is a test lab for doing acoustic testing.

It's a chamber within a chamber within a chamber.

- [Woman] That's Steve.

- [Steve] I'm Steve Orfield, the founder of

Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis.

- [Woman] And we're talking about what it feels like

to sit in one of the quietest rooms on earth.

An anechoic chamber is a room that absorbs sound.

So, it's quiet.

- [Steve] When we put subjects in the anechoic chamber,

we sit them in a chair, and we turn off the lights.

- [Woman] It turns out that the only noises

you'd hear in there are noises

that come from inside your own body.

- [Steve] Right away, you'll usually hear

the sound of your ears buzzing.

You'll start to hear the joints

in your arms and in your legs,

like the sound of rubbing two pieces of wood together.

(wood grinding)

You'll clearly hear your heart beating.

Kind of a boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

(heart thumping)

The flow of the air into your lungs.

(lungs inhaling and exhaling)

- [Woman] And sounds from inside your body

that you might've heard outside the chamber

are suddenly so much louder.

- [Steve] Any noise that would be startling

outside the chamber would be

16 times as startling inside the chamber.

- [Woman] Noises like your stomach growling,

(thunderous growling)

or your knuckles cracking.

(knuckles cracking and popping)

People don't last that long inside.

- [Steve] Maybe an hour and 15 minutes.

- [Woman] And that's mainly because of one of two reasons.

- [Steve] Some people find that very relaxing.

Some people find that fearful or claustrophobic.

- [Woman] One person's peace and quiet

is another's personal nightmare.

(whimsical music)