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Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 8:50 am
by timothy42b
If you aren't aware of the latest viral internet story, google Laurel vs Yanny.

It's similar that dress that seemed to be different colors.

Apparently some people hear the recording as Laurel, others as Yanny. The "scientific" explanation is that different people attend to lower or higher frequencies when both are present.

I'm curious as to what trombone players hear. I consistently hear one, on cell phone, stereo speakers, and good quality headphones, but I won't bias you by saying, yet.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 9:20 am
by bbocaner
I've heard both simultaneously from the first listen.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 11:28 am
by timothy42b
Well, I heard Laurel on cell phone, stereo, and Koss Pro-4A headphones. I heard Yanny in a vehicle at highway speed.

I don't hear both simultaneously.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 11:47 am
by BGuttman
Sounded like Yanny to me. Wonder which frequencies I don't hear.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 11:51 am
by Burgerbob
It's not so much about what frequencies that you hear, as much as the equipment you are listening to it on. On something incapable of good low frequency reproduction (cell phone, typical earphones, laptop speakers, some car systems) it'll sound like Yanny, since that is all higher frequency information. On something better, like a pair of monitors or a good stereo, it sounds like Laurel, which is mainly lower frequencies.

I heard only Laurel until I listened to it on my phone speaker.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 12:42 pm
by timothy42b
I wonder what Siri or Alexa hears.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 1:42 pm
by matto
I prefer Lawler vs. Yammy.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 7:22 pm
by JohnL
Most of the time I hear yanny, but I tried it last night after rehearsal and clearly heard laurel. An hour later, on the same system, I was back to hearing yanny.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 9:26 pm
by Doug Elliott
I hear Yammy ... not Yanny.

Nothing even resembling Laurel and i can't even imagine it.

On computer speakers or high quality earbuds, I hear the same thing.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 9:47 pm
by BflatBass
Doug Elliott wrote: Fri May 18, 2018 9:26 pm I hear Yammy ... not Yanny.

Nothing even resembling Laurel and i can't even imagine it.

On computer speakers or high quality earbuds, I hear the same thing.
It's the opposite for me. I hear Laurel and can't imagine it sounding like Yanny. As Mr. Spock would've said, "fascinating".

I'm using ASUS cordless headphones on my PC. I'll try it on my phone tomorrow using my bluetooth speaker.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 5:30 am
by BGuttman
This morning I heard both; one superimposed on the other. First time I heard the "Laurel" or anything like it. Same computer speakers as before.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 6:29 am
by ddickerson
I heard "Laurel" while my wife heard "Yanny" on my apple phone.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 7:44 am
by Matt K
I don't know how anyone hears anything useful from that video. It sounds like the Bothan bounty hunter in Return of the Jedi to me!

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 10:13 am
by Kbiggs
How do I know what I hear?
It changes from ear to ear!
Is it laurel or yanny?
Is it one or too many?
It depends on the speakers, I fear!

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Mon May 21, 2018 12:43 am
by imsevimse
"Jerry" on my smart phone and the dress is "black and blue" Your president heard "covfife"😙😀

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Wed May 23, 2018 7:48 pm
by hwlentz
Me to my girlfriend: “I love you, Laurel.”

Laurel: “Who the hell is Yanni!?”

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Thu May 24, 2018 6:23 am
by brtnats
NPR ran a piece on this. The word is apparently an online dictionary's recorded pronunciation for the word...."Laurel."

I hear both, but I distinctly heard Laurel first.

Is there any correlation here between higher-oriented tenor players hearing Yanny and bass players hearing Laurel? It's definitely a high-vs-low-frequency phenomenon, and I'm wondering if those of us that spend more time with lower overtones are predisposed to select one over the other.

Matt

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Thu May 24, 2018 10:43 am
by JohnL
brtnats wrote: Thu May 24, 2018 6:23 am NPR ran a piece on this. The word is apparently an online dictionary's recorded pronunciation for the word...."Laurel."
That's what it started as, but the version that went viral is supposedly the product of someone playing the original sound through a computer speaker and recording it on a phone. What some of us hear as "yanni" is apparently mostly distortion introduced during the playback/re-recording process.

Re: Laurel vs Yanny as relates to hearing

Posted: Thu May 24, 2018 1:31 pm
by bimmerman
I came across this from Christopher Bill on YouTube:

Basically it is both, and he manipulates the frequencies to show you how it's both.