Yanni vs Laurel Have you taken the test?

**jadedavid** · May 16, 2018, 08:53 AM

Remember the controversy online concerning the color of the dress?
Well, this is the audio version of that.
Some hear Yanni and some hear Laurel.
Not sure how to link to the audio. Perhaps someone can provide the link or just google it.
Perhaps start a poll? would be interesting.

**Mike** · May 16, 2018, 09:18 AM

Laurel.

**Ritmo** · May 16, 2018, 09:31 AM

+1

**jadedavid** · May 16, 2018, 09:46 AM

Yanni

**Shadowfax** · May 16, 2018, 09:57 AM

I just watched a news clip of the tape first, and then the tape played on a cell phone and recorded on the video/sound.

The straight up tape sounded clearly like Laurel, but when they recorded the playback of the tape from a cell phone, I heard Yanni.

https://whdh.com/entertainment/which...-the-internet/

**Al M.** · May 16, 2018, 10:17 AM

Yanni.

Here is a great link:
https://www.vox.com/2018/5/15/173576...r-laurel-audio

I do hear the sound change from Yanni to Laurel and vice versa with pitch shift and bass level adjustment, as described in the link.

**asindc** · May 16, 2018, 10:22 AM

Yanni.

**Kuoppis** · May 16, 2018, 10:30 AM

For me it is a Laurel.

It might have to do with the bass capabilities of the output system. I read below in the link posting that you can hear both if you adjust the bass level.

I still heard only Laurel

Yanni vs Laurel Have you taken the test?

.

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**nicoff** · May 16, 2018, 10:36 AM

Taking this further... can this be used as an explanation why the same stereo system can sound so different to different folks? Or put another way, you hear what you “think” you hear which may be different than what is actually there.

**Kuoppis** · May 16, 2018, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by nicoff

Taking this further... can this be used as an explanation why the same stereo system can sound so different to different folks? Or put another way, you hear what you “think” you hear which may be different than what is actually there.

Yes, that’s right. I’m sure the voice said “vinyl”

.

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**CPP** · May 16, 2018, 11:04 AM

Laurel. over and over

**octadyndude** · May 16, 2018, 11:17 AM

When watching TV thing morning though my system all I heard was Yanny. But at work with tiny computer speakers all I would hear was Laurel

**sleepysurf** · May 16, 2018, 11:22 AM

I heard "Yanni" on TV, but "Laurel" here (on a Chromebook). Would have been a lot more interesting if all audiophiles heard one, and non-audiophiles the other!

**ack** · May 16, 2018, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by octadyndude

When watching TV thing morning though my system all I heard was Yanny. But at work with tiny computer speakers all I would hear was Laurel

Yup, exact same thing here

**still-one** · May 16, 2018, 12:37 PM

When this was presented on the news I heard both Laural 80% and Yanni 20% of the time.

**Kuoppis** · May 16, 2018, 12:55 PM

https://www.cnet.com/news/yanny-laur...inkId=51759973

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**Kuoppis** · May 16, 2018, 01:14 PM

Some might like this, some might not.

https://mashable.com/2018/05/16/yann...k#VBeG_7jo2aq6

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**rrwmd** · May 16, 2018, 02:24 PM

Laurel every time on my iphone, iPad, TV and big rig.

**nicoff** · May 16, 2018, 02:51 PM

I hear Laurel my wife hears Yanny. No wonder...

**Unworthy** · May 16, 2018, 02:57 PM

Heard it first this morning on my main TV system while watching ESPN and clearly heard Yanny. Just listened on my phone and still hear Yanny. Pretty neat trick, I can't imagine how someone could be hearing Laurel.

**Al M.** · May 16, 2018, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by sleepysurf

I heard "Yanni" on TV, but "Laurel" here (on a Chromebook). Would have been a lot more interesting if all audiophiles heard one, and non-audiophiles the other!

And no doubt there will be those audiophiles who think they have superior ears because they always hear the 'right' thing. Human pride can be such a funny affair.

