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Listeners can disagree about the same two tones
The tritone paradox uses two specially constructed tones a half-octave apart. One listener may hear an ascent while another hears a descent. Researchers have also explored connections with language and dialect. An identical sound pattern does not guarantee an identical impression.
The disagreement can be in perception rather than in the recording.
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Tritone paradox · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-05