Carrier frequency played to left ear only via stereo headphones
Left Ear
200 Hz
(carrier tone)
Brain perceives the frequency difference as a slow oscillation — the binaural beat
Brain Perceives
10 Hz
(Theta beat)
Carrier + beat frequency played to right ear only
Right Ear
210 Hz
(carrier + beat)
Left — 200 Hz
Right — 210 Hz
Perceived — 10 Hz
10 Hz = Theta
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Binaural beats require stereo headphones. Each ear receives a different frequency; the brain perceives the mathematical difference as a third frequency — the binaural beat.