With Apple Vision Pro however, temperature doesn't seem to be the only factor in fan speeds. According to Max Thomas (aka Shiny Quagsire), the main developer of the visionOS port of the SteamVR streaming tool ALVR, the headset also sets the maximum fan speed based on how loud the fans are, measured with the headset's microphone array.

The idea is presumably that in louder environments, those with more ambient noise, the fans will be harder to hear. So the overall goal of ensuring you rarely hear any fans can be maintained while maximizing performance.

This all leads to the bizarre conclusion that Apple Vision Pro should perform better in noisy environments […].