The lowest sound that we're apt to hear is somewhere around 20 decibels, which is like a feather hitting a tabletop. The actual spectrum of sound waves between 120 and zero decibels is roughly a trillion times greater than zero at 120 decibels. "Your physical hearing is going to deteriorate over time," Foy says.
As decibel levels continue to rise, threatening human existence we turn to two listening experts for help. George Prochnik and George Foy both investigate listening, silence and noise.