, still over 80, forgot to put my pants on this morning.
121. Crimanon - February 29th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Hoagy: You’re clearly a Man who hasn’t had his keys taken yet.
122. Jackie - February 29th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
At one point for the phantom words illusion I heard “redrum” over and over
that’s probably not good is it….
123. islanderbst - February 29th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
cant wait for the next 10. there’ll be another 10 right?
ohmydearfreakinsweetjeebus there better be another 10
124. trenttooo - February 29th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
for the phantom words i keep hearing “no way” from 1 speaker and “window” from the other.
125. trenttooo - February 29th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
ok nevermind now i keep hearing “no rain” and “wanger”! i think it changes for me everytime!
126. trenttooo - February 29th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
ok last time i kept hearing “dope man” on 1 speaker now! i will never listen to it again!
127. Winston B - February 29th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Damn… I’m only 18 and I can’t hear a damn thing from the bonus entry. My hearing must be shot.
128. Mike - February 29th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I kept hearing for number 1- No ban, No gun, and No Bum… Weird stuff
129. macabresoren - February 29th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
10: I keep hearing it go back and forth, getting higher in my left ear and lower in my right.
9: Damn, it sounds beautiful either way, so who cares?
8: Worked on me.
7: Didn’t work on me. The only way it sounds like it’s getting lower is that the sounds are farther apart.
6: This one got me, too.
5: HOLY CRAP. XD I’m a slightly paranoid person, and I was convinced at more than one part that someone was there. XD
4: This one’s just creepy. At least the barbers made me feel safe. o.o
3: I dunno about this one. The notes sound different, but I can’t really figure out how. It’s weird. I think the first and last sounded up to down, and the middle two sounded down to up.
2: I heard ba. *shrug*
1: I’m hearing “ran away.” But honestly, I’m kinda trying to get something out of it. I don’t think my brain’s falling for it. D:
Bonus: I HEAR THAT ALL THE TIME FROM TVS AND STUFF! It pierces into my brain so I call it “feeling the waves” and most people don’t know what I’m talking about. Like, if there’s a TV on two rooms away, I can feel that it’s on. Yanno? Probably not. ._. (By the way, I’m 20)
130. Raisa - February 29th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
#7 sounded like an airplane flying by to me.
#1 I heard “no way”, “nowhere”, “go go go”, “norway”, “the rain away”, “no rain away”, “conference”, “coffee”, “dump me”, “doughy”, “humpty dumpty”…
131. Mariam67 - February 29th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
These are so amazing. Although I heard BA BA on no. 2. On no.1 I heard “We’ll beg” then “milk bag”. We have milk in bags in Canada. Maybe I’m thirsty? I’m not sure if I heard the last one for under 20’s. I got this really irritating high pitched hum in my ears but I’m not sure if that was all I was supposed to hear. I’m 24 by the way.
132. kazorek - February 29th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Mike Marshall of New Scientist.com should be sited for this list too.
133. Ravyn - February 29th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
i played some of these for my fiancee. he thought the barbar shop thing was cute. i pllayed the bonus for him while he wass sitting on the couch without telling him. i don’t think he heard it. he didn’t say anything or react. but then he is constantly working with electronics so it might not phase him.
134. kazorek - February 29th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Mike Marshall NEEDS to be cited for this list…
135. anthony p - February 29th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
awwwwww im 21 and couldnt hear it, i used to be able to how bloody old i feel now
136. Kristan - February 29th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
So neither my boyfriend or I could hear the last one (both 24). I kind of thought it might be a hoax, but then realized that my cat next to me was freaking out and could definitely hear it. Pretty fun game to play
137. Crimanon - February 29th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Sorry kazorek, He should have cited his sources. These are her Ideas, not his.
138. Angelina - February 29th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I’m 33 and couldn’t hear the bonus. My co-worker who is 34 couldn’t hear it either. Two other co-workers in their mid-20s could hear it, saying it was a very high-pitched, annoying sound. The Barber Shop one was freaky, especially when he gets out the clippers.
