Unauthorized copying or publication of any part of the content presented herein is strictly forbidden without explicit consent of the author. Like a blank canvas for a painter, or a clean plate for a gourmet meal, silence is the sine qua non of good acoustics.
Silence is the absence of noise, and noise is unwanted sound.
There are, of course, many aspects to excellent acoustical design. Sources of noise include traffic, airplanes, machinery, plumbing, lights, and people in other spaces. The human ear is so sensitive that we can detect sounds that displace the eardrum by the diameter of a hydrogen molecule. This means that background noise determines the softest sound that a performer or speaker can effectively utilize. When a theatre is truly quiet, an actor can use his entire dynamic range, from a shout to a whisper, and still be clearly understood.