Can you hear it? Not if you're old!

[PennyK]

A Ring Tone Meant to Fall on Deaf Ears

By PAUL VITELLO The New York Times

In that old battle of the wills between young people and their keepers, the young have found a new weapon that could change the balance of power on the cellphone front: a ring tone that many adults cannot hear.
David Herzka, a freshman at Roslyn High School on Long Island, shared the ring tone with friends.
In settings where cellphone use is forbidden — in class, for example — it is perfect for signaling the arrival of a text message without being detected by an elder of the species.

"When I heard about it I didn't believe it at first," said Donna Lewis, a technology teacher at the Trinity School in Manhattan. "But one of the kids gave me a copy, and I sent it to a colleague. She played it for her first graders. All of them could hear it, and neither she nor
I could."

The technology, which relies on the fact that most adults gradually lose the ability to hear high-pitched sounds, was developed in Britain but has only recently spread to America — by Internet, of course.


Here's the tone:
http://graphics.nytimes.com/packages/audio/nyregion/20060610_RINGTONE.mp3



I'm 55, and I was delighted (but not surprised) to find that I could hear it...I'm the type that always hears the hum of machines and when I complain hubby sez "huh?"

[IdaBriggs]

1. Can't hear it -- and I'm 40. :) nt

[PennyK]

5. Turn your volume up

It makes a big difference...at least I heard it quite easily that way.

[IdaBriggs]

87. Once I turned the volume up, it was like I could *almost* hear

"something" -- a very, very faint "bzzing" sound. I probably wouldn't recognize it as anything other than background noise myself.

:shrug:

[meegbear]

6. Ditto and I'm 40 ...

a guy at work in the same room asked where was that sound coming from.

At least the first thing one is supposed to lose when you get old isn't true.

[carolinalady]

72. 40 and heard it! Not sure if I would hear it in a busy setting though.

[meegbear]

2. How about a link to the story itself?

[mtnester]

7. If you google it there are a zillion articles on it

AND NO, I cannot hear it (that pisses me off)

But, I now have a headache

[PennyK]

10. Sorry! Here's the link...it's on Page One of print edition!

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/12/technology/12ring.html


And Rachel talked about it this morning.

[meegbear]

14. Thanks!!

[BlueJazz]

3. Yeah well.....If some teenagers keep listening to IPods at 110.....

..decibels, they won't be able to hear it also... :)

[MadHound]

9. LOL you are so correct

I imagine that the hearing aid industry is absolutely delighted with modern music trends of IPods cranked up loud, car stereos loud enough to vibrate the car to pieces, bass cannons whose vibrations can stop hearts, and all the other audio gear that gets cranked up and destroys hearing. Big bucks for them in a decade or so.

By the by, I'm forty five and can hear the tone just fine. And yes, I did my fair share of loud music and noises in my youth, I was even a DJ for a number of years, with headphones cranked at times. I still had the sense to take care of my hearing most of the time.

[CrispyQ]

16. Sad but true.

;)


on edit: Didn't hear a thing. Neither did hubby.

[slackmaster]

51. Not just those, how about the cars with uber-loud subwoofers?

The ones that sound like they're about to fall apart because the frame welds are breaking.

[mike_c]

4. wow-- that was absolutely silent for me...

...but each of the cats checked their cell phone...

Seriously, I didn't hear ANYTHING.

on edit: students frequently complain about a shrill noise from the lighting in one of the lecture halls at school, but I can't hear that, either!

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

8. Hear it and find it INCREDIBLY annoying...like a high pitched buzzing

If my kids think this will work with me, they are sadly mistaken...of course, they won't be teenagers for several more years and my hearing may deteriorate by then.

As of now, I hear it distinctly and find it very irritating.

[KoKo]

20. Sounded like computer "static" to me and not a "ring tone."

Was one supposed to hear a "ring" or just static? :shrug:

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

21. I heard a high pitched, machine-like whine...kinda like static, I guess.

Definitely not a "ring" sound.

[Nabia2004]

11. nothing, but then

I always have a high pitched ringing in my ears.

[thereismore]

12. I am 40. At first I wasn't sure I heard anything, but with more volume

I definitely did. Clever little rugrats.

