Eli5: while using my riding mower I tend to listen to podcasts or YouTube videos. For some reason, the bass tends to disappear amidst the engine noise. Deep voices become nasally, and medium and high voices become squeaky. Why does that happen?

Question

Eli5: while using my riding mower I tend to listen to podcasts or YouTube videos. For some reason, the bass tends to disappear amidst the engine noise. Deep voices become nasally, and medium and high voices become squeaky. Why does that happen?

In: 5

Answer 1

There are three bones in each ear which transmit sound from the eardrum to the cochlea (the part that converts sound into nerve impulses that or brain can interpret). Muscles connect to two of those bones. They contract when we hear loud noises (or expect to hear loud noises, like chewing, sneezing, or yelling) to protect the cochlea. That makes the bones transmit mostly high frequencies. When exposed to a continuous loud rumble (like your lawnmower or on an airplane), everything else sounds tinny.

[Not ELI5 explanation](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/tensor-tympani-muscle)

You really should wear hearing protection if you’re noticing this effect. The tiny muscles eventually get fatigued and you start damaging your hearing. If you still want to listen to music, try a Bluetooth hearing protector, or get decadent with the ones using active noise suppression.