"Good point. Not many people are aware that we can't even hear proper waveforms above 4 KHz....the ear's nerve bundles fire too slowly! In order to hear above 4 KHz the brain relies on two things; beat frequencies and differences in timing of what arrives at one ear versus the other." That's not correct. While it is true that the afferent axons cannot fire more than about 1KHz (Volley Principle) and they can convey up to 4KHz by firing as phase-locked groups, frequencies above 4KHz are coded by labelled lines under the Place Principle. In the latter, it is not the frequency but the place of the receptor cell on the basilar membrane that codes for frequency.
Interaural timing differences are important for localization of sounds.
Kal
Interaural timing differences are important for localization of sounds.
Kal