The Sound of Silence

[Bucknekked]

I'm old enough to remember Simon and Garfunkels "Sounds of Silence" . Here's an article with a pretty interesting twist, its the actual sound of silence.

I'm not an anechoic chamber guru, I just have a basic understanding of what one is. For those of you who are pretty knowledgeable, I would ask if the claim to fame of the "world's quietest place" passes muster?
Anytime somebody claims the "world's best" of anything, I have to question it.

It's an interesting read for audioholics no matter if the claim is genuine or not.

THE WORLD'S QUIETEST ROOM

 

[lovinthehd]

Back before much audio gear interest, I'd read about the world's quietest room in an old Guinness BoWR (March 68 edition, p.129, still have it ) where it was described as the anechoic chamber at Bell Telephone Systems Labs, Murray Hill, NJ where they had achieved eliminating 99.98% of reflected sound. Wonder if that's still in existence?

 

[Bucknekked]

Back before much audio gear interest, I'd read about the world's quietest room in an old Guinness BoWR (March 68 edition, p.129, still have it ) where it was described as the anechoic chamber at Bell Telephone Systems Labs, Murray Hill, NJ where they had achieved eliminating 99.98% of reflected sound. Wonder if that's still in existence?

I believe I too have heard of the Bell Labs room. A distant memory.

If you've ever been in a sensory deprivation chamber, its an experience for your brain that's for sure.
There was a place here in Arizona where you could pay some bucks and get 30 minutes or an hour in the tank. It was a closed tank filled will salt water that was a very bouyant mixture. You essentially laid down and floated in blackness, without any sense of touch or sound, for as long as you signed up for.

It was cool, but, a little too new age for me. I tried it, but, never got all that big of an internal revelation from it.

 

[shadyJ]

As someone who tests speakers, I would really like to have an anechoic chamber, by the way. if someone has a spare anechoic chamber they can give me, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[mtrycrafts]

Here is an interesting take on that old song

 

[lovinthehd]

I believe I too have heard of the Bell Labs room. A distant memory.

If you've ever been in a sensory deprivation chamber, its an experience for your brain that's for sure.
There was a place here in Arizona where you could pay some bucks and get 30 minutes or an hour in the tank. It was a closed tank filled will salt water that was a very bouyant mixture. You essentially laid down and floated in blackness, without any sense of touch or sound, for as long as you signed up for.

It was cool, but, a little too new age for me. I tried it, but, never got all that big of an internal revelation from it.

Right out of Altered States, eh? I think there were some places to do that in the bay area when I lived there....never tried it either nor have I experienced an anechoic chamber.

 

[panteragstk]

Here is an interesting take on that old song

Wondered when someone was going to post that...

 

[mtrycrafts]

Wondered when someone was going to post that...

At the right time.

 

[Bucknekked]

Here is an interesting take on that old song

mtrycrafts
thanks for sharing that rendition. I had not heard it before. What a great version of the song.
I'm gonna have to go find that now and get it in the library.
Thanks again

 

[MR.MAGOO]

Wonder if time spent alone in an anechoic chamber would lessen the effects of tinnitus, or AMPLIFY the suffering?

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm betting on the amplification factor.

 

[Bucknekked]

Wonder if time spent alone in an anechoic chamber would lessen the effects of tinnitus, or AMPLIFY the suffering?

the article about the world's quietest room says that it makes the ringing in your ears intolerable in a very short time. I got no personal experience with it, but, I can see how that would be the case.

 

[mtrycrafts]

mtrycrafts
thanks for sharing that rendition. I had not heard it before. What a great version of the song.
I'm gonna have to go find that now and get it in the library.
Thanks again

Same here. Just recently stumbled on it and now with Peggo's help is on the desktop.
Yes, it is powerful especially with that black and white imaging.

 

[mtrycrafts]

the article about the world's quietest room says that it makes the ringing in your ears intolerable in a very short time. I got no personal experience with it, but, I can see how that would be the case.

Indeed. If you hear it with all the background noise of life, not much to wonder how loud it would be with no such background. Brrr

 

[lovinthehd]

As someone who tests speakers, I would really like to have an anechoic chamber, by the way. if someone has a spare anechoic chamber they can give me, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Just wondering...have you ever located a facility with an existing anechoic room within a reasonable drive? Asked to use it? Or wonder if they are so rare getting time would be unlikely or ? Otherwise maybe we could take up a collection

 

[shadyJ]

Just wondering...have you ever located a facility with an existing anechoic room within a reasonable drive? Asked to use it? Or wonder if they are so rare getting time would be unlikely or ? Otherwise maybe we could take up a collection

There are anechoic chambers around here, but they are very expensive to rent time in. But the reason why I want an anechoic chamber isn't for the purposes of measurements themselves but for the convenience of taking those measurements. It wouldn't really make my measurements substantially better, but it would allow to to measure whenever I want and however long I want, because those are the limiting factors for me right now.

 

[lovinthehd]

There are anechoic chambers around here, but they are very expensive to rent time in. But the reason why I want an anechoic chamber isn't for the purposes of measurements themselves but for the convenience of taking those measurements. It wouldn't really make my measurements substantially better, but it would allow to to measure whenever I want and however long I want, because those are the limiting factors for me right now.

Yes, after I posted this I think we had that conversation before...wonder how much it would cost to build a reasonable room (aside from the cost of providing the room itself)?

 

[shadyJ]

Yes, after I posted this I think we had that conversation before...wonder how much it would cost to build a reasonable room (aside from the cost of providing the room itself)?

For just the rudimentary treatments, some melamine foam, I would be looking at $10k, and that would just be for something very simple.

To be honest, I'm much more concerned about getting a open space to test subs. That is not easy to do in the Chicagoland area. I need a place that A: has at least 150 feet away from the nearest large structure, B: has a low enough noise floor to capture distortion, C: has a source of electricity nearby, and D: a place I can get permission to use without having to pay an exorbitant fee. I had a good place for awhile but can't use it anymore.