Posted this in the "did not cheat" thread as well to encourage debate on both sides.

The pictures prove nothing by themselves. To be definitively sure of cheating, we must ask ourselves this question: was BG able to hear the noise with their headphones slightly off?

To begin to address this problem we will need to delve into the science of sound. As we can see in pictures of BG players (seen here), the headsets are somewhat off the outer ears. At this point, you may ask yourself, would that much of an exposed ear be able to pick up sound—would it make a difference?

Here is where an understanding of sound needs to come into play. Sound is not a large solid object—it does not need space to move into the ear. It is able to “slip” into the exposed ear because it travels through the air in something scientists call “wave form” (as seen here). Based on this cartoon, it is my understanding that these sound waves travel on tiny air molecules which would be able to flow into the ear partially exposed by a “loose” headset, and travel down the ear canal where it is collected by the eardrum cells to produce sound in the brain. Thus, it seems scientifically possible that sound could seep into these players ears.

The next question that must be addressed is whether or not the sound, even if it makes its way into an ear, would be loud enough to hear. Based on this chart, the decibel threshold needed for cheating to eliminate a team from a tournament can be as quiet as 80dB. Given that the crowd noise and casting (amplified through speakers) produced sound levels somewhere between a snowmobile and a jackhammer, it is scientifically plausible the sound that managed to sneak into the players’ ears could have been heard sufficiently to result in enough of an advantage to eliminate Rave from the tournament.

Based on these points, I suggest that it is at least plausible for BG to have heard the noises coming from both casters and crowd, which may have given them an unfair advantage in game. Any further questions should be answered by this illustrative diagram of the venue and its acoustics seen here.

I will leave you to draw your own conclusions. Thank you for reading.