Resonance Theories of Hearing: A History and a Fresh Approach

Abstract

This paper provides an historical overview of how a powerful acoustical principle - sympathetic resonance - has been applied to our organ of hearing. It focuses on the principle's virtues, drawbacks, and varying fortunes. Why did Helmholtz's resonance theory of hearing in the 1850s fall from universal acceptance to near total disregard? What were the factors favouring travelling wave theories, most notably that of von Békésy in the mid 20th century? Post-Békésy, however, thinking on cochlear mechanics has been radically changed by findings that the cochlea is an active transducer, not a passive one as previously thought. As Kemp demonstrated in 1979, healthy cochleas are highly tuned and continuously emit narrow-band sound ... prompting the thought that something seems to be resonating. Maybe, then, it is worth re-examining resonance, even though travelling waves remain the centre-piece of the standard cochlear model. A fresh resonance formulation is described. Show more