Don't want to get evicted

[Joe Schmoe]

I have been in my apartment for about 6 years and have never had any issues with neighbors, even though I play my stereo at a level that seems pretty loud to me. This weekend, however, I bought a 10" sub (Boston XB4) so I am a bit concerned.
I have placed it near the end of the half-wall that divides my 20' sq. room into a U-shape. This provides reinforcement while staying 10' from the only shared wall. I have the level set at about 1 out of 10 (at my listening position 8' away, this seems plenty powerful.) I also have an upstairs neighbor. Does this seem safe? Are there any other precautions I can take?

 

[markw]

Has anyone said anything?

If not, then don't worry. Not every "audio nut" blasts their sub and not every neighbor is a sphincter.

It sounds like you're taking a conservative, common sense, approach and that works in a lot of cases. Running it at one out of ten sounds like needless worrying on your part.

If you really want to get technical, you can move your sub closer to your listening position but if you're happy now, wait and see what happens before getting all bothered.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Nobody has said anything yet, but I have only had it since Friday. The audible difference between playing it at 1/10 and not using it at all is quite substantial, so I feel that this is enough to get the benefit of having it in the system. 2/10 sounds loud! (Boston suggests 4/10. This makes me wonder what they have been smoking!)

 

[ParadigmDawg]

You could try buying a house...

 

[Joe Schmoe]

You could try buying a house...

A house that I could afford would be a piece of junk in constant need of maintenance, and probably in a scary neighborhood, besides.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Get one you cant afford and then work a second job.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Get one you cant afford and then work a second job.

Nice thought. (Not gonna happen, but a nice thought.)

 

[ParadigmDawg]

You could quite buying AV stuff and save for a house but there's no fun in that...

Nice thought. (Not gonna happen, but a nice thought.)

 

[Alex2507]

I set mine with an SPL meter to play about a little lower than everything else and my center is set to play a little louder than everything else for watching movies. Then I pretty much try to get my movie watching in before 8 PM. After that I turn the sub off with the power switch on the back of it.

With music I try to listen to it during day so that I can turn it up loud for the parts that I do want to hear played loudly. Night time playing of loud music is pretty much a no-no in my books. But then again I wake up at 4 AM so being considerate of others at night is no sweat.

You could let your neighbors know about your sub and invite them to let you know if it is disturbing them. If you can, listen to your sub from their places so you can establish boundaries for volume. Good luck to you.

 

[Audioholics]

Are there any other precautions I can take?

Go talk to your neighbors - tell them you'd like to use it but you'll attempt to limit the hours to reasonable times and keep it from getting too crazy.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

You could quite buying AV stuff and save for a house but there's no fun in that...

Funny thing is, if I did have a house I wouldn't play my stereo or HT any louder. I am quite comfortable with my present listening levels.

 

[avaserfi]

I have a sub in my apartment as you do and haven't had a problem. One thing that has helped my neighbors is a gramma pad from auralex. Since it decouples the sub from the floor it keeps unneeded shaking out of your neighbors apartments. Also, I would listen to Clint's comment of talking to your neighbors.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Yes you would; you are just saying that to make yourself more comfortable with your living conditions

Funny thing is, if I did have a house I wouldn't play my stereo or HT any louder. I am quite comfortable with my present listening levels.

 

[stratman]

Go talk to your neighbors - tell them you'd like to use it but you'll attempt to limit the hours to reasonable times and keep it from getting too crazy.

Or if you're on friendly terms, invite them over for a movie and popcorn, it'll go along ways to better relations.

 

[markw]

That's like saying "Don't put beans in your ear, kid."

Go talk to your neighbors - tell them you'd like to use it but you'll attempt to limit the hours to reasonable times and keep it from getting too crazy.

Sounds good in theory, but in practice it might be another story. Now, nobody would have thought of that until somepne puts the suggestion into their head and then what are they gonna do? Right! Go and put beans in their ears.

If they know you have a sub and you make them aware of what possible problems might arise, they might start looking for problems that might not have been problems before.

I still say let it play out and then if problems arise, your suggestion will be valid. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. What's that old saying? It's easier to apologize than to ask for permission?

 

[agarwalro]

There are 3 things you can do,

1) Placement & Calibration - With the correct placement and calibration, you will not need to unnecessarily boost the bass, limiting the intrusion for your neighbors
2) Watch the clock- Keep loud sessions limited in duration and to a reasonable time of day.
3) Communicate - Give all your immediate neighbors your (cell or house) phone number and ask them to call you if they are getting disturbed. It shows your neighbors your intent to live amicably so they will be less likely to harass you or complain behind your back.

I follow the above three (and you probably already follow 2 and 3) and have never had a problem in 3 years of condo living. I blast my music...

 

[Joe Schmoe]

If they know you have a sub and you make them aware of what possible problems might arise, they might start looking for problems that might not have been problems before.

I still say let it play out and then if problems arise, your suggestion will be valid. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

This fits in well with my thinking. If I say "hey, is my bass too loud?" and they say "yes.", then what. Better not to call attention to it.
I already don't play music or watch movies except between 8:00 am and 8:30 pm.

 

[Alamar]

I've got a [craptastic] sub in my apartment and I haven't had any problems.

Of course I turn off the switch on the sub at about 9PM and either switch to headphones or just do without proper bass.

If your receiver has a "Midnight" or "NightTime" mode that lowers the dynamic range of whatever you're playing that may help a little. Basically you won't have to crank the volume as high to hear the quiet moments AND the loud moments won't be quite so loud.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Here is how things worked out:
My neighbor to the side was playing his music loud (or rather his teenage son was.) The person above him came down and chastised him about it. This got me concerned about mine again, so I turned the sub down even more. At some point, I realized that it was no longer even coming on, and that I wasn't hearing any difference. Apparently, whatever "benefits" it had were illusory, and my Boston VR2s have sufficient bass on their own. It is now sitting in a closet, where it will remain until I decide what to do with it. (Perhaps I will keep it and try it again someday if I ever buy a house.) I have been in my apartment for years with no complaints, and I want to keep it that way.