[madokie]

13. can't hear it

[Swamp Rat]

15. OW!!!

FUCK that hurt! x(

[im10ashus]

17. 41 and I could hear it.

Sounds annoyingly like a television or computer monitor coming on.

[Asgaya Dihi]

18. I can hear it

Seems stronger at first though and fades toward the end. Changing tone? Or maybe just me. Not real noticeable though, I can see how someone who wasn't expecting it might ignore it for a random ringing in the ears.

[Canuckistanian]

19. Interesting tone - I can hear it, but just barely

It's a 15kHz fundamental frequency with 3kHz, 9kHz and 21kHz components.

Enough to be noticed as a non-natural noise and almost silent to those who can't hear the higher frequencies.

[Karmakaze]

59. Oh good I thought I was going nuts - I can hear two tones..

clear as day and some others that are more felt that heard. One of the clear tones I would have thought older people could hear because it isnt that high, at least not to me. I am 32 by the way, and have played loud music through headphones all my life, and I mean LOUD.

However I do have rather strange hearing. I have always been able to hear very high frequencies (including some supposedly outside the range of human hearing) quite clearly. While most people could hear the electron gun of a CRT television when they were in the room or in the house, I could hear it from the street.

When I joined the NZ Army years ago (I was 18) we had to do one of those hearing tests where you go into a soundproof booth, put on headphones, then indicate which ear you hear a tone in and when. After about 20 minutes, the perplexed testor called me out. I asked what the problem was, and apparently their equipment couldnt find the upper range of my hearing. I was hearing every tone their equipment made.

Just the other day a strange scraping sound was annoying the hell out of me. I had friends over at the time so I asked them if they heard it too. None of them did. I eventually tracked it down to one of my friends absent mindedly scratching the side of their foot with a finger. The person doing it was only 20 and HE couldn't hear the noise he was making. :)

The weird part is, as frequencies go higher, the sound changes from something I hear with my ears, to something that seems to be coming from inside my head. Internal instead of external.

Anyway, sorry for rambling, I was really only meaning to thank you for confirming what I thought I was hearing

[Canuckistanian]

60. You're lucky

Even with all those years of loud music, you still have your upper range. That's a good sign for your future hearing.

I had an unusual upper range when I was young (I'm 47 now). I remember our science teacher did a test to see how high a frequency we could all hear. I heard up to 21kHz, one of only two on the class that could.

I'm starting to lose it in one ear - down to about 16kHz now.

[Karmakaze]

68. I was just looking around for an online hearing test...

I didnt find one that specifically tests range, but my 16khz hearing is still pretty acute. I got it down to something like minus 70 decibels before I wasnt sure If I was just hearing noise added by my soundcard or headphones. Of course who knows how accurate that test is when it comes to its decibel level.

I do feel that its not as acute as it was at 18 though. Maybe by the time Im 50 I will have the top end hearing of a 30 year old :)
My bottom end hearing however is pretty much normal, and always has been.

[Occulus]

62. YOU can hear it too!

Good, I've always thought I was weird or something: every time someone would turn on a TV in the house, I could hear the electron gun. Nobody else in my house could, and thought I was a little nuts or something!

Whew.

[lumberjack_jeff]

22. Wow. 44 and I couldn't hear shit.

I figured it was a "emperor's new clothes" joke, so I played it with a spectrum analyzer displayed. Sure enough there it is - a high frequency tone.

:(

[seabeyond]

23. ok, i could hear, but barely. i called boys in. one really sensitive

to sound. didnt tell them what i was doing and hit link. both kids immediately put hands to ears. oldest that is sensitive, backed away saying hurting his head. they say high pitched squeal. way beyond what i heard. very interesting

walked all the way into another room and saying annoying. wow

[lumberjack_jeff]

27. I played with the graphic equalizer a bit until I could hear it..

Once I could hear it, I can see why he held his hands to his ears. It's a very high tone 16khz or above. I'm surprised that cellphone speakers can make the sound.

[tenshi816]

77. There was a TV news segment on the BBC

a couple of weeks ago about this tone. Apparently some kind of apparatus has been developed using it with the express intention of supplying it to businesses that want to keep young people away from the premises (for example, to keep loads of kids from piling into the corner shop and hanging around outside). This infuriates me; I know they're noisy but that's part of being young. Children and teenagers should not be treated as if they're garden pests.

