Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The Guinness World Record holder for quietest place sits in Minneapolis, Minnesota: an anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories. This room achieves a staggering -9.4 dBA background noise level—below the threshold of human hearing. For context, a quiet bedroom registers ~30 dBA; breathing sounds at ~10 dBA.
The chamber floats on vibration-damping springs, isolated from the building's structure. Walls, ceiling, and floor feature meter-deep fiberglass wedges that trap 99.99% of sound reflections. Double airlock doors seal the space. No external noise penetrates; no internal sound echoes.
Manufacturers test product noise signatures here: heart valves, sleep apnea machines, automotive components, audio equipment. NASA uses similar chambers for astronaut training. Researchers study auditory perception and hallucination thresholds.
Visitors report unsettling experiences: hearing their own blood flow, joint creaks, and intestinal sounds. Most tolerate only 20-45 minutes before disorientation sets in. The longest recorded stay: 45 minutes.
For naturally quiet places, consider Microsoft's Building 87 chamber (-20.3 dBA, but not continuously maintained) or remote locations like the Hoh Rainforest (Olympic National Park) and Kelso Dunes (Mojave), where natural ambient noise approaches 10-20 dBA.