Laurel or Yanny?

[BladesNBarrels]

There is a Reddit thread and on that the guy heard Laurel and the girl heard Yanny I think as well.

I'm interested in this because I've run into people that do not hear my name correctly throughout my life, and they always screw it up spectacularly, and in the same way. The first few times that I've said my name to someone and they repeated back, "George?" I just figured that they didn't hear me and were trying to cover up by being funny. It's happened enough times now that I think it is some hearing "thing," but I couldn't begin to explain why. I just assumed that it was people with a hearing issue that read lips to help them out, I really have no idea though.

I repeated George and Irving to my wife.
She heard Garbo.
Hmmm?

[Irving]

Ha, well Irving isn't my meat space name.

[BPTactical]

All I hear is "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !"

[.455_Hunter]

Yanny

[clodhopper]

In the truck, all I heard was laurel and couldn't understand the debate, while my son hear Yanni and thought I was crazy. On my computer speakers, I can pick out both. Kind of like those texture pictures you can squint to see another hidden image. Laurel is a much lower register and Yanni is tinnier up high. Any system with heavy base or good sound will wash out the Yanni for most later age listeners. All you laurel hearers, try it on a crappy sound system and you might hear Yanni.

To be honest, as much as I have abused my hearing with loud music, construction equipment and drill rigs, I am surprised I am not in hearing aids already.

[Gman]

All I hear is "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !"

Tinnitus is a bitch.

Sent from my electronic leash using Tapatalk

[Fentonite]

That was weird. I clearly heard Laurel on my phone. Later, it was Yanny on my tablet, so I listened on my phone again. It was laurel, and it stayed laurel when I immediately listened to it again on my tablet. Weird.

[Bailey Guns]

I hear Laurel plain as day on the computer. Wife hears Yanni and thinks I'm insane.

When I play it on my phone I hear a combo of both...like Yanel. I probably just need more bourbon.

[hollohas]

That was weird. I clearly heard Laurel on my phone. Later, it was Yanny on my tablet, so I listened on my phone again. It was laurel, and it stayed laurel when I immediately listened to it again on my tablet. Weird.

Could it be playing something different each time you listen to it?

Someone should record the recording and play it back to see what it says then.

And then play it backwards at half speed to see if it's actually devil music.

[CS1983]

It would have to be consistent hardware (brand/model of speakers) but most people don't comprehend both words simultaneously even if they are capable. So while "good" ears would hear both the low and the higher frequencies, their $#$#ing brain would filter out the lower word, and they wouldn't have anything to defer to. So while capable of hearing both, they only understand and can say the upper frequency "Yanni" or they have to pretend they can't hear anything, at which the audio tester can crank it up to 120 db and note their flinching. This is much the same reason why the wives think people are crazy for hearing "Laurel", when in fact they hear both.

But, based on the sheer randomness people are experiencing, it may not work. Still... an interesting one to test. Just not me!

But isn't volume going to affect ability to hear a frequency? It's been a while since I did a hearing test, but I seem to recall varying volume levels of the same tones.