Cool List!!
139. GTA - February 29th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Probably the greatest list ever
140. Gareth - February 29th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Hey there, I really enjoyed this list. Especially the barbershop.
However, the description for ‘Quickening Beat’ is actually incorrect. The beat is in fact speeding up, despite the tempo sounding the same at the start and end.
It actually speeds up so much throughout that it is going twice the original tempo by the end of the recording. What creates the ‘illusion’ is the gradual change of emphasis/accent to a half-time feel.
141. Z.T. - February 29th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I’m 16 and got nothing off of the bonus.
I know a teacher who’s 40-something who can hear that stuff, though.
142. MattyG - February 29th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
On #1 I heard “Nowhere” and “Over and over”. How odd.
143. the hound - February 29th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
ok, for #1 i could change it by looking at different stuff. my family was leaving when i was listening to it, and i looked out the window at them and heard “dont go dont go dont go” then “do go do go do go” then i looked at my DOG, and heard “ruff ruff ruff ruff” then at the plant next to my dog and heard “do grow do grow do grow”.
also, when the barbershop guy whispered in my ear, my head felt so weird, like i was on a ciggarrette buzz.
144. Fruckert - February 29th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
im 15 and i couldnt hear the last sound, my head just started feeling like it was swelling, wierd eh?
145. cambrexia101 - February 29th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
For number 1, I heard “No Way” first, then “No Rain.”, and at one point “Rowing”.
And for the bonus one, I hate it. Kids at school constantly play it and annoy everyone, except the teachers who can’t hear it.
Oh, and my 46 year old mom can hear it.
146. Yogi Barrister - February 29th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Are you sure that is the correct high pitch sound that only teenagers can hear? I’m over forty and a lot of people in my family have hearing problems, yet I could hear that sound in both ears with headphones, and even without headphones.
147. InconsistentAngelThings - February 29th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
I agree with 75.: chris, i heard “no way” and “bueno” alternating. The bonus noise worries me, i cant hear it. i hope its just my computer, plus my cats just sat there so i dont think they heard it either….aside from that, another awesome list, thanks for alleviating my boredom.
148. Crimanon - February 29th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
All right I caved in, I wasn’t thinking I’d listen to #1, Now I know why… It’s a Mind Fuck! I don’t like it when some thing says my name that many times, or saying “No Where” over ad over. Waterboarding has lost it’s crown, this is torture!
149. Blogball - February 29th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
First of all this was probably the most “entertaining” list so far”.
As far as the bonus sound no one in my work place could hear it. I even brought over part time employees that were 16 to 20 still nothing. They all thought I was crazy. Probably loosing my reputation as the manager. I thought about calling out to some kids walking down the street but I decided against that idea in fear of being arrested for being some kind of pervert.
When I got home I played it for my 12 year old daughter and she couldn’t believe that I couldn’t hear it and when my wife couldn’t hear she accused us for playing some kind of trick on her. This was great fun “Thanks Jamie”
150. Miss Destiny - February 29th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
This was a really fun list! For 9, I liked the slowed down version better for some reason. And the Virtual Barbershop freaked me out with the bag thing. I felt short of breath like it was really happening! Wonder if it’s supposed to do that.
Oh, and I’m 23 and I couldn’t hear the bonus note.
151. Crimanon - February 29th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
I think a good number of the people who can’t ear “bonus” need better speakers. Not all stereos can handle 18,000hz.
152. SarahJ - March 1st, 2008 at 12:46 am
oh and #1 I kept hearing, no way no wind. Maybe I was being doubtful about whether I would actually hear some words or not, and its raining like mad but no wind here right now
153. grace1129 - March 1st, 2008 at 1:00 am
Shepherds Ascending Tone, I kept clicking play as soon as it was finished and it kept going higher and higher! I’m sure there was no end! So weird.
