I prefer silence also, but even music with lyrics was better than the sales guys cold call pitch, somehow that absolutely SHATTERED my flow state without fail.

Strangely enough I find working in the "white noise" of a coffee shop lets me hit flow state even better than silence. Not sure if thats more due to the "i'm in this place to do the thing" effect or the actual noise though.

See, this one does not bother me. Indistinct chatter / noise does not distract me in the slightest. In fact, that sound is actually a great environment for me to focus - total silence can actually be distracting for me.

Music on the other hand, I cannot program while listening to. Brains are different.