Ninety-five percent of adults with self-reported normal hearing perceived tinnitus-like sounds when placed in an anechoic (fully silent) chamber.

Evidence

Fear influences phantom sound percepts in an anechoic room (PMC)

corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
XREF: connects to: Silence is a positive, self-contained reality rather than mere absence. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 19; Near-total silence reveals that most people generate internal sound perceived as tinnitus — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 571; The hearing system actively filters and modulates sound more than passively receiving it — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 558 (+9 more)

Near-total silence reveals that most people generate internal sound perceived as tinnitus (similarity 0.88)
Sounds heard only in total silence are not classified as tinnitus (similarity 0.88)
In near-total silence a person may hear the mechanics of their own body (similarity 0.85)
The brain amplifies internal noise so total silence cannot be perceived (similarity 0.84)
In sound’s absence the brain amplifies its own internal signals to compensate (similarity 0.83)
Extreme near-total silence can trigger panic, disorientation, and physical illness (similarity 0.83)
The brain fabricates phantom sound when expected sensory input is absent (similarity 0.83)
Reduced auditory input causes the brain to amplify internal neural noise (similarity 0.82)
The act of hearing itself makes total sensory silence unattainable (similarity 0.82)
The hearing system actively filters and modulates sound more than passively receiving it (similarity 0.82)
The act of hearing itself may make true absolute silence unattainable (similarity 0.82)
The brain’s evolved vigilance actively forecloses the possibility of true silence (similarity 0.81)
Hearing loss causes the brain to amplify then fabricate sound as tinnitus (similarity 0.81)
Internal body noise, dominated by heartbeats and muscles, masks quiet sounds at low frequencies. (similarity 0.81)
Tinnitus arises without an external acoustic source, likely from central nervous system mechanisms. (similarity 0.81)