**Al M.** · May 16, 2018, 04:52 PM

Now that's interesting

:

https://www.vox.com/2018/5/16/173587...urel-explained

**joeinid** · May 16, 2018, 05:51 PM

Laurel

**AJ Soundfield** · May 16, 2018, 06:21 PM

Hardy.

Ok just kidding, I hear Yaahnni (HP laptop)

**nicoff** · May 16, 2018, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by Al M.

Now that's interesting

:

https://www.vox.com/2018/5/16/173587...urel-explained

Interesting explanation in that article. Those who can hear the high frequencies better, hear “Yanny”. Those who can hear the lower frequencies better, hear Laurel. So... younger folks or those folks with better hearing will hear Yanny?!

**Al M.** · May 16, 2018, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by nicoff

Interesting explanation in that article. Those who can hear the high frequencies buency etter, hear “Yanny”. Those who can hear the lower frequencies better, hear Laurel. So... younger folks or those folks with better hearing will hear Yanny?!

If I understood correctly, it is also how the individual brain interprets the frequency spectrum. People who hear Laurel may have just fine hearing.

The other link talked about manipulation of what you hear by bass content. This may have something to do with that.

**Kuoppis** · May 16, 2018, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by nicoff

Interesting explanation in that article. Those who can hear the high frequencies better, hear “Yanny”. Those who can hear the lower frequencies better, hear Laurel. So... younger folks or those folks with better hearing will hear Yanny?!

There are later articles in the thread which falsify this statement.

The original computer voice actually says Laurel, everything else is some kind of distortions caused by the transport/ output system.

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**cmarin** · May 17, 2018, 06:30 AM

Laurel

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**JWhip** · May 17, 2018, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by nicoff

Taking this further... can this be used as an explanation why the same stereo system can sound so different to different folks? Or put another way, you hear what you “think” you hear which may be different than what is actually there.

+ 1

**GSOphile** · May 17, 2018, 08:28 AM

Laurel

**JWhip** · May 17, 2018, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by Al M.

If I understood correctly, it is also how the individual brain interprets the frequency spectrum. People who hear Laurel may have just fine hearing.

The other link talked about manipulation of what you hear by bass content. This may have something to do with that.

My son played this for my wife and I yesterday on his iPhone. I clearly heard Laurel as did my son. He is 22. My wife who has compromised hearing in one ear heard Yanny. I played the same thing this morning on my iPad. It sounded the same to me in all respects but my wife heard laurel this time. It is clearly laurel as it comes from a reading of that word on vocabulary.com. I wonder if whether someone asks you which word you hear and the order they put the choice to you effects what you hear or think you hear. Fascinating stuff.

**UltraFast69** · May 17, 2018, 08:40 AM

Yanni - iPhone

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**Al M.** · May 17, 2018, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by nicoff

Taking this further... can this be used as an explanation why the same stereo system can sound so different to different folks? Or put another way, you hear what you “think” you hear which may be different than what is actually there.

Taking this even further, I recently was once more reminded of a fact that I had known for a while now: in some respects my audiophile friends and myself hear our reference, unamplified live music, differently.

**Al M.** · May 17, 2018, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by JWhip

My son played this for my wife and I yesterday on his iPhone. I clearly heard Laurel as did my son. He is 22. My wife who has compromised hearing in one ear heard Yanny. I played the same thing this morning on my iPad. It sounded the same to me in all respects but my wife heard laurel this time. It is clearly laurel as it comes from a reading of that word on vocabulary.com. I wonder if whether someone asks you which word you hear and the order they put the choice to you effects what you hear or think you hear. Fascinating stuff.

I think you got the point wrong. According to the analysis in this article:

https://www.vox.com/2018/5/16/173587...urel-explained

(see video with frequency cut-outs by Dylan Bennett halfway through the link)

it is the people with lesser high frequency hearing who may hear Laurel, whereas those with better hearing are more likely to hear Yanny. In my post that you responded to I offered an alternative explanation, whereby people hearing Laurel may have just fine hearing, but something else is going on.

