Re: Cage & Anechoic Chambers

[Christian Kaernbach <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I was told this is related to the cutoff frequency of the anechoic
chamber. If the latter is around 70 Hz (i.e. lower frequencies are less
well absorbed) one gets this feeling of pressure, whereas if the latter
is very, very low (below 20 Hz, which is rarely to be found) the feeling
should be much more comfortable, more ressembling to that in the Alberta
badlands, prairies etc. The different experience in real envorinment
could be due to the fact that there is no echo at all, not even for the
very low frequencies, whereas in most anechoic chambers there is a
certain echo, only of a kind that is not typical for normal environment
(low-pass at 70 Hz). It could be that this low-pass echo is associated
with the experience of pressure.

- Christian Kaernbach

> I am interested in hearing the response to Eliot Handelman's query,
> and just want to enlarge on one point made therein.  I have also not
> had the experience of an a-c chamber but have been in the Alberta
> badlands (geographically /geologically related to the Montana ones, I
> believe).  And certainly one of the most impressive characteristics
> for me also was the silence -- the clay-type soil seems to absorb all
> sounds, even one's breathing (I also don't remember hearing my nervous
> system).

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