Human hearing spans 150 dB and three decades of frequency

Evidence

Sound pressure level is given for a free-field condition relative to 2 x 10-5 Pa. Sound intensity level is plotted relative to 10- 12 W 1m2 . A range of about 15 decades in intensity or 7.5 decades in sound pressure, corresponding to a range of 150 dB in sound pressure level, is encompassed by the ordinate scale. Concerning the abscissa, we must realize that our hearing organ produces sensations for pure tones within three decades in frequency ranging from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The actual hearing area represents that range, which lies between the threshold in quiet (the limit towards low levels) and the threshold of pain (the limit towards high levels). These thresholds are given in Fig. 2.1 as solid and broken lines, respectively. These limits hold for pure tones in steady state condition, i.e. for tones lasting longer than about 100 ms. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 158

Sound pressure level is given for a free-field condition relative to 2 x 10-5 Pa. Sound intensity level is plotted relative to 10- 12 W 1m2 . A range of about 15 decades in intensity or 7.5 decades in sound pressure, corresponding to a range of 150 dB in sound pressure level, is encompassed by the ordinate scale. Concerning the abscissa, we must realize that our hearing organ produces sensations for pure tones within three decades in frequency ranging from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The actual hearing area represents that range, which lies between the threshold in quiet (the limit towards low levels) and the threshold of pain (the limit towards high levels). — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 158

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the reference values (2×10⁻⁵ Pa, 10⁻¹² W/m²) and the dB/Pascal conventions used throughout psychoacoustics.
• XREF: The 150 dB dynamic range and 20 Hz–20 kHz limits are the foundational numbers for all later models of loudness, masking, and frequency selectivity.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 158