Purpose
How good are you at hearing pitch (frequency) differences?
Files being tested
| 20c Up | 20c Down | 440Hz Flat |
The first audio file plays back a 440 Hz sine tone characterized by a sudden increase in pitch occuring after 1s (20cent in this case). The second file introduces a decrease in pitch by the same amount. The third one is flat.
For better results, use headphones to perform this test. Avoid using multiple speakers (a single speaker is OK) as the relative phase between the speakers will introduce frequency-dependent level changes. These changes in perceived loudness may help you to detect inaudible frequency changes.
The Test
| 20c Up 20c Down 440Hz Flat | |
| Listen to [?] then vote — multiple guesses not allowed (your vote triggers a new draw) | |
To pass a blind test, you will need to perform 10 trials at least, obtain a high score and reach a high confidence level: 95% is standard to rate statistical significance. It means that your score outperforms random guesses by 95%. There is still a probability that you just got lucky though, 5%. To reduce such probability to 1%, keep testing until you reached a confidence level of 99%.
To make the test easier, one can use sawtooth tones instead of sine waves: the presence of harmonics in the sawtooth increases our perception of a change in pitch. To switch to the easier sawtooth test, click here.
External Links
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Take up the challenge
- Find the smallest difference in sound levels you can detect.
The Level Series: 6dB 3dB 1dB 0.5dB 0.2dB 0.1dB - Find the highest frequency you can reliably hear.
The Frequency Series: 10kHz 11k 12k 13k 14k 15k 16k 17k 18k 19k 20kHz - Find the smallest difference in pitch (frequency) you can hear.
The Pitch Series: 50c 20c 10c 5c 2c 1c - Find the shortest timing difference you can reliably hear. NEW
The Timing Series: 1ms 2ms 5ms 10ms 20ms 50ms 100ms - Find the highest dynamic range offered by your listening environment.
The Dynamic Range Series: 36dB 42dB 48dB 54dB 60dB 66dB 72dB 78dB - Do you have the absolute hearing ability?
The Perfect Pitch Blind Test: C Scale Chromatic - Are your ears sensitive to Absolute Phase?
The Absolute Polarity Blind Test: Here - Can you hear a difference between 16-bit and 8-bit audio files?
The 16-bit v/s 8-bit Blind Test