The Virtual Barbershop, had me giggling and looking around, my heart beating out of my chest! It was totally freaking me out! I’m wearing headphones and I’m STILL worried that my husband might wake up because it was so seemingly loud and entirely realistic! LOL Crazy cool.
Matchbox Rattle, gave me the heebie geebies in my shoulders near my spine. Eeesh.
MgGurk Effect, is that like Coach MgCurk from Home Movies? Anyway, I listen without watching first and I heard “BA-BA”. Does that put me in the 2% area of freakdom?
The Phantom Words, very strange indeed. All I heard was “No way, Randall, no where, Randall, goat man” over and over and over. LOL I’m scaring myself here.
LOVE THIS LIST! Thank you so much! I’m going to secretly place my headphones over my husband’s ears in the morning and play The Virtual Barbershop! He’ll jump out of his skin! =D
154. scott - March 1st, 2008 at 1:07 am
ok so i have to tell you thist little story. ok i wa loading both the barber shop recording, and the drumbeat. and the drumbeats tarted first so i was concentrating, and it was 3am and pitch black in this room s o it was very eerie, then suddenly the barber shop one started and i flipped out thinking someone was at teh window or my wall was breking and i started looking around saying.. ‘what the fuck’ haha.i felt silly after, need less to say. anyone e’se freak themelves out like this?
155. jasontimmer - March 1st, 2008 at 1:49 am
Great list. The barbershop was amazing, I can’t imagine what it would be like under the influence of various substances. As for #1, all I could hear was “no way” the whole time. I’ll try it again while thinking certain words. I cannot hear the bonus sound, and I’m 27- kinda scary considering a lot of older folks seem to be able to hear it. Too bad #2 doesn’t work.
156. jasontimmer - March 1st, 2008 at 1:51 am
Ok, update. I tried #1 while thinking “Monday” which seems pretty close, and still all I heard the whole time was “no way.” In fact, my ears started to “cringe” after a while. Maybe my brain doesn’t like being messed with.
157. Jaffa - March 1st, 2008 at 1:54 am
Oooh, I think this is definitely my favorite list to date. I’ve been going out and studying this stuff on other websites for at least two hours now. Turns out, after testing the under 20s thing, that I’m able to hear up to at least 21.1kHz (couldn’t find any higher ones to test this out with). I’ve always had acute hearing, even being 23 and having played in punk bands for the better part of six years. ODD!
158. danielle - March 1st, 2008 at 3:19 am
this is a great list.
the virtual barber shop is certainly erie.
159. EvanJ - March 1st, 2008 at 3:33 am
After listening to #1 for ages, all I could hear was “don’t run”. Or alternately, “big bear”, which I enjoyed more, but understood less.
160. Crimanon - March 1st, 2008 at 3:42 am
EvanJ: Together those make more sense.
161. Drogo - March 1st, 2008 at 3:55 am
I once listened to a classical music piece on the radio that was recorded with perfect stereo illusion. It was amazing how you could imagine where each of the instruments were. For example, you could tell the cello was right of center stage, but not as far right as another instrument. It also seemed like you could tell which instrument was infront or inback of other instruments. Whoever arranged the microphones, and did the mixing, is/are very talented at it.
162. Drogo - March 1st, 2008 at 4:01 am
p.s. For #1 I heard, “Kill Jamie Frater, Kill Jamie Frater!”
Just kidding of course
163. jandaman - March 1st, 2008 at 7:33 am
im 23. at first i couldn’t hear the sine wave then after going through the phantom voice i can now hear the sine wave. thanks to phantom voice now i feel below 20 again!
164. Steve T. - March 1st, 2008 at 9:00 am
WTF? You’re impressed by these??? I’m with Iver at #88. If you’re a trained musician with any experience in recording, or even better electronic music, these are either old hat or fraudulent. The barbershop is startling to young ears only because nobody bothers to show off what stereo can do any more. The point was made back in the 1950s. (True binaural sound is much more impressive.) With the falling bells, pitch (the note you’re perceiving) is not the same as the frequency being fed into your ears, so that’s a true audio illusion, if a rudimentary one. It’s why you can think you’re hearing low notes coming out of a tiny speaker incapable of producing them.
But #6, the “quickening beat”? Double WTF. It’s not an illusion that the beat’s getting faster. It is getting faster. It starts at about 92 by my metronome and ends at about 170. I’d call that an accelerando.
165. raye - March 1st, 2008 at 9:52 am
a very nice list
i especially enjoyed the bonus because i live in a house with two 21 year olds and neither of the could hear it but i, being under 20, could hear it…i even hear the high pitch sounds from the television…
166. Csimmons - March 1st, 2008 at 9:54 am
Im glad none of my teachers can hear the bonus ringtone i have on my phone(its called the mosquito ringtone usually)it helps during tests!
167. lottalita - March 1st, 2008 at 10:45 am
the virtual barber was so cool, i got shivers… and the high pitch one.. i am over 20 but still heard it… tried it on my mom, and nothing… my little sis is so happy i found it.
168. Brian Moo - March 1st, 2008 at 11:10 am
I just heard “No Way” for the 1st one. Virtual Barber Shop was pretty nifty.
@romerozombie: I don’t hear any voices in that video
169. Mara - March 1st, 2008 at 11:40 am
..yeah. I heard “redrum” on the phantom words too. It might explain why those twin girls have been following me everywhere.
The matchbox one was cool as hell.
And I’m 22 and heard the high frequency noise just fine. My dog thinks you’re an asshole though. (”..wh– .. the f–.. quit it. I’m right here.. Agh.”)
170. billyrules! - March 1st, 2008 at 11:54 am
the barbershop one was cool, i actually thought my dad was talking. on #1 i heard “no way,” “bueno,” and sadly “no brain”
171. zack - March 1st, 2008 at 12:04 pm
#1 i heard “talk to me” the whole time.
172. chillipacker - March 1st, 2008 at 12:05 pm
you should have put up brown noise
173. Crimanon - March 1st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Drogo: Obsess much?
174. Crimanon - March 1st, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Chillipacker: even if you can find it, I doubt that many people have the speakers to handle it. I’ve seen competition stereos that couldn’t deal with it.
175. JMAC - March 1st, 2008 at 2:07 pm
on #1 I heard “dumpling” and no way”
176. the hound - March 1st, 2008 at 2:41 pm
where can i find more illusions like the “matchbox rattle” and the “virtual haircut”?
177. Andrea Carlena - March 1st, 2008 at 5:31 pm
I can hear the under 20 thing!!! Yaayyy for youth!!
-Andrea Carlena Beauman
178. Kendall - March 1st, 2008 at 6:23 pm
i couldnt hear the bonus, and i’m 15 XD
loved all the illusions
179. chibiShinigami - March 1st, 2008 at 8:26 pm
these are pretty sweet.
the barber shop and matchbox were cools. i like fire so of course i liked the matchbox one
im 20 goin on 21 and i heard the bonus.
and on #1 i heard..”no way” and “winner”
180. molly - March 1st, 2008 at 8:38 pm
holy shit that virtual haircut was trippy as hell!
181. ginger - March 1st, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Comment 15, Ian:
That’s all I heard too.
182. Shagata Ganai - March 2nd, 2008 at 2:30 am
#58 Stacy Your speakers probably suck. Try the bonus again at a computer with speakers that cost at least $75.00, and
# 129 Macabresoren I heard the Bonus, and I can hear my Sharp TV, too! (I’m over 50) My wife and daughter think I’m nuts. You’re the first person I’ve found who can hear that whine. I also have tinnitis from Loving loud Rock- if it’s too loud, yer too old, know what I mean? lol, but I think that makes it doubly odd that I hear those high tones.
183. Art Brut - March 2nd, 2008 at 6:08 am
The virtual barber shop was amazing! I kept thinking that it would be so cool if there was adventure/fantasy-scenes like that!
It made me sad that I couldn’t hear the bonus (i’m only 17)
But my cat couldn’t hear it either, so i’m hoping it’s just my computer or something.
