Phantom tones are heard despite being absent from the presented sound

Evidence

When two pure tones are heard together, other tones with frequencies lower than the frequencies of either of the two pure tones themselves may be heard also. These lower tones are not acoustically present in the stimulating signal, and they occur as a result of the stimulus consisting of a “combination” of at least two pure tones; they are known as “combination tones.” The frequency of one such combination tone that is usually quite easily perceived is the difference (higher minus the lower) between the frequencies of the two tones; this is known as the “difference tone”: where fd = frequency of the difference tone fh = frequency of the higher-frequency pure tone and fl = frequency of the lower-frequency pure tone Notice that this is the beat frequency when the frequency difference is less than approximately 12. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1571 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The ear generates audible combination tones not present in the stimulus; The siren showed sinusoid partials arise without any sinusoidally vibrating source; A bell’s perceived pitch is usually absent from its actual partials (+11 more)

Related

• Two simultaneous tones generate audible lower tones absent from the stimulus (similarity 0.92)
• The ear generates audible combination tones not present in the stimulus (similarity 0.90)
• Pitch can exist with no tone heard at that frequency, unlike phantom tones (similarity 0.90)
• A bell’s perceived pitch is usually absent from its actual partials (similarity 0.88)
• Two inaudible high tones can produce audible low phantom tones that interfere (similarity 0.88)
• Distorted audio gear can create phantom tones falsely attributed to the ear (similarity 0.87)
• Phantom tones are heard as real pitches though physically absent (similarity 0.85)
• Combination tones fill in missing harmonics of a perceived fundamental (similarity 0.85)
• Two tones presented together generate an audible combination (difference) tone not physically present. (similarity 0.85)
• Combination tones become audible only above roughly 70 dB primary level (similarity 0.85)
• Difference noise generated by ear nonlinearities can be heard before the test tone itself (similarity 0.85)
• Two frequencies can mechanically generate sum and difference frequencies in the ear (similarity 0.84)
• Listeners perceive the fundamental frequency even when its lowest partials are absent (similarity 0.84)
• A kettledrum’s tone is perceived with a missing fundamental (similarity 0.84)
• A combined waveform can produce a perceived pitch absent from its actual frequency components (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• The ear generates phantom low tones absent from the actual signal #corroborates (0.95)
• Two inaudible high tones can produce audible low phantom tones that interfere #exemplifies (0.90) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2303
• A combined waveform can produce a perceived pitch absent from its actual frequency components #corroborates (0.90) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 323
• Two simultaneous tones generate audible lower tones absent from the stimulus #corroborates (0.90) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1571
• Combination tones exist below both source tones and vary in audibility #expands (0.90)
• Listeners reconstruct a perceived pitch that is not physically present #corroborates (0.90)
• The brain fabricates phantom sound when expected sensory input is absent #corroborates (0.85) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 324
• Distorted audio gear can create phantom tones falsely attributed to the ear #qualifies (0.80)
• Pitch can exist with no tone heard at that frequency, unlike phantom tones #complicates (0.75)