Acoustic data can be collected from oil wells having various configurations of tubing and casing and under various operational conditions such as pumping, shut-in, and transition phases such as pressure build up. The acoustic data is collected by a microphone in response to the generation of an acoustic pulse that is transmitted into the well. There is typically substantial noise in the well pipes and this noise can degrade the quality of the reflected data recorded from the acoustic pulse. Much of this noise is produced by the flow of gas in the tubing and associated flow lines. Apparatus for use with the well can be configured to control the state of certain valves which can lead to a reduction of the noise received for the microphone that records the acoustic data.