Hochton

Hochton is the German term for high tone or high-frequency content in sound. In acoustics, it denotes the upper part of the audible spectrum and is used in music, audio engineering, and consumer electronics to distinguish high-pitched components from midrange and bass. The word combines hoch meaning high and ton meaning tone. In German-language technical literature, Hochton is contrasted with Tiefton (low tone) and Mitteltöne (mid tones). In loudspeaker design, the Hochtonbereich is reproduced by dedicated high-frequency drivers, often called Hochtonlautsprecher or tweeters. Crossover networks split the signal so that Hochton, Mitteltöne, and Tiefton are routed to the appropriate drivers.

The Hochton range is not fixed; it is conventionally defined as roughly starting around 2 kHz and extending to the upper limits of human hearing, around 20 kHz for young listeners. In practice, many audio systems specify a crossover around 2–3 kHz, with tweeters delivering roughly 2–20 kHz. Perception of Hochton contributes to brightness, clarity, articulation, and sense of air in a sound. Hearing sensitivity to Hochton declines with age and exposure to loud sound, which affects how listeners perceive high-frequency content. When overemphasized, Hochton can sound harsh or sibilant; when reduced, it can produce dullness or muffled detail.

In other contexts, Hochton can refer to high-frequency content in signal processing and in linguistic studies of pitch and timbre.