Sub in apartment

[Joe Schmoe]

I think my bookshelf speakers might sound better with a sub, but I live in an apartment and worry about catching flak for it. If I get a relatively small one (say 8") and locate it 8'-10' from the shared wall, is it likely to cause a problem? (Oh, and I also have an upstairs neighbor.)

 

[billy p]

Hi Joe

having a sub in an apartment is fine, as long as you respect your neighbours. Most of the recommendations I've seen on the forum have mentioned positioning yourself a little closer so you don't need to crank it and maybe using a foam pad under to lessen/insulate the sound.

 

[Dr. Righteous]

If you want ANY bass in your music you need to buy a house. I got complaints from playing a pair of bookshelf speakers at low levels from the anal neighbors.
They would never knock on the door and ask me to turn it down, they would call the apartment management and I would get a warning or threat of eviction from them. If they just asked me to turn it down a little I would have been very apologetic for disturbing them.
A friend of mine bought a condo and installed in-wall speakers for her. Sounded very nice, and she didn't like it loud. One of the neighbors complained every time she turned her stereo on.

 

[Sounds Good]

i saw you get an big ol' SVS pb12 hahahaha

 

[emorphien]

Some neighbors are ********, fortunately I haven't run in to that yet, and I rarely turn mine up exceptionally loud. Plenty of the other people in the building (8 units) turn something up throughout the week so it doesn't seem to be a big issue. I am interested in moving to a house with friends in the next year (grad school) but I'm not sure whether that will work out. It's usually less expensive, which is nice.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I brought home a sub and tried it. While the bass was louder and more extended, I did not find that it enhanced my enjoyment of the music per se enough to justify either the expense or the risk of complaints (nor did it reveal any previously "hidden" notes.) It went back to the store.
I actually think I enjoy my mains more as a result of this experience (no more "what if?")

 

[emorphien]

That's the only way to really tell, not every person and not every setup always needs a sub.

What sub did you try, and what are your mains?

 

[Joe Schmoe]

That's the only way to really tell, not every person and not every setup always needs a sub.

What sub did you try, and what are your mains?

The Def Tech PS80. It was on sale for half price (regular $400.) My mains are B&W 705s. Being fairly small, it would seem as though they would really need a sub, but I no longer think that they do.