In the
ENGRI 118 - Design and Integration of a CD Player class of
Cornell University (which both
me and
Uberfetus had to suffer through), one of the first
labs we had to perform was a test of the
dynamic range of the
human ear, about the difference in
sensitivity of the
ear at different
frequency levels. We performed this in an
anechoic chamber.
Stepping into the little room and seeing the huge door slam shut behind you is pretty disturbing, add to the fact that the inside of the room was eerily quiet, you can hear your own heart beating. Any sound has multiple echoes, and it does not sound like a usual echo, it is hollow and tinny. As you walk around you can not only feel but hear all your movements. It is pretty weird inside one of those things. People with claustrophobia will die than prefer to be in one of those things.
Of course it is not a true anechoic chamber, but it gets pretty close. The thick spongy triangular shaped material covers the whole chamber except for the floor, which has a thick concrete base to block off noise.
After doing the experiment, which involved pressing a button when you hear a beep, I stepped out of the chamber. Even though I was not suffocating in there, I took a deep breath of air and sighed in relief, for some reason. Being inside of an anechoic chamber gives you a truly strange sensation, it is almost like an alternative dimension.