Reality

What is more real than what one perceives? If a reality exists outside of one's ability to perceive it, how can it be real to that one? I am reminded of the question of whether a sound is made when a tree falls in a forest and there is no one around to hear it. On the surface this is a rediculous question, of course. But what it challenges is not so much reality but the application of philosophical argument. It seems obvious, given the standard of accepted knowledge, that a tree does in fact make a sound when it falls whether or not there is anyone around to hear it. The question of reality and its perception is something entirely different. The very definition if reality is predicated on the ability to perceive it. So then, if reality is in fact a matter of perception, what intimate knowledge of reality can come from beyond one's ability to perceive it? Therefore reality is a matter of opinion, but even moreso - personal.