Apartment living

[Alex2507]

The time of day is important. Just try to be done with movie watching before 8 or maybe 9 PM. Don't have the volume up ridiculously loud. Maybe jockey the volume up/down during the quiet/loud parts and after that tell your neighbors to eff off. Who the hell has time for whiners? ... and tell them to f^%& harder and more often cause it turns you on and you like recording them.

 

[Shock]

and tell them to f^%& harder and more often cause it turns you on and you like recording them.

Okay, that is funny.

Do that.

 

[yepimonfire]

It's called being respectful and courteous, if they can't handle you using your sub then they simply need to move.

fixed. .....

 

[just-some-guy]

time does matter. If it's a weekday then I expect there to be minimal noise because people are trying to do school work. But on a weekend night in a college town, you can't expect everything to be quiet. If we were playing it loud constantly then I could understand them coming downstairs to tell us to turn it down. But 15 minutes into a movie? Like I said earlier, it wasnt very loud, they just complain at every noise.

thats it right there. looks like they are trying to control others. if they are the only complainers = tell em to GO SCRATCH !!!

 

[zhimbo]

But on a weekend night in a college town, you can't expect everything to be quiet.

Yes, you can. Really. "College town" has nothing to do with it, unless, perhaps, you actually live in a dorm. Welcome to apartment life!

It is of course perfectly possible they are just whiners, I don't know...but have you heard what it sounds like yourself? Bass is a funny thing, and some bass frequencies can be about as loud in their apartment as they are in yours (maybe louder).

There is little that is more irritating than having nothing but loud LFE in your apartment while you're trying to do something else. Ask me how I know.

ADDED: BTW, check your lease agreement. If push comes to shove, it'll come down to that.

 

[dkane360]

Yes, you can. Really. "College town" has nothing to do with it, unless, perhaps, you actually live in a dorm. Welcome to apartment life!

It is of course perfectly possible they are just whiners, I don't know...but have you heard what it sounds like yourself? Bass is a funny thing, and some bass frequencies can be about as loud in their apartment as they are in yours (maybe louder).

There is little that is more irritating than having nothing but loud LFE in your apartment while you're trying to do something else. Ask me how I know.

ADDED: BTW, check your lease agreement. If push comes to shove, it'll come down to that.

Next weekend I wanted to see if they would let me run some tests to find at what point they could hear/feel it in their apartment. Checking the lease is a good idea too, although I don't remember a no subwoofer clause

 

[Pyrrho]

Yes, you can. Really. "College town" has nothing to do with it, unless, perhaps, you actually live in a dorm. Welcome to apartment life!

It is of course perfectly possible they are just whiners, I don't know...but have you heard what it sounds like yourself? Bass is a funny thing, and some bass frequencies can be about as loud in their apartment as they are in yours (maybe louder).

There is little that is more irritating than having nothing but loud LFE in your apartment while you're trying to do something else. Ask me how I know.

ADDED: BTW, check your lease agreement. If push comes to shove, it'll come down to that.

Yes, bass is troublesome in an apartment. I lived in an apartment beneath some inconsiderate ******** and the bass was maddening, even though it was pretty clear their subwoofer was not very good. Even if I had their taste in music, it would still not have sounded good, as I heard basically only the bass, not the rest. (To get an idea of how that sounds, try playing just your subwoofer and no other speakers, and see how long you want to listen to music that way, even if it is music you like played at a time you want to hear it. But even that will not get the sound the same, as hearing it through a floor or wall makes it less distinct sounding, but it will give you some idea of what one is dealing with.)

Basically, you do not have the right to put a bunch of noise into someone else's home. That is the bottom line to remember. Only a total ******* is inconsiderate enough to fail to act in accordance with this.

Also, it is not just a matter of the lease. There are laws that regulate such things as well, and they will be well within their rights to call the police every time someone is an inconsiderate ******* and plays music too loud.

 

[markw]

One man's ceiling is another man's floor - Paul Simon, Kodachrome

There's been some hard feelings here
About some words that were said
There's been some hard feelings here
And what is more
There's been a bloody purple nose
And some bloody purple clothes
That were messing up the lobby floor
It's just apartment house rules
So all you 'partment fools
Remember : one man's ceiling
is another man's floor
Remember: one man's ceiling
is another man's floor

There's been some strange goin's on
And some folks have come and gone
And the elevator man don't work no more
I heard a racket in the hall
And I thought 1 heard a fall
But I never opened up my door
It's just apartment house sense
It's like apartment rents
Remember : one man's ceiling
is another man's floor
Remember: one man's ceiling
is another man's floor

And there's an alley
in the back of my building
Where some people congregate in shame
I was walking with mv dog
And the night was black with smog
When I thought I heard somebody
Call my name

 

[Pyrrho]

So, I have this awesome new setup and I just want to crank it up and watch a sick movie. Unfortunately, our new neighbors upstairs do not appreciate the 1,000 watt dayton titanic lol. I could understand on a weekday, but 10 pm on a friday and they come downstairs to tell us to turn it down? The gain on the sub isnt even at a quarter volume, and we were watching avatar at like -27db. I even thought ahead and got a subdude to try and help. BTW, does anyone want to trade my copy of Dave Matthews at Radio City br for like a Rush br? lol

So turn it down. You do not have the right to insert loud noises into their home.

