Healthy ears continuously emit faint spontaneous sounds linked to frequency sensitivity

Evidence

After LF sound stimulation, 56 of these 80 SOAEs increased in both sound level and frequency. This increase was followed by a decrease of both level and frequency relative to pre-exposure (see Fig. 2a ). — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3703 (#expands, via linked claim)

Another related effect due to damage to the hair cells is noise-induced tinni­ tus. Tinnitus is the name given to a condition in which the cochlea sponta­ neously generates noise, which can be tonal or random noises, or a mixture of the two. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 664 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Spontaneous otoacoustic emission frequencies are stable to within a fraction of a percent; Spontaneous and evoked otoacoustic emissions likely share a single source — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 309; Otoacoustic emission spectra show discrete energy maxima stable across sensation levels (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Low-frequency sound exposure triggers long-lasting damped oscillations in spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. #expands (0.90) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3703
• Low-frequency sound can awaken silent inner ears to emit spontaneous tones #expands (0.85)
• Tinnitus arises when the cochlea spontaneously generates its own noise #expands (0.80) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 664
• Auditory sensitivity varies nonuniformly across the frequency range #qualifies (0.75) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 648