Yes, same for me in picking up faint sounds. I spend a bit of time hiking and the like, and can tell from the sound of a rustle of leaves whether there was a sq

Yes, same for me in picking up faint sounds. I spend a bit of time hiking and the like, and can tell from the sound of a rustle of leaves whether there was a squirrel, a raccoon, or a deer. I think what's going on is that neurologically, my attention is always diverted by new sounds. If it's quiet and suddenly something crinkles or shuffles, I hear it extremely clearly. I use this to my advantage -- I have my cell phones set to a very faint single "beep" for their ringtone. It drives other people mad because I'll suddenly get up and go to the phone or dig in my pocket, and they never heard it go off. It's even woke me from a dead sleep. In a natural environment, this would be a pretty useful trait to have, but in artificial environments, all the sounds are "new" and I can't make heads or tails of what's going on.