 

[dkane360]

I think my original post came off wrong. I wasnt trying to complain that they wouldnt let me turn it up, i came here to have a conversation about it and get some constructive feedback. Im not trying to be inconsiderate, if i were then this thread would be about me turning it up to spite them.

 

[majorloser]

I think my original post came off wrong. I wasnt trying to complain that they wouldnt let me turn it up, i came here to have a conversation about it and get some constructive feedback. Im not trying to be inconsiderate, if i were then this thread would be about me turning it up to spite them.

Unfortunately there's not a lot that can be done in an apartment if you're renting. If it was a condo that you owned you'd have options to install a false ceiling and absorbtion materials. About the only thing you can do that's removable is add a Subdude pad under the subwoofer
http://store.audioholics.com/product/1398/66200/auralex-subdude-subwoofer-flotation-device

and maybe add some 4" bass absorbtion panel hanging on the ceiling. I'm using some 4" Ready Acoustic Cameleon panels on my ceiling to reduce bass in other areas of my home
http://store.audioholics.com/product/1347/66200/ready-acoustics-chameleon-acoustic-panel-2-pack-in-custom-colors

When I built my house I added plenty of sound isolation in the walls, but I forgot about the ceiling. You could go outside my house when I was watching a bass intensive movie and here the low frequencies coming out of the eaves vents. I guess I was turning my tray drywall ceiling into a big passive radiator. (live and learn)

I'd recommend you fill out one of the "free" room analysis forms and get some pro advice:
http://www.auralex.com/pcf/free.asp
http://www.gikacoustics.com/room_setup.php

(I still think you just need to add a couple PB-13's and really give something to complain about.)

 

[Pyrrho]

I think my original post came off wrong. I wasnt trying to complain that they wouldnt let me turn it up, i came here to have a conversation about it and get some constructive feedback. Im not trying to be inconsiderate, if i were then this thread would be about me turning it up to spite them.

In a typical apartment, it is simply impossible to play music loud considerately. No amount of subwoofer platforms and other such things are going to make the sound go away (though they might slightly affect things, most likely it is the sound itself that is causing the problem, not the transfer of vibrations directly to the floor; this is particularly showing in your case, since you say the neighbors are above you). So don't waste your money on magic cures.

What you might want to do is talk with your neighbors and see if there are times when it won't bother them, and if so, you will know when (if) there is a time when you can play things loud. But even so, people's schedules change and sometimes someone is home ill, so that needs to be kept in mind as well, which means that one cannot count on any time working. Always turn it down when someone complains (it is what you would want them to do if someone was playing loud music at a time and/or level that bothered you, right?).

The best option, if you can afford it, is to move into a separate house, far from any neighbors. I realize that that is not an option for some people, and so those who cannot afford what is ideal must live with what works (which may be unfair, but it is the same as not being able to afford top of the line gear, so one lives with something lesser). You can always use headphones for loud music.

It really is very annoying to hear the bass part of someone else's music. At a time when it won't bother the neighbors, try listening to some music played loudly through your subwoofer only, with all other speakers turned off, and see how long it takes you to get annoyed with it. My guess is you won't want to hear it that way for even 5 minutes, but your tolerance for it might be greater than most, so it is impossible for me to be sure. To make it even more of a fair test, use a radio station that plays the sort of music you hate the most. And even better, do it at a time when you are feeling ill.

 

[gmichael]

Ya either gotta find a new place or invite them over for the movie.

 

[bmurphy2121]

Yeah that does suck that their always complaining about the noise. I live in an apartment also but I chose to live on the top floor just for that reason so no one above could hear me. Ive never had a complaint at all and I have a supercube thats putting out 1500 and a pair of bp7002 also. So it really just all depends on complex and neighblors thats for sure.

 

[Whitey80]

I live in a townhome, so I have no above or below neighbors, I'm using the same sub as you, and as ya'll have seen in the gallery, I have lots of output crammed into a small, dedicated room. The one I chose to use is a bedroom that shares no walls with my next door or behind neighbors. Helps a little, but when I watch, I know they can hear the bass, I tend to push it a bit with volume.

