Well-damped low-Q resonances are easier to hear than high-Q ones.

Evidence

The key idea being communicated is that neither the amplitude of the peak in the frequency response nor the duration of ringing is a reliable clue to the audibility of the resonances, at least above the transition frequency. It is counterintuitive. Adding damping reduces the Q, and therefore the ringing, and the amplitude of the peak in the frequency response, all of which would seem to be good. But the peak is now much wider and is therefore more frequently energized by spectral components of the program. This means that it will be more often heard; the threshold ends up being lower. The low-Q (Q = 1), well-damped resonance is easily heard, as are all wide-bandwidth equalization changes. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 498

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: A genuinely counterintuitive core result: damping a resonance makes it more audible because the widened peak is energized more often. This inverts a natural engineering intuition and is worth sitting with.