[seabeyond]

78. i agree. and will be the first store to get got for abuse

because if it hurts physically, isn't that abuse?

[tenshi816]

80. I don't know the answer to that.

The news story made it sound as if it was a done deal, so if it was against the law it seems like something would have been said about it.

The thing is, while I realize that large groups of teenagers can appear intimidating because of their sheer numbers, hulking size and clothing (there's something menacing about boys in hoodies, especially to the elderly), most of them have no bad intentions. They deserve to be treated better than animals that need herding up and moving off. I have boys of my own and I'd be livid if they were treated that way.

[seabeyond]

83. i told a cop in airport. treat us all like animals and we just may become

i have it up on another board. hittin a lot of adults. a lot of adults cant hear. but this is NOT just going ot the young ear. though, every young ear has been effect, to a certain age, the adult is not. i dont think it will behoove a business to use this and possibly lose more customers.

[hyphenate]

24. I've been using my laptop

without external speakers, and I can't hear it. As soon as I try plugging in my regular desktop speakers, I'll listen again. But I have been getting a little deafer anyhow--I suppose this is the first major breakdown!

[wakeme2008]

81. No I had the same problem with the speakers on my Powerbook..

:) Hear it with ear buds no problem.

[hyphenate]

85. Thanks--that worked!

I guess my ears aren't that old after all! :rofl:

[DesertRat]

25. I could barely hear it. Too many concerts in my younger days.

I'm 50. But I'll bet I could hear it as a classroom teacher during my 20's. :D

[Canuckistanian]

26. One problem with this - cell phone speakers can't handle high frequencies

Unless it works by generating very high-pitched "beat frequencies", I don't see how this could work on tiny, cheap speakers such as those in cell phones.

[RebelOne]

28. I couldn't hear it, but I have tinnitus,

so it probably blended in with the ringing in my ears.

[LifeDuringWartime]

32. tinnitus sucks

especially for musicians (i have it too) :(

i could tell that it was there, but it wasn't very loud compared to lower frequencies on my laptop speakers

[The Deacon]

29. Can hear it

But in most situations I would just ignore it as regular background noise (fluorescent lights, computer monitor hum, etc.) My wife is always amazed I can hear high-pitched sounds but not her voice.

[laundry_queen]

30. Oh thank god I can hear it.

LOL! I'm only 30, but with severe hearing loss on my dad's side, and the fact that I blew an eardrum a year and a bit ago, I'm feeling pretty good that I can hear it. :woohoo:

[Clark2008]

31. Bookmarking.

My speakers don't work well (if at all) at work, so I want to try this at home.

[Clark2008]

33. Nevermind... I heard it LOUD and clear at work

It's a buzzing noise. OUCH.

I'm 36, btw.

[Imalittleteapot]

34. Can't hear it. One 36 year old in office can, one can't.

Wonder if dogs can detect it.

[KarenS]

35. 56 and cannot hear it,,,,,

I'm old :shrug:

[tridim]

36. One of my dogs went nuts when I played that!

It's the same sound old TV's made when the volume was down. Maybe it's just me, but I can always tell if a TV is on, even in another room because of that sound.

[Xithras]

74. Not just you.

I have a huge problem with CRT computer monitors because of this. Some of us are very sensitive to high pitched sounds, and I've probably returned a half dozen monitors over the years because they made a similar sound when I powered them up. In every case where they've been checked, the person in the store couldn't hear it and argued that there was nothing wrong with the monitor. I can also hear a TV several rooms away, even if the volume is all the way down. This drives both my wife and my kids nuts, since I have to sleep earlier than they do and they can't simply turn the TV down to keep from bugging me. When I go to bed, every TV in the house has to be turned off.

I'm 31, and I not only heard the sound at the link, I had to put my hands to my ears and stop the player because the sound HURT. I'm a college professor, and if one of my students brings a phone with that tone to class he's going to get one HELL of a lecture.

[Caoimhe]

37. I heard it

it reminds me of the sound of a TV with the sound down, or a flickering flourescent light. That electrical buzz. Very annoying. I'm 35. We have hearing tests at work every year and according to the printouts I have pretty good hearing, so it doesn't really surprise me. What is surprising is that all that loud music I've listened to hasn't damaged me noticeably. Maybe more age will reveal it.