I had one problem one time with my behind neighbors saying it was too loud. I checked it out from their side of the wall, and they are very patient people obviously. We came to an agreement on timing as to not keep them up late at night, but up til 10 or so, as long as I can hear them yelling at their little turd kids, I can have free reign of the volume knob. (Next door neighbor is so deaf from long years of raving, that he can't hear it)

 

[Pyrrho]

Yeah that does suck that their always complaining about the noise. I live in an apartment also but I chose to live on the top floor just for that reason so no one above could hear me. Ive never had a complaint at all and I have a supercube thats putting out 1500 and a pair of bp7002 also. So it really just all depends on complex and neighblors thats for sure.

The building itself makes a huge difference. The last apartment building in which I lived was terrible about keeping noise from going from one apartment to another. When the people above just walked normally on the floor, it sounded as though they were stomping. That fact was not their fault, but it did mean that one could not play music very loud in such a place without bothering someone.

After that, I thought about moving into an apartment that had concrete floors on all levels, but instead decided to move into a house.

And, as you say, different people have different tolerances for noise. It also varies from time to time, as when one has a bad headache, it can be pure hell to have too much noise. Some people have frequent migraines, though they may not wish to discuss their medical problems with the neighbors, they are likely to be particularly sensitive to excessive noise.

A detached house is best, particularly if it is far from neighbors. An underground house could also help quite a bit.

 

[dkane360]

The building itself makes a huge difference. The last apartment building in which I lived was terrible about keeping noise from going from one apartment to another. When the people above just walked normally on the floor, it sounded as though they were stomping. That fact was not their fault, but it did mean that one could not play music very loud in such a place without bothering someone.

After that, I thought about moving into an apartment that had concrete floors on all levels, but instead decided to move into a house.

And, as you say, different people have different tolerances for noise. It also varies from time to time, as when one has a bad headache, it can be pure hell to have too much noise. Some people have frequent migraines, though they may not wish to discuss their medical problems with the neighbors, they are likely to be particularly sensitive to excessive noise.

A detached house is best, particularly if it is far from neighbors. An underground house could also help quite a bit.

The construction of this apartment building is pretty crummy. And I think someone asked before what type of construction it is, but I have no idea. The previous tenants upstairs were extremely irritating, so we didnt care how much noise we made. They were constantly running through the apartment, and congregating in the bedroom over my bedroom at like 2am every night to watch youtube videos and laugh extremely loud.

 

[Pyrrho]

The construction of this apartment building is pretty crummy. And I think someone asked before what type of construction it is, but I have no idea. The previous tenants upstairs were extremely irritating, so we didnt care how much noise we made. They were constantly running through the apartment, and congregating in the bedroom over my bedroom at like 2am every night to watch youtube videos and laugh extremely loud.

I hate to say it, but your only good option is to move if you possibly can. You cannot correct poor construction of the building.

The best option is a detached house, but a well made apartment building can make a huge difference. This will generally mean thick concrete floors and walls between the different apartments. If you decide to move into an apartment building, make careful inquiries into the ability of sound to travel from one apartment to the next before you move in or sign anything. But if at all possible, move into a separate house. It is very good and pleasant to not be bothered by, nor to bother, one's neighbors. Still, it is possible even in such cases to bother the neighbors, if someone plays things really loud, like trying to recreate the loudest rock concert ever at original volume...

 

[Alex2507]

I hate to say it, but your only good option is to move if you possibly can.

An easier solution is to tell him that you've been listening to them boff and in your opinion his girl likes it much better when you're boffing her. Tell him that she screams obscenities after about 6 or 7 minutes of your plowing as opposed to the subdued grunts that he elicits from her regardless of the duration. Tell him you think he should be 1. be doing it faster and 2. not be afraid to go for the Show Stopper as she has gotten comfortable withe the Rocker aka Vulcan Strike. They'll move.

j/k ... turn that sh!t down.

 

[MatthewB.]

I used to live in Mesa, AZ which is 2nd to amount of Mormons next to Salt Lake City Utah. Anyway, every friggin weekend I would get woken up at about 8 am (I worked nights) by members of "The Church of Jesus Christ of Lattar Day Saints aka Morons oops Mormons) anyway weekend after weekend I would tell these people time and time again to please not knock on my door as I worked nights and being agnostic, I could care less about their religion that was founded by a child molester who claimed "magic rocks" told him the untold story of Jesus. Anyway every weekend they would knock. till after a year you just get so sick of Saturday Mornings that you plot evil things to do to reps of Mormons.

So one day it hit me and I put my plan into motion. So that Saturday they knocked on my door, so I opened my door buck naked with a beer in one hand and an insulin syringe in the other and said, "Sure folks c'mon in, wanna share on some good stuff I just bought. " the look on their faces was worth the humility I felt dropping trou. Anyway I lived in that apartment for another 6 years and I never ever got any mormon to knock on my door ever again.

Just saying, the next time your bass is too loud, open the door let the breeze tickle your fancy and I am positive that your neighbors would do just about anything but want to knock on your door again, heck they may just move.