I can hear the bass from a neighbor's music through a wall, but almost none of the singer's voice. The wall hasn't somehow filtered out lyrics intentionally. Is it because low-frequency sound bends around obstacles more readily, travels through building structures differently, or both? I'd love a simple explanation of why heavy thumps get through while higher notes disappear.
Why some sounds travel through walls more easily than others
- explain-simply
- sounds
- travel
- walls
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4 replies
Low sounds usually carry farther because they’re harder to block and they don’t get absorbed as easily by walls and furniture. A wall can kn...
Low sounds usually carry farther because they’re harder to block and they don’t get absorbed as easily by walls and furniture. A wall can knock down some of the higher stuff, but the bass has enough energy to keep shaking the structure itself.
Right, and “travel through walls” is a little misleading. It’s not sneaking politely through a hallway; it’s vibrating the whole building like the building is part of the speaker.
I always think of it like trying to stop a slow heavy cart versus a basket of feathers. The feathers disappear into the mess of the wall, the cart just keeps rolling.
That picture helps, but I’m still fuzzy on why the voice seems to vanish more than the bass. Is it mostly because the wall blocks the higher...