neighbour complaints

[moves]

I looking to buy a 2 storey town house on the second floor and I am worried about bass and stereo noise pissing off the neighbours. Any idea on what I could put on some hard wood floor? I am looking for some soundproofing that I could roll out and put underneath an area rug. Does something like this exist? What type of brands would be good to look at?

I am assuming bass traps will also help with the neighbours?

 

[agarwalro]

Being careful with the volume is your best bet. Carpets and acoustic panels will be of no use in preventing your neighbors from being disturbed. Bass is the most difficult to constrain. Try putting the sub on an Aurelex Gramma.

 

[fuzz092888]

Nothing is going to keep those bass waves from getting through. The only thing you could do is keep the volume low or try to find a receiver with Audyssey LFC. This is supposed to be some sort of processing that still gets you bass, but keeps some/most of it from going through the walls. My Marantz has it, but I haven't tried it. Mostly because I'm out in the woods so I have no need for it. I could give it a try and see if it does anything though.

 

[agarwalro]

This post in AVS Forum shows how Audyssey LFC rolls of the low end,

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1430049/the-official-denon-avr-4520ci-thread/510#post_22525837

 

[avengineer]

Nothing is going to keep those bass waves from getting through. The only thing you could do is keep the volume low or try to find a receiver with Audyssey LFC. This is supposed to be some sort of processing that still gets you bass, but keeps some/most of it from going through the walls. My Marantz has it, but I haven't tried it. Mostly because I'm out in the woods so I have no need for it. I could give it a try and see if it does anything though.

Agreed, nothing exists that you can just "roll out" or place the sub on. The entire floor system acts as a huge diaphragm passing bass through it. Traps may help tune the room, but won't help with transmission.

Best solution I've heard for reducing irritated neighbors is to invite them over for a movie.

 

[slipperybidness]

I looking to buy a 2 storey town house on the second floor and I am worried about bass and stereo noise pissing off the neighbours. Any idea on what I could put on some hard wood floor? I am looking for some soundproofing that I could roll out and put underneath an area rug. Does something like this exist? What type of brands would be good to look at?

I am assuming bass traps will also help with the neighbours?

Do what you can to get some sound isolation.

The best bet is to get to know the neighbors and try to organize some time that you can enjoy your setup without bothering them. While they are out for the evening, or invite them over every now and then to enjoy the HT with you.

The bonus is that the neighbors can watch out for your home while you are away.

 

[Speedskater]

Hang your speakers from the ceiling.

 

[shadyJ]

Use near-field placement for the subwoofer. Put it in a endtable placement or maybe right behind your seat. This way you do not have to crank it as loud to get the same bass loudness at your listening position. This isn't a cure for the problem but it will help reduce the problem.

 

[moves]

What about 2 channel music? Is there a way to help this from penetrating through the floor?

For the sub, what if I place it on a piece of soundproofing... wouldn't this help at least a little?

 

[afterlife2]

When I had the Onkyo 707 there was a late night mode That might help. Edit here it is. I think this is what fuzz is basically talking about:

Late Night
With the Late Night functi
on, you can reduce the dynamic
range of Dolby Digital material
so that you can still hear
quiet parts even when listening at low volume levels—
ideal for watching movies late at night when you don’t
want to disturb anyone.
■
Late Night
For
Dolby Digital
and
Dolby Digital Plus
sources, the
options are:
`
Off
:
Late Night function off.
`
Low
:
Small reduction in dynamic range.
`
High
:
Large reduction in dynamic range.
For
Dolby TrueHD
sources, the options are:
`
Auto
:
The Late Night function is set to “
On
” or “
Off
”
automatically.
`
Off
:
Late Night function off.
`
On
:
Late Night function on.
Note
• The effect of the Late Night
function depends on the material
that you are playing and the in
tention of the original sound
designer, and with some material there will be little or no effect
when you select the different options.
• The Late Night function can be
used only when the input source
is Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, or Dolby TrueHD.
• The Late Night function is set to “
Off
” when the AV receiver is
set to Standby. For Dolby TrueHD sources, it will be set to
“
Auto
”

 

[shadyJ]

What about 2 channel music? Is there a way to help this from penetrating through the floor?

