I think the 3D fluid dynamics simulation required to find this might be a much. I always figured "water droplets smashing into another surface" was sufficient.

I think the 3D fluid dynamics simulation required to find this might be a much. I always figured "water droplets smashing into another surface" was sufficient. My dripping taps never seem to drip into a puddle of water, but on the sink surface. With the high-speed capture work from years ago on why droplets splash back from dry surfaces (because air), I'd have also assumed air would play a role in drops making noise when falling on water. My point: I don't think we could have simulated this effectively; I think a thought experiment would suffice; but ultimately, high-speed would be a necessary step to observe what either experiment predicted.