Beginner guide

What Are Binaural Beats?

A binaural beat is a perceptual effect created when slightly different tones are presented separately to the two ears. The perceived beat corresponds to the difference between the tones.

Simple example

If one ear receives a 400 Hz tone and the other a 420 Hz tone, the listener may perceive a 20 Hz binaural beat. Because separate signals must reach each ear, stereo headphones are generally part of the binaural setup.

What they are not

A frequency label is not an outcome guarantee. Calling an audio track “gamma” or “theta” does not by itself establish that it will create a specific mental state or life result.

Evidence note. Binaural beats are a real auditory phenomenon, but a 2023 systematic review of 14 studies found inconsistent evidence for brainwave entrainment and substantial methodological heterogeneity. Product-specific outcome claims should not be inferred from general binaural-beat research. Read the systematic review.

Next: Do binaural beats work? or learn the frequency-band vocabulary.