Extreme acoustic congestion can erase the ability to distinguish any signal

Evidence

In the ultimate lo-fi soundscape the signal-to-noise ratio is one-to-one and it is no longer possible to know what, if anything, is to be listened to. — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 245

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the lo-fi soundscape endpoint via the signal-to-noise ratio concept.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 245
• XREF: connects to: Loss of quiet erodes the very awareness needed to notice its loss — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 896; Noise represents wasted energy in any engineered system — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 677; The act of hearing itself makes total sensory silence unattainable — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 526 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Lo-fi soundscapes erase the distinction between signal and noise #exemplifies (0.75)
• The act of hearing itself makes total sensory silence unattainable #expands (0.70) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 526
• Loud natural sound can override and silence human speech #exemplifies (0.65) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1019
• Hearing gathers all sound but listening is selective and rarely conscious #complicates (0.50) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 61
• Pervasive low-volume informational chatter constitutes a hostile noise distinct from loud sound #complicates (0.50) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 439