[karlrschneider]

38. Hm. I'm 64 and I can hear it clearly...even after 40 years of sitting

in the cockpits of loud airplanes. ;-)

[TahitiNut]

44. So can I at 62.

I really can't believe what (the mp3) I'm playing through my Bose speakers is the same sound as played through a cellphone. As a 62-year-old male, I get the double ding of hearing loss for both age and sex (male).

[enlightenment]

39. What is really annoying is the potential for abuse.

I'll say, up front, that I don't own a cell phone and belong to the small group of people who do not believe that they are time-saving, convenient, cool, practical, or necessary.
Despise them, as a matter of fact.

Moving on -- this concerns me. Over the past couple of years, I have caught a number of students attempting to use the text messaging function on their phones to cheat on tests; apparently they give their texts and notes to a friend outside of class and try to "get" the answers that way. It is annoying and frustrating and sad. I really don't like failing students for cheating, but they can't be rewarded for the behavior.

I rarely catch them because I hear the phone -- I catch them because they look silly trying to text with the phone sitting on their lap. So, I'm not terribly concerned that this new ring tone (and no, I can't hear it) will make it easier for them to cheat.
I am concerned that it will make more students willing to try and cheat.

I do not object to students taking a call (in the hall) if they clear it with me first; I have many parents with young children and people working full time who must stay in contact with their jobs. Most of the time there is no issue -- folks just turn them off while in class. Still, there are enough problems with the damn things going off because they forget to turn them off that I would like to have a special rack right inside the door where they could be racked for the duration of the class. Sort of like when men had to check their weapons at the door.
I don't think you can kill someone with a cell phone, but the potential for abuse is still very great -- and this new element will just increase the possibilities.
sad.

[jayctravis]

71. I'd have them line up their phones on your desk before a test!

Anyone who gets a text during the test containing answers fails!

[rock]

40. 17-kilohertz

My hearing is limited to 11 kilohertz (last time I checked).

[kitkat65]

41. My garage door keeps going up and down!

Just kidding! (I've heard some Mariah Carey songs can do that.)

At first I didn't hear anything but I felt like my head was being squeezed. Now, I do hear it faintly after turning up the volume. I also notice it gets louder if I have my head at just the right receiving angle to the speakers. It sounds like your typical ringing in the ears sensation.

[BlackVelvet04]

42. I can hear it and I'm......

well, not real young.

[SheilaT]

43. Once I turned the volume up

I heard it quite clearly. A high-pitched tone. I'm 57. I'll need to test it at home with my 19 year old son to see if he hears it at a significantly lower volume than I do.

I have terrible tinnitus, which I've simply grown used to and hardly notice any more. I know I have some hearing loss --although periodically cleaning my ears of wax tends to improve that problem.

Every so often I'll hear a faint, extremely high-pitched sound and if there's anyone around will ask, "Did you hear that?" and usually no one else does, so I never know if I'm picking up something that's real or if my ears are playing tricks on me.

[SheilaT]

63. Also, the 45 year old attorney

I work for can also hear it. He said he can't imagine not being able to hear a sound in that range until the day he dies.

[progressivebydesign]

45. 46 and that tone had me scrambling for the mute button!

OMG that is unbelievably annoying and definately hearable.. ugh. Can I have those few seconds of my life back?

I'm sorry.. who exactly are the assholes that designed this? Because I have to say, as a friend to educators, their work is hard enough now without a way to circumvent rules about cell phones.

I think I need a Tylenol...

[slackmaster]

52. Tone was invented to drive away loitering teenagers

:-)

[shanti]

46. i heard nothing...and it was as loud as it could go

and i'm 50. must be all those concerts in my youth and afterwards :headbang:

[Catherine Vincent]

47. I must be old and decrepid.

I couldn't hear a thing. :-(

[tech3149]

48. years of working on sound equipment have killed my ears

but I still heard it at 52. Fortunately it's a different frequency than my tinnitus ringing.

[Branjor]

49. I heard it...

with the volume turned up. Horrible, high pitched whine, went right through me. I'm 53.

[slackmaster]

50. I hear it LOUD AND CLEAR in spite of tinnitus and I'm 48 years old

I don't look, feel, or act my age either.