For #1 i could only hear “nowhere” and “wano?”. Weird.
184. jfrater - March 2nd, 2008 at 7:40 am
JC: you don’t need to be a member to submit a list - just send it to my email address
185. Versailles - March 2nd, 2008 at 11:23 am
I’m exactly 20 years old, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to hear the last sound or not.
Luckily, I was able to. I guess I’m on the young side of 20 ^_^
186. Dylan - March 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 am
AWESOME!!!! The under 20 sound blows my mind. Too bad I’m 28 (can’t hear it)
187. Licurgo - March 2nd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
the number 1 is saying to me “kill them all,they are inferior,just take the axe and go”
188. fgds - March 2nd, 2008 at 7:06 pm
There is an excellent java applet which demonstrates the shepherd tones here:
http://www.cs.ubc.ca/nest/imag.....ST/st.html
189. Ginny - March 2nd, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Number 1 all I heard was “milk” over and over again…
Weird.
190. fgds - March 2nd, 2008 at 7:17 pm
In the bonus item, you may think you are hearing the the 20khz sound when, in fact, you are hearing artefacts and noise introduced by the mp3 encoding and limitations of your harware etc.
I can just about hear it, but I can clearly hear another tone which is at a lower frequency (but still quite high).
191. Pembroke - March 2nd, 2008 at 11:45 pm
#1, I just heard “no way” constantly. It also shifted into “way no” every once in a while.
I was excited that I could hear the bonus! Well, I’m only 21.
192. angel054 - March 3rd, 2008 at 4:23 am
great list!…especialy liked the #1…ive heard it 3 times and all 3 times ive been hearing the same words: right now, love me, wake up, now….great illusion..cant wait to see what my bf will hear hehehehhehe
the bonus i can hear perfectly yaaay! and im 24 [well 25 in april :(]
193. mcgvil - March 3rd, 2008 at 9:50 am
good going Randy,im only 16 and cant hear the bonus lol
194. Draya - March 3rd, 2008 at 11:02 am
The matchsticks were trippy! I kept looking behind me! Same with the Barbershop. Cool list!
195. Hector - March 3rd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
This is what I heard on #1:
“No where”
“Randal”
“Wino”
“Talk to me”
“No one”
“Doorway”
“Lucky”
196. Leah - March 3rd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I also heard nutmeg, nutmeg and went well went well over and over - didn’t hear the high pitch noise - guess my ears are over the creek - the dog didn’t bother to move any either when I played it…great site of collection of sounds..good job
197. Lucy - March 3rd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
i heard
“norway”
“no way”
“runway”
“he will not come back” (this was a mixture of the two)
and im 17 & my eyes hurt so bad from the bonus.
my 65 year old dad definitely could not hear it, however.
198. Lucy - March 3rd, 2008 at 8:16 pm
i’ve also noticed that with Number 1 you can pretty much think of ANY word and if you concentrate on it you will eventually hear it.
199. astraya - March 3rd, 2008 at 11:28 pm
I am significantly deaf in one ear, so stereo effects are largely lost on me, here as in real life. For example, I heard all the barbershop noises in my “good” ear.
#9 I can follow the melody at slow speed, but that might be because I know the piece, having hacked my way through it (at about that speed) a number of times.
I wonder if trained or enthusiastic amateur musicians hear (or process) these things differently than non-musicians.
#1 I heard “no way”, “no bread”, “no brain”, “no rain”, “don’t rain” and “dump me”.
200. monkey_vet - March 4th, 2008 at 1:55 am
Re: #2
Okay, so apparently 98% of people see “da-da” when they open their eyes, but does anyone know what it means if you hear “ba-ba” originally, but see “ga-ga” afterwards?
201. satori - March 4th, 2008 at 8:50 am
This list is really interesting-#9 reminds me of a newer (I don’t know if it is in actual use) detection of Heart Diseases. The Heart beats are recorded, and somehow, I suppose similarly to the Phantom Melodies, is sped up and the melody becomes a language for your Heart to speak, so to speak. Amazingly, the less “melodically pleasing” and fluid the healthier your Heart is. When there is a coherent melody (ie not just random notes and sounds) this is demonstrative that your Heart is unhealthy. I wish I could site this…if anyone else knows or has heard of this, please help me site it! TY in advance!
202. Actorsax - March 4th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
What does Luigi whisper into your year at the end of the barbershop? What frequency cancels itself out?
These are all pretty sweet.
203. astraya - March 4th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I got my fiancee, who is a non-native speaker of English, to listen to #1. She said she heard English in one ear (”no way” or “nowhere” - it was difficult to catch her accent) and her native language in the other ear (and said something in her native language, but I didn’t catch it). Are there any bilingual or English-as-a-second-language Listversers?
204. Dave - March 4th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I heard the #9 melody just fine both times, I couldn’t not hear it, I guess I’m a better musician that I thought. And the heartbeat thing is nuts, so cool if true.
205. Katarzyna - March 5th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
#1 -> astraya
I’m Polish, English is my second language, but still - on the phantom words I heard expressions in English: “no way” in one ear and “please don’t” in the other. But there are not many words in Polish, which could be associated with those sounds, and even if there are any, their combination wouldn’t make much sense. What’s your fiancee’s native language?
206. Angelina - March 5th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Katarzyna!!! What’s up chickie!?
207. Marie Artonette Martonette - March 5th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Oh Dear!! my poor ears(and brain).
i’m 28 and I still can hear the sine on 18000 Hz. It made me remeber my old ultrasonic gun (I used to be scared of dogs)
and i also finally understood why some people can hear weird high noises comming from tvs and pcs while others don’t
208. chershey - March 6th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
So I FINALLY got to have a sit down at home (where I have sound) and listen to these.
It’s weird, 7 sounds like it’s getting higher; I tried to trick myself into the trick but it didn’t work.
No matter how many times I randomly switch around on 6, the tempo sounds different between the beginning and then end…not necessarily faster or slower, but, different.
In 3 I definitely preferred low to high, but I could see (hear?) how some could hear high to low.
With my eyes closed I heard BA and with my eyes open I heard DA. Weird.
At first during 1, my left ear was no way and my right ear was nowhere. Then my left was nowhere and my right was wana for the bulk of it. At the very end my left was no way again and my right was still wana. I never heard any random words just once or anything; maybe I was expecting them too much.
23 and heard it no problem. /shrug
209. JeffT - March 7th, 2008 at 1:25 am
For #1 all I heard at first was, “No way.” Then I listened to it a couple more times and I began to be able to make it skip as in “No way, No, No way, No way, No, No, No…”. Then as I started to make my brain busy it began to form different sounds and eventually it began to say my friends name Brando, which was very weird.
210. Blueberries - March 7th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
When I was young my father couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to spend time with the family watching TV. It was only later as an adult I realized the high pitched sound of the TV is what was driving me to the farthest part of the house away from the living room. I didn’t buy my own first TV until I was in my late forties.
211. Kazorek - March 9th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Crimanon: No these are his words, some copied verbatim,
212. Kazorek - March 9th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
He did cite her by the way.
213. ChrisG - March 9th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
These were all cool except for the last two. I guess my brain just didn’t even try to make sense of the Phantom Words because the recording was just nonsense sounds from beginning to end.
Also, I am 30 yrs old and I heard the high frequency sound quite clearly and found it painful to listen to.
214. Clarkekentyboy - March 10th, 2008 at 7:06 am
Maybe it’s because I heard the normal speed first but I have no problems identifying the melody in the piece. The notes clearly ring out. It’s probably a midi recording but one hand is picking out the melody and the other is playing the arpeggio by the sounds of it. Therefore the piece isn’t just a series of arpeggios with the illusion of a melody.
215. Kazorek - March 10th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Crimanon: I do think this is a great list by the way. Number three is amazing.
