It's also because the engine has a 90-degree V-angle, so the cylinders on the left bank are 90 degrees out of phase to the cylinders on the right bank. Each ban

It's also because the engine has a 90-degree V-angle, so the cylinders on the left bank are 90 degrees out of phase to the cylinders on the right bank. Each bank is effectively a 4-cylinder which fires once every 180 degrees, so having the two banks 90 degrees offset means the engine fires evenly every 90 degrees, producing a higher-pitched sound. In audio terms, there are no audible "1x engine rotational frequency" or even "0.5x engine rotational frequency" components. It's perceived as an octave higher than an inline-4 at the same RPM.