[Guy 13]

http://www.seeker.com/worlds-quietest-room-will-drive-you-crazy-in-30-minutes-1765731268.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=mentalfloss&utm_campaign=xpromo

http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-microsoft-quietest-room-in-the-world-2016-8

[JLM]

What is a -23 dB spl?  (From the MS link.)  How can you have less than zero sound?  How can we humanly perceive it (as long as our hearts beat, we breathe, and blood flows through our ears)?

I've been in two anechoic chambers and it is a weird sensation, even disorienting. 

[Guy 13]

What is a -23 dB spl?  (From the MS link.)  How can you have less than zero sound?  How can we humanly perceive it (as long as our hearts beat, we breathe, and blood flows through our ears)?

I've been in two anechoic chambers and it is a weird sensation, even disorienting.

That's the kind of experience I would like to add to all the crazy things I did in my life.l
Here on planet Vietnam, it's the reverse of dead quiet,
it's soooooo noisy everywhere it drives you crazy... 

[jlawson1977]

What is a -23 dB spl?  (From the MS link.)  How can you have less than zero sound?  How can we humanly perceive it (as long as our hearts beat, we breathe, and blood flows through our ears)?

I've been in two anechoic chambers and it is a weird sensation, even disorienting.

As I understand it, decibels are not a measure of absolute acoustic energy, but rather a measurement against a reference level of Zero db, considered the threshold of human audibility.  According to physics, -23 dB is the sound level of air molecules colliding with each other. 

But with the right cables I'm sure you could extract that level of detail   

[FullRangeMan]

The videos from post #1 are blocked to me, but this may be similar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXVGIb3bzHI

[Rusty Jefferson]

What is a -23 dB spl?  (From the MS link.)  How can you have less than zero sound?  How can we humanly perceive it (as long as our hearts beat, we breathe, and blood flows through our ears)

 https://m.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/243ucv/how_is_it_possible_to_have_negative_decibels/

[Armaegis]

I've been in two anechoic chambers and it is a weird sensation, even disorienting. 

I felt very anxious being in an anechoic chamber. The sound of my own breathing became unbearably loud and I was starting to hold my breath to stop the noise. I also felt like a pressure was building up in my head, like the kind you get with a cheap noise cancelling headphone.

[mresseguie]

I could handle this. My tinnitus will keep me company. 

[JLM]

Stating -23 dB without a reference is meaningless.

Just like temperature, there is an absolute zero, so why not use it?

[weatherman1]

-23dB is like the absolute zero for liquids, solids, gas, and plasma....the theoretical point at which wave form energy can not propagate.

[Armaegis]

 

Stating -23 dB without a reference is meaningless.

Just like temperature, there is an absolute zero, so why not use it?

Because dB are calculated as the log of a ratio. You can't take the ratio of something over zero.