A method distorts the frequency of an input signal that is present as an audio signal. Here, the input signal is divided into a low-frequency signal component and a high-frequency signal component. These two signal components adjoin one another at a cut-off frequency. The high-frequency signal component is frequency-distorted and overlaid with the low-frequency signal component to form an output signal. An associated gain factor is modified, at least for an edge region, containing the cut-off frequency, of the high-frequency signal component and/or of the low-frequency signal component, such that a level difference between a signal level of the low-frequency signal component and a signal level of the frequency-distorted high-frequency signal component is increased.