[Yollam]

53. I could hear it with the volume cranked - I'm 37.

Sounded like when your ears ring - felt like it was coming from inside my head, not the speakers, but it was there when I played it, not when I turned it off. Weird. It was a kind of annoying sound...

[distantearlywarning]

54. 31 here, with hearing damage from too many rock concerts

I can hear something, but it doesn't sound like a tone to me. It's more like a high pitched computer static, electronic background kind of noise. If I heard it in a classroom, I would probably think it was some kind of electronic equipment turning on or emitting a frequency.

[conflictgirl]

55. I could hear it

But I'm only 32. My kids could all hear it.

I am extremely sensitive to all kinds of sounds. It drives my husband and kids crazy sometimes because sounds that don't bother them at all - high pitched electronic equipment, Game Boy music, etc - will make me completely uncomfortable.

[progdonkey]

56. 24, and I can hear it loud and clear...

Now, please make it stop! :hide:

[OhioChick]

57. Interesting.........

I heard it plain as day. Called my kid in whom is a tinnitus sufferer and he could hear it, as well. Damn annoying sound!

[deaniac21]

58. I played it and now there are over 50 dogs in my front yard!

[DesertRat]

61. LOL

I have a dog, but she's deaf so she just sat here beside me as usual. But I haven't checked the yard yet.

[slackmaster]

64. Tried it on my work computer - can't hear it at all

Of course this is the machine with the messed up audio system that plays everything an octave too high (i.e. twice its actual frequency).

:-)

[Paulie]

65. I can only hear it on one side

Not a comfortable sound either. eek

[Catherine Vincent]

66. It must be a problem with my pc at work.

I just played it for a 23 year old and he didn't hear anything. Btw, where is the actual link to read the article? Thanks.

[wakeme2008]

82. try different speakers

My Powerbook speakers did not work, but ear buds did.... I do not have power speakers on the road.

[B3Nut]

67. 35, heard it just fine.

I could hear a smidge past 20K when I was younger. 17.5K is about my limit nowadays. I can barely hear 18K on a good day. But this tone was clearly audible, and was a bit painful (had to back the gain down).

Be careful cranking this if you're not sensitive to high frequencies, damage to tweeters can result.

Todd in Beerbratistan

[jayctravis]

69. Wow...it's like a television raster pitch

It's not loud; but it's very similar to the frequency given off by a television with the sound down. I can always sense when a tv is on even if I don't hear it.

I'm 35 and I have been told by an audiologist that I have better hearing than many people. The sound is more sensed than heard. The room soundscape changes perceptibly. If you don't know you're listening for a phone ringing, you may not notice it at all.

I've always wanted a ringtone that was a couple of unobtrusive clicks, or a cricket sound. I'm surprised nobody has made that yet.

[nolabels]

70. If your really worried about it you can check your hearing online

There is a FREE test at this link that goes to 2000 mhz but java runtime is needed (another free download)
http://deafness.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=deafness&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digital-recordings.com%2Fhearing-test%2Fht-products.html

[Cleita]

73. LOL! This sure makes passing notes in class passe. n/t

[obreaslan]

75. 33 here, and I not only heard it, but I now have a pounding headache....

Good lord that is annoying. Is it really worth that to not have to put your cell phone on vibrate????

[RedStateShame]

76. It's like the inverse....

of what happens when you wave a book in front of a teenager.

[Sydnie]

79. Played it for my kids when they got home this afternoon

I could barely hear it myself, but they said it was as loud as a regular talking voice, they could hear it several rooms away, and that it was annoying and giving them a headache.

My little science experiment fell right in line with that presented by the OP.

They heard it, and feared that their teachers would use it for "crowd control" in unruly classrooms. hmmmmmmmmm ... there's a thought! J/K :rofl:

[proud patriot]

84. It bothered my son too

[AnOhioan]

86. Heard it with the TV going...I am 42 n/t

[napi21]

88. My grandkids are here, and they hear it very well, but I can't at all!

Of course, the grandaughter wants it on her phone, but I'll have to check with her dad. I can see it being fun, but I can see it causing problems too!

[benEzra]

89. Yes (I'm 35).

Take very good care of my years, though.

[Solly Mack]

90. I can hear it

(Yay me...lol)