216. erick - March 12th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I think the ‘quickening beat’ one isn’t represented correctly here. I’ve listened to the MP3, took off my headphones, then replaced them near the end; it was obvious that the tempo was much faster near the end.
217. RJ - March 13th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
that mp3 of 18khz sound is a joke, the mp3 encoding probably fucked it. actual 18khz, if you can hear it, *hurts*.
218. bob - March 14th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Cool barber sample.
219. ImMez - March 14th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
While listening to the phantom words the only words I hear are “no way” the entire time.
Also when alternating between watching #2 with eyes open and closed, I hear what he’s saying differently.
SO WEIRD!
220. Laura - March 15th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I can hear the bonus sound really really well and I’m 24… (I now have a headache
and I’ve noticed that if I enter someone’s home I can hear if they’ve left their TV on because of the high-pitched buzzing noise, although I’ve never found someone else who can hear it. I think it’s simply because I have never listened to music at an extremely loud volume or spent much time at super-loud concerts. It creeps my friends out sometimes that I have such good hearing and I can hear things they can’t. Personally, I think it’s great, except that I can be irritated by sounds (ie. the bonus noise) that nobody else even hears.
221. Mark Hagnos - March 24th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
It’s all amazing! All I hear on #1 is “no way, no way, no way…”.
222. Brian - March 27th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Great list! I’ve been linking all my friends. For the last one though, are you sure it’s 18k? I’m 23 and could hear it perfectly and I’ve conducted tests before with high frequency sine waves and could barely hear 18k. Moreso I just felt it and got a headache. I’d wager that was more like 16 k. 18k is almost painful.
223. Pensivepoet - March 28th, 2008 at 4:57 am
Something wrong with my computer I cant get any of these to work. It’s not that I cant hear any of them I cant get any to initialize in the first place. Help! I want to try these!
224. Pensivepoet - March 28th, 2008 at 4:58 am
With the exception of the Ba Ba one. By the way, heard Ba Ba both times.
225. Jorge Rosario - March 31st, 2008 at 10:29 pm
#6 is obviously wrong, if you skip from the beggining to the half of the mp3 ull notice which part is slower thatn the other
226. Tita - April 1st, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I am mexican and I hear “bueno, bueno, bueno” over and over again. (bueno=good)
Love the barber efect.
227. El Jimmer - April 5th, 2008 at 2:36 am
I heard the bonus noise. I just had to turn it up a bit. Then my head felt like it was pressurized and I became quite uncomfortable. Other than that, I heard “Norway,” “No Way,” “Wando,” and “Randall.” I heard “Ba” and saw him say “Ga.” The rest of the illusions were within my realm of grasping, except for one: the quickening drum beat. I played that over and over, and I swear that it continued to speed up. Intriguing.
228. Maelgrim - April 8th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
The bonus noise hurts like hell! I’m 15 and so is my friend. We heard it about 5 min ago and our ears still hurt. It made me have some sort of mini seizure the second I heard it.
229. smitty o’shea - April 9th, 2008 at 5:25 am
still hard to believe people can still be told what they can and can’t hear .
230. Hippie3 - April 20th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
for #1 i kept hearing “no way.” no idea what i was thinking of though lol and for the bonus, i heard it loud and clear. my ears still hurt from hearing it
231. Steve - April 21st, 2008 at 11:56 am
For the phantom one, first t sounded like no win, then no where, then bueno (like kinder bueno), the wenda, then window then back to no win. Its CRAZY! Love the barber shop and matchsticks.
232. Adron - April 21st, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I heard the bonus just fine; its quite an annoying sound, and Im 31. Ive apparently got very sensitive ears though; The whine that CRT TV’s and monitors makes sets me teeth on edge and people that leave speakers powered on with the volume not set to zero annoy me as well, as they emit an even worst whine.
Neat list though; I enjoyed it. All I heard with number 1 was one woman saying WA WA WA WA over and over and another saying NO or NA. No eerie phrases for me
233. some guy