And usually one would think to be alone is to reflect in some degree of silence.
But really, the noise is always there. Our auditory system allows the ears to be selective naturally in what it hears. It's when the noises become familiar so as to dissipate, and one would then have to concentrate again what it is that is actually producing sound in careful detail. There are those, I've read, that upon losing their hearing they become unable to distinguish between sounds, or even those that never heard which then are able to find themselves to be amidst chaos as their ears cannot know what importance a sound has over another.
Perhaps to be alone never equates to be silent. Yes I know, many have already pursued a way to live so they can discipline themselves to have a quiet mind. But in my experience, to have a quiet mind, one must counteract noise with a more organised sound, i.e. music. For music balances, and perhaps cancels out the noise within, and therefore one is able to meditate. Even the voice of a companion to help the "silence." Does it last though?