For the sub, what if I place it on a piece of soundproofing... wouldn't this help at least a little?

If your sub's cabinet moves and vibrates a lot when in use, than it is conceivable that a isolation pad could help tame the noise a bit for below neighbors. However, if you sub's cabinet vibrates a lot when in use, it is a poorly designed junker and needs to be thrown away.

 

[afterlife2]

Being careful with the volume is your best bet. Carpets and acoustic panels will be of no use in preventing your neighbors from being disturbed. Bass is the most difficult to constrain. Try putting the sub on an Aurelex Gramma.

That won't work at least not in my apt. with the PB1000. Another thing thing will help with vibration are these:: 1.25" Dia Sorbothane Hemisphere Rubber Bumper Non-Skid Feet 50 duro with Adhesive - 4 Pack : Amazon.com : Kitchen & Dining

SVS has something like these too: [url]http://www.svsound.com/subwoofers/subwoofer-accessories/soundpath-subwoofer-isolation-system#.UomhJScacSE
[/URL]

 

[agarwalro]

The Gramma worked for my previous apartment. While it did not completely decouple the sub from the floor, vibrations at my feet were considerably less.

 

[moves]

Thanks guys and gals.. maybe some gals... What about auralex pads? This would be the same thing as those bumpers that were posted about no?

 

[agarwalro]

The mechanical decoupling is most effective when the subwoofer weight is spread across a large surface area. This reduces the pressure at contact surfaces, which in turn reduces vibration transmission efficiency. When said contact surface area is made of elastic material, it further reduces the energy transmission efficiency of the contact patch.

This is the physics used in a Gramma or Subdude. Both provide a platform that evenly redistributes the sub's weight from a few sq. inches of rubber feet to a much larger high density foam padding.

By contrast, the bundled rubber feet that come with most subs, aftermarket rubber pucks and half sphere solutions barely increases the contact surface area. Further, they are made of a comparatively dense rubber material. This goes against the physics of decoupling the sub to reduce transmitted sound.

That said, it is not only at the contact points that sounds is transmitted. The whole floor is transmitting sound energy, we are just trying to reduce the efficiency at the spot where the most energy is transmitted.

IMO, the Gramma or Subdude is the way to go.

 

[afterlife2]

^^Now that is a through great answer there.

 

[ImcLoud]

My cousin lives above his tenants {he has a very odd house, 2000 or so sq foot first floor with a 1000 sq foot basement apartment but the "basement" apartment has no cement walls, figure that one out, lol}... but anyway, he has a nice system in his living room and since he has the lower neighbor and knows his floors aren't insulated or isolated in anyway besides floorboards and a ceiling so he installed buttkickers in each seat and it has a similar effect, he has a subwoofer but its gain is down and with the BK's built in you feel like ther eis a lot more output than there really is... they are cheap and easy to setup, just a thought..

 

[Pyrrho]

Buy a different home. Really. Some homes are not compatible with having a full-range sound system without bothering the neighbors. So make up your mind: Do you want a good full-range sound system, or do you want to live there?

 

[zhimbo]

What Pyrrho said. All of the strategies discussed are good interim measures, but you're talking about a permanent situation (well, long-term, at least). You simply cannot stop bass from traveling through walls, without rebuilding the walls. Some buildings are built in a way that contains sound, most aren't. You're in a losing battle if your building isn't.

 

[ImcLoud]

Sure, he may not be able to have dual ultra 13's but and watch independence day 24-7 but with a little investigation and consideration he can get Im sure he can get satisfying surround sound...
A sub turned back a little {dual smaller subs may be less noticeable down stairs}, an isolation pad under the sub(s), butt kickers installed in the seating, asking the neighbors if they can hear it or are bothered by it, and not playing the subs during certain times, like 3 am on a monday night may not be a great idea....

If you ask me, having close neighbors is just a speed bump not a stop sign... I am lucky to have neighbors so far away that I would need to install a dozen 21' PRO SUBWOOFERS at the property line facing their home before they hear it if they are outside listening for it, lol.... But if I were you I wouldn't go moving yet, just do some recon and figure out what will work and how much of it...