The Science of Hearing
The human hearing range is between 20 to 20,000 Hz. There is considerable variation in the hearing range between individuals. Most young people can hear up to 18,000 Hz. Our ability to hear high frequencies declines with age. By the age of 55 some men can't hear above 5,000 Hz and some women can’t hear above 12,000 Hz. Women tend to have better hearing than men at high frequencies.
The speaking voice of a man has a fundamental frequency between 85 to 180 Hz, and a woman between 165 to 255 Hz.
The ear's sensitivity varies significantly with frequency. The human ear is most sensitive to frequencies in the range of 2,000-5,000 Hz. Our hearing has its peak sensitivity around 3,500-4,000 Hz. This frequency is associated with the resonance of the ear canal. At frequencies above 10,000 Hz our hearing sensitivity declines.
