[SilverEars]

Is it?  Was there studies done on this?  I've heard of Tinitus, but was wondering if there a big distribution of people with median age have atleast a mild case of tinitus.

 

[esldude]

http://www.audiology.org/news/Pages/20111229.aspx
 
Some basic info.  Apparently at least 10% or so have some with the number going up with age.

 

[ab initio]

No matter how quite it is, you will always hear something.
 
If you can find an anechoic chamber with very good noise suppression, you can hear your heartbeat/blood pulsing through your arteries near your ear.
 
Cheers

 

[OddE]

  No matter how quite it is, you will always hear something.
 
If you can find an anechoic chamber with very good noise suppression, you can hear your heartbeat/blood pulsing through your arteries near your ear.

 
-And that, I might add, is rather stressful. (I majored in RF engineering, and the anechoic chamber the acousticians played with served double duty as aerial test lab for those of a radio frequency disposition. I spent hours and hours in that chamber, measuring radiation patterns and the like)
 
I NEVER got quite used to the eerie quietness of it, as you say, you can literally hear the blood flowing in your veins (Well, probably arteries, as you say).
 
It even messed with my balance - or, rather, with my perception of balance, I think. Most times when I moved about in that chamber, I felt slightly dizzy. May have had to do with the weird pattern formed by the acoustic wedges lining all interior surfaces, though - making it really hard for my eyes to figure out what was level and what was askew. I wonder if the dizzyness would have gone away if I simply closed my eyes? 
 
Anyway, I digress. Very much so. 

 

[noway]

With headphones, when a quiet spot comes along I can often hear my pulse beating in my ears. Even with light clamping headphones. I don't like it one bit and is one of the reasons I prefer stereo speakers over headphones.

 

[jcx]

yes headphones are microphonic and circumaural cans add a resonant chamber - the threshold in quiet can be ~10 dB worse with our beloved headphones