![]() ![]() Several studies indicate that the human auditory system is sensitive to infrasound down to at least 2 Hz (e.g., for a review, see ). In the light of a steadily increasing number of reports on infrasound exposure, it is important to understand how humans perceive infrasound, which is defined as sound with frequencies below 20 Hz . ![]() This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ![]() Thus, the present data do not support the hypothesis that distortion products play a major role in the auditory perception of infrasound. For each signal frequency, the listeners’ detection thresholds in cases with ear-generated distortion products did not differ significantly from those in cases without. The sound pressure levels of the distortion products were well below the reference thresholds at the corresponding frequencies. All of the listeners showed distortion products, which were detected by analyzing the sound recorded in their ear canals during infrasound stimulation, for at least one of the signal frequencies. In addition, detection thresholds in quiet for these stimuli were determined in all listeners. Simultaneously, the sound in the ear canal was recorded with a high-sensitivity probe microphone. Pure-tone infrasound stimuli were presented to the ears of 16 listeners with a low-distortion sound reproduction system via an ear insert. The present study investigated if non-linear processes within the ear generate distortion products, which may explain the auditory sensitivity to infrasound. * Corresponding author: studies showed that the human auditory system is sensitive to infrasound. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig, Germanyĭepartment of Experimental Audiology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. Holger Joost 1 *, Björn Friedrich 2, Jesko L. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |