Audio Video News

Get a bookshelf sound system... for your pet

SV Staff  |  Feb 10, 2010

I have to be honest, this is simply inexplicable. For $250, Pet Acoustics will give you a sound system made specifically for cats and dogs (and horses, for some reason). Instead of the 20Hz-20KHz range most sound systems span, the My Pet Speaker only covers 200Hz-12KHz. The idea is, since your pets have a wider range of hearing than you do, they're more sensitive to your music and the limited range will be gentler on their ears.

I hate to be a wet blanket, but I'm pretty certain that pet hearing doesn't work that way. Dogs, cats, and horses all have wider ranges of hearing than humans. Humans can hear slightly deeper bass than some dogs and cats, but on the treble end our favorite animals can hear up to between 40KHz and 60KHz. This means that your music is going to be well within the range of their hearing, and nothing on your radio is going to bother them (as long as it's not painfully loud). Somehow, I doubt that chopping an 8KHz swath out of your speaker's range will make your pets enjoy your music any more than they already do. It'll pretty much just make your favorite music sound shallow and muffled.

One of my best friends is a metalhead. He plays the drums and listens to weird Scandinavian death metal. He also has a purebred bulldog that both loves him and tolerates his music.

Can your music library hurt your pet's hearing? Certainly. It can also hurt your roommate's hearing, and your own hearing. Don't play it ridiculously loud all the time, and both you and your pets should be safe. Of course, your pet might like some of your music and hate some of your music, but the same thing could apply to your roommate or spouse.

Besides, if you're really concerned, you don't have to downgrade to a $250 bookshelf system for the good of your dog. Just use your receiver's equalizer to pull the bass and treble response down. This still means you're straying into the territory of compromising your music, though. As a rule of thumb, if your pet doesn't seem to mind your music, it's probably fine. If your pet doesn't like it, you might want to turn it down. If your pet really doesn't like it, then you should stop listening to Fall Out Boy.

— Will Greenwald

COMMENTS
kotijom353's picture
Submitted by kotijom353 on March 9, 2025 - 12:50am

Are you looking for a bookshelf sound system specifically designed for pets, or just a good compact speaker setup that can play calming sounds for them?
If it's for soothing your pet, consider a small Bluetooth speaker with good audio quality, like the Sonos One, Bose SoundLink Mini, or JBL Charge 5. You can play white noise, calming music, or pet-specific audio tracks to help with anxiety or loneliness.

If you meant something more unique, there are pet-focused devices like the Petcube Bites 2 (which includes a speaker and treat dispenser) or Furbo Dog Camera, allowing you to talk to your pet remotely. Let me know Adopt me pet valueswhat you're aiming for!

X