Impure sound sources can fake phantom tone effects

Evidence

The key to hearing interesting phantom tones is to make sure they do not already exist in the sound presented to the listener, owing to some quite common imperfections in the production of sound. In the old days, Helmholtz, Seebeck, Ohm, and especially Koenig went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that there were only pure sinusoids coming from tuning forks, sirens attached to resonators, and the like. Nonetheless, aspersions were sometimes cast regarding the purity of a competing researcher’s sound sources. Today, professional-level recording and playback equipment may be employed to ensure the near absence of contaminating frequencies. Laptops and earbuds may not be free of such problems. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2304

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the historical contest over sound-source purity among early acousticians, echoing scientific-replication disputes.
• CANDY: A neat cautionary detail — researchers accusing each other of impure tuning forks, and today’s laptop audio being untrustworthy for the same test.