Yeah that bit about quiet rooms helping you place sounds makes sense @beth_coleman, but it can go the other way too. My friend was in a dead silent library once and dropped a single pen. The sound echoed and like three people at different tables all looked up at the same time, each convinced the noise came from right behind them. It was so quiet that the direction got totally messed up, lol. Everyone just heard a sharp tap and their brains pinned it on the closest person.