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I recently asked Why are the cabin chimes one semitone lower on the Boeing 747-400 than on other aircraft? on the main site. It was later deemed to be primarily based on opinions, but it's not.

I recently edited the question to clarify why it's not primarily based on opinions, but it was reviewed as Leave Closed in the reopen review queue.

The question is not based on opinions. If you look at the video links I supplied in the post, it is a fact that the cabin chimes on the 747-400 are lower-pitched than most other planes. All but of the planes in the other compilation video I linked are at the same higher pitch. It's not just my opinion that they're lower-pitched.

Also, if the answer is that "the chime manufacturer simply built it that way", that should be an answer. Questions shouldn't be closed based on the answer, the merits of the question alone should be judged.

Can someone, preferably one of the users who voted to close or reviewed it as "Leave Closed" please explain to me why they thought it was primarily based on opinions, or why they still thought the close reason was correct even though I edited in an explanation why it's not?

And if it's not, can it please be reopened (and replaced with a different close reason if necessary)?

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I voted to leave close (as a user, I waited to be the third one to avoid it being a mod-review) because personally I don't see in the question something that undoubtedly shows the semitone difference.

I don't have perfect hearing, I don't have the tools to examine pitch from Youtube videos.

I have the impression that the question might be opinion based, i.e. while you think there is a semitone difference, others might argue it is not there. A point that is made already in the comments there.

If you could provide in the question a way to objectively determine, or better, a plot/something that shows this difference, my objection would then be removed.

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    $\begingroup$ Also, bearing in mind that pitch can sound different based on recording method, equipment, distance from source, etc. SO in reality in might not be different, even if it sounds so on a video. $\endgroup$
    – Cloud
    Nov 22, 2018 at 9:43
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    $\begingroup$ For what it's worth, I listened to the YouTube video, and to me, it's completely obvious that the Bombardier Q400 chime in the video is about a semitone lower than the other chimes. I would be stunned if anyone else (who is good at distinguishing musical intervals by ear) listened to this recording and didn't agree with me on that. $\endgroup$
    – Tanner Swett
    Nov 26, 2018 at 1:51
  • $\begingroup$ @Cloud For modern recording equipment, the pitch is accurately reflected in the recording. If you record a pitch with your phone and I record the same pitch with my phone, they will sound the same on playback. Distance from the source does not change the pitch either. The only thing that will change the pitch is relative motion to the sound source (dopper shift), which is not a factor in recording an airplane chime. $\endgroup$
    – Wayne Conrad
    Dec 15, 2018 at 0:01
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    $\begingroup$ As a musician, the semitone difference is blindingly obvious to me. I would be that most non musicians could hear it, although they might not be able to name it. My point, however, is that a difference that takes a little skill to perceive isn't a matter of opinion. $\endgroup$
    – Wayne Conrad
    Dec 15, 2018 at 0:03
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    $\begingroup$ @TannerSwett Not necessarily. If a video is compressed or the speed is altered as a result of post-processing (by say a few milliseconds), it could change the pitch of the whole recording. $\endgroup$
    – Cloud
    Dec 17, 2018 at 11:55
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Probably the community decided that the answers will be based on various opinions and speculations rather than on analysis of technical documents about the design of this part of that aircraft (frequency of the quartz oscillator somewhere, how it was divided to produce the frequency of the chime, why not adjusted).

A technical documentation of such a depth may be very difficult to access.

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