The Ohm-Helmholtz phase law holds only approximately, not fundamentally

Evidence

Life gets a lot simpler if we merely acknowledge that the Ohm-Helmholtz phase law is only approximately true. This law is not fundamental physics but an observation about human perception, a perceptual trait we just decided is an advantage (see figure 24.3). Suppose that the sensitivity to phase is merely weak instead of nonexistent, growing weaker still at high frequencies (above about 1500 Hz). At low frequencies, some sensitivity to phase can be assigned to the need for temporal resolution of events. Since it is not pitch that changes in waveform beating, nor loudness, we must assign the beating to periodic changes in timbre. We conclude that timbre can be slightly sensitive to phase. The question then becomes, how is it that we are slightly sensitive to phase? We must somehow be sensitive to the shape of the arriving waveform. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2241

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines and then qualifies the Ohm-Helmholtz phase law, a core concept in sound perception.
• QUESTION: The open question — exactly how humans sense the shape of the arriving waveform — is worth chasing through the timing theory chapters.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2241