Hearing range

The listening area, even listening or listening area, is that frequency range and level range of sound that can be heard by the human ear. The listening area can also describe the individual hearing ability of a single person.

The listening area is down ( that is, for low levels ) of the hearing threshold, ie the barely audible sound pressure level, and determines the top of the pain threshold. Left the listening area of the lowest audible human frequency is limited to about 16 Hz to 21 Hz and to the right of the highest audible frequency of about 16,000 Hz to 19,000 Hz. The discomfort is on the listening area just below the pain threshold and is also frequency dependent. The threshold of hearing is between 2,000 Hz and 5,000 Hz at the lowest, there the person hears So the best you'll find in even the most sounds of spoken language.

The four border areas of the listening area ( hearing threshold, pain threshold, deepest and highest frequency) are collectively referred to as the threshold of hearing.

The feeling of volume relationships within the Hörfelds can be represented by curves of equal loudness ( phon ).

Low frequencies below 16 Hz are called infrasound and high frequencies above 21,000 Hz ultrasound. While infrasound can be perceived partly borne sound as vibration, ultrasound is not perceptible to humans. However, many animals can hear much higher frequencies than humans, such as some bats over 100,000 Hz

In the presence of hearing impairment can reduce the listening area. Also, with age, the listening area often reduced by increase in the threshold of hearing, especially at high frequencies ( presbycusis ). The discomfort may fall, see Recruitment and thus reduce the listening area " from above".

Often, in the field of hearing two smaller boxes are drawn, the language box and the music box. Those are the frequency and level areas that are particularly important for the perception of speech or music.