**JWhip** · May 17, 2018, 09:54 AM

I didn’t miss the point of the article at all. My son is 22 and hears laurel. My wife has a congenital defect in one ear and heard Yanny. My last ear test I hear 16khz At nearly 60 and always hear Laurel. I find the posted article to be simply wrong. I agree with you. There is something else going on here which I find to be of interest. Perhaps if I ask a subject if there hear Yanni or laurel, they here what we say first, hence they will hear Yanni. Perhaps that is the way some people are wired, others not. It is this possibility that I find to be of interest. When I was playing the test this morning my wife clearly heard laurel and I didn’t tell her I would play it, hence no possible preconditioning. Or perhaps it is an iPhone vs. Ipad thing. Human perception is a fascinating subject. I dealt with it as a trial lawyer.

**Al M.** · May 17, 2018, 01:23 PM

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-441...g-the-internet

Says basically the same as the other links. If you take out the higher frequencies you hear Laurel, if you take out the lower frequencies, you hear Yanny. Interestingly, in the beginning of this video I clearly hear Laurel, whereas on others I hear Yanny.

**Kuoppis** · May 17, 2018, 05:46 PM

Here you hear very clearly which one it is:

https://twitter.com/varoonbose/statu...39363440799746

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**BlueFox** · May 17, 2018, 06:08 PM

I hear Laurel and Garryyaal.

**kzhtoo** · May 18, 2018, 10:45 AM

https://youtu.be/TYR8tsfnQsQ

**Al M.** · May 18, 2018, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by kzhtoo

https://youtu.be/TYR8tsfnQsQ

Very cool, thanks. Particularly the second half (after the puking unicorn) was quite revelatory as he plays around with the graphic equallizer a bit more. Also of note is that the shifts from Laurel to Yanni take place in the bands below the 16 kHz one -- so it's not necessarily a thing of having good high-frequency hearing or not.

**Mordante** · May 20, 2018, 05:37 AM

Laural

**a.wayne** · May 20, 2018, 07:23 AM

Originally Posted by Al M.

Now that's interesting

:

https://www.vox.com/2018/5/16/173587...urel-explained

Laural on iPhone

**AJR** · May 20, 2018, 08:51 AM

+1.

Is there a good analysis of how those who hear one or the other may tend to hear other sounds differently? If so, that would be very interesting.

**brad225** · May 20, 2018, 11:54 AM

My wife and I both listened to it on TV and no doubt Yanny. We listened to it on my MacBook and she still heard Yanny and I heard Laurel.

Her hearing is amazingly sensitive and mine, well not so much.

**rbbert** · May 20, 2018, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by AJR

...Is there a good analysis of how those who hear one or the other may tend to hear other sounds differently? If so, that would be very interesting.

It would be very interesting, although since often the same person can hear either or both depending on the playback system, it might be hard to do. Still, the entire phenomenon just confirms what I (and many other audiophiles) have known for a long time; even careful listeners do not perceive the same audio signal in the same way way as other equally careful listeners, for reasons that remain unclear.

**Feanor** · May 21, 2018, 05:14 PM

Mostly 'laurel' but sometimes 'yanni' ... does that make any sense?

In a given session it's always the one; in another session always the other.

**BlueFox** · May 21, 2018, 07:16 PM

Are we all listening to the same test? The one where the frequency is changed, and the sound perception might change with the frequency change.

**kzhtoo** · May 21, 2018, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by BlueFox

Are we all listening to the same test? The one where the frequency is changed, and the sound perception might change with the frequency change.

I believe it’s not. I think we hear differently when the guy changes the frequency. He purposely changes multiple times at some frequency because, I believe, that’s where he hears differently but I’m hearing the same Yanny over and over again.

**rrwmd** · June 10, 2018, 11:20 AM

For weeks I've heard Laurel every single time on multiple devices and systems. But this morning getting gas on one of those pumps playing video the thing came on and it was clearly 'Yanni'. Crazy!

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