[sjwright]

The crucial difference is that compared to our other senses, our ears are really, really, astonishingly shit. They can be highly precise in one context and ludicrously imprecise in another context. And they lie. They often tell us we're hearing what our eyes expect to hear.

[InitialLastName]

OTOH, there aren't many other sensory systems that operate over 3 orders of magnitude in frequency and 6 o.o.m. in amplitude.

[sjwright]

This is true. Our hearing is well tuned for utility in a pre-modern context. They just don't have anything remotely like the precision of our eyesight, which can judge things like the straightness of a line, or simultaneously compare the properties of distinct objects.