In a world filled with constant noise, the idea of a truly silent place is both intriguing and unsettling. The quietest place on Earth, an anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis, Minnesota, offers an experience of such profound silence that it challenges our perception of sound and even our own bodies. This room is not just quiet; it’s so silent that background noise is measured in negative decibels, meaning it’s below the threshold of human hearing.
The story of this unique space is one of constant refinement. In 2004, the room registered a sound level of -9.4 dBA, and after further improvements, it reached -13 dBA. Although briefly surpassed by a chamber in Redmond, Washington, at -20.35 dBA, Orfield Laboratories reclaimed the title in November 2021 with a recording of -24.9 dBA. This achievement is a testament to the ingenuity of the chamber’s design.
The design of the chamber is crucial to its sound-dampening properties. It consists of a box with steel walls, suspended by springs inside a larger box with steel walls. This structure sits within a laboratory with foot-thick concrete walls. The interior of the chamber is lined with rigid brown fiberglass wedges that absorb sound on all sides, including the floor, where a suspended mesh provides the only standing surface. This complex construction ensures that sound waves don’t reflect off the surfaces, eliminating echoes and creating an environment of absolute stillness. The chamber has a usable space of 3.7 x 3.1 x 3.52 meters.
The silence within the anechoic chamber has profound effects on those who enter it. With no external sounds to mask them, visitors report hearing the sounds of their own bodies - blood flowing, lungs working and stomachs gurgling. Even the sound of eyelids closing becomes audible. This phenomenon occurs because ears adapt to silence, amplifying the most subtle noises. As Steven Orfield, the lab’s founder, explains: “When it’s quiet, ears will adapt. The quieter the room, the more things you hear. … In the anechoic chamber, you become the sound”.
Beyond its effects on the human body, the chamber has practical applications. Companies test products within the chamber to measure their noise levels. For example, LED displays are tested to ensure they are not too loud, and Harley-Davidson used the space to make its motorcycles quieter while retaining their iconic sound. NASA has also sent astronauts to similar chambers to help them adapt to the silence of space.
However, the absence of familiar environmental cues makes the room a disorienting place. Everyday sounds play a crucial role in how people orient themselves and maintain balance. In the anechoic chamber, these cues are absent. Without the usual sounds of life, visitors have trouble feeling oriented and standing. In fact, it’s recommended that anyone who is in the room for more than half an hour should be seated.
For those who wish to experience this unique environment, Orfield Laboratories offers various options, with group tours costing $200 and including a 20-minute session in the chamber. For the more adventurous, a private one-hour session is available for $400. At $75, visitors can share a one hour session with four other people.
The world’s quietest room at Orfield Laboratories is more than a scientific marvel, it’s a place to profoundly experience the very nature of sound and the intricate workings of the human body. It’s a place where silence is not just the absence of noise, but a deeply immersive experience that highlights our own internal soundscape.>)
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