Leaving aside all the confusion created by our imperfect language, what you are asking is whether or not a thing can exist outside of our consciousness. I think we will know the answer when we have a better understanding of what consciousness really is.
“...what you are asking is whether or not a thing can exist outside of our consciousness....”
No, I must have been unclear.
I am not referring to anything that philosophical - it’s purely physical.
I am simply referring to the fact that a tree falling in the forest creates pressure variations in material (including air) which vibrate at different frequencies - but these vibrations don’t become sound until they vibrate an eardrum and are interpreted as sound by a brain.
We shouldn’t call them sound waves - we should call them pressure waves or something.
To illustrate, a totally deaf person can feel the waves - the vibrations - but can’t interpret them as sound.
With sight, we don’t make the same mistake. We call them “light waves” -not “sight waves”. Light waves can travel through space, but sight doesn’t happen until light waves reach a brain capable of vision.