White
0 dB / octave
Equal energy at every frequency. Because we hear in octaves, it sounds bright and hissy — the classic "TV static".
432 Hz.
A pure, steady 432 Hz tone next to the standard 440 Hz: hear them as a tone and as a melody tuned to each. A short comparison follows.
Now playing
Deep sleep
Listen and compare
Tap an example to play it, and again to pause. 432 Hz sits about a third of a semitone below the standard 440 Hz: play the comparison and listen closely, ideally in headphones.
About 432 Hz
Standard tuning puts the note A at 440 Hz. Some musicians prefer 432 Hz, about a third of a semitone lower, which to many ears sounds a little warmer. It is often called Verdi pitch.
No study shows that 432 Hz heals or is healthier than 440 Hz. The difference is one of colour: compare the two above, as a tone and as a melody, ideally in headphones, and decide for yourself.
Facts that often get mixed up
- 425 Hz is about 0.6 of a semitone below 440 Hz (60 cents), not almost a full semitone. 432 Hz is about a third of a semitone below (32 cents). A full semitone below 440 Hz is 415.3 Hz.
- “Baroque pitch” today usually means 415 Hz. 425 Hz sits closer to later tuning forks: Handel's of 1740 gives 422.5 Hz, and the Paris Opéra's of 1810 gives 423 Hz.
- Where you hear 425 Hz most today is on the phone: it is the dial and ringing tone in most of Europe.
- Middle C is exactly 256 Hz at A = 432 Hz only in Pythagorean tuning, which is built from pure fifths. In the equal temperament almost all instruments use, it is 256.9 Hz.
| 425 Hz | 432 Hz | 440 Hz | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A low older pitch; the tone of European phones | An alternative tuning, often called Verdi pitch | The international standard (ISO 16) |
| Below 440 Hz by | About 0.6 semitone (60 cents) | About a third of a semitone (32 cents) | — |
| Middle C | 252.7 Hz | 256.9 Hz | 261.6 Hz |
| How it sounds | Darker, a little heavier | A shade lower, warmer to many ears | Bright and familiar |
| Where you hear it | Phone dial and ringing tones; music of Handel's time was tuned close to it | Ambient and meditation music, some remasters | Almost all music today |
Can you hear the difference between 432 and 440 Hz?
Yes, but it is small: about a third of a semitone. It is easiest to hear when one follows the other, as in the comparison above.
Is 432 Hz healing?
No study shows that. Many people simply find it pleasant, and that is reason enough to enjoy it.
Can I make it less piercing?
Keep it quiet, add soft brown noise underneath, and use the Warmer end of the tone slider in Adjust.
Mixes
Pick what you need. One tap to start, change anything and save it as your own.
Focus timer
Work in waves.
The Pomodoro rhythm: focus with calm sound in your ears, then take a real break. A soft bell marks every change, so you never watch the clock. Every fourth break is a long one.
Every fourth break is twice as long.
25:00Focus · 1 of 4
Sound while you work
Breathe
Slow your breathing down.
Follow the circle and the sound: it rises as you breathe in and falls as you breathe out. Choose a rhythm, or set your own, and pick what plays underneath.
Ready
Sound while you breathe
Noise generator
Any color of noise, from deep brown to bright violet — and everything in between.
Brown noise
Spectrum · 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Sound science
The colors of noise
Same randomness, different tilt. Each color shifts energy between low and high pitches — here is what that sounds like.
Pink
−3 dB / octave
Equal energy in every octave, so it sounds even to the ear. Steady rain, rustling leaves. A favorite for focus.
Brown
−6 dB / octave
Deep and warm, like a distant waterfall or a plane cabin. Masks voices and traffic without any hiss.
Grey
Equal-loudness curve
Shaped around how our hearing works, so every pitch seems equally loud. Balanced and soft.
Blue
+3 dB / octave
The mirror of pink: more treble than bass. Airy, crisp, like a light spray.
Violet
+6 dB / octave
Mostly treble, like hissing water. Sometimes used to mask high-pitched ringing.
Calm
Gentle tones to settle into: singing bowls, a slow warm drone, wind chimes tuned so every note fits.
Frequencies
Famous tones on pages of their own: hear them side by side, with honest facts.
Sound phenomena
How sound bends, shifts, rings and fools the ear, and why space is silent: hear it for yourself.
Nature
Rooms & travel
Animals & countryside
A purring cat, whales and dolphins, a nightingale in the dark, cowbells on a summer pasture. Wonderful in stereo.
For babies
Womb sounds are what a baby heard for nine months: a deep rush of blood flow, and the heartbeat.
Hearing and speaker tests
Check your ears, headphones and speakers, each test on a page of its own with a live picture.
Ear Age · 60 seconds
Test your ears.
Our ears lose the highest pitches first, and it starts early. Find the highest tone you can still hear and see the typical age for it.
- Headphones on, quiet room
- Set a comfortable volume on the 1 kHz tone
- Don't turn it up when a tone disappears — that's the point
Step 1 · Volume
Play the reference tone and set your volume so it's clear but comfortable. Leave it there.
Step 2 · Listen
8,000Hz
Your result
8k12k16k20k
A rough guide, not a diagnosis. Your phone, headphones and even this browser can cut the highest tones. Worried about your hearing? See an audiologist.
More ear tests
Check your headphones, find the deepest bass your setup can play, or play any pitch you like.
Headphones check
Left & right
Each ear should get its own side. It matters for 8D, binaural beats and every stereo sound here.
Headphones on, then tap a side.
Bass test
How low can you go?
Deep tones from 200 Hz down to 20 Hz, the bottom of human hearing. Mostly it tests your speakers or headphones.
200Hz
Your setup plays down to
Tone generator
Any pitch, 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Hz
Start quiet: high tones and square waves get tiring fast.
Take it to bed
An app without the app store.
Add Ears & Waves to your home screen and it opens like any app — full screen, with its own icon. Everything it needs is saved on your device, so it keeps playing on a plane, in a tent or with Wi-Fi off.
Preparing offline mode…
- Works offlineNo streaming. Sound is computed on your device, forever.
- Screen offKeeps playing with the phone locked. The timer fades it out gently.
- PrivateNo account, no ads, no cookies. Your mixes stay on your device.
