Dealing with noise levels?

[admin_exported]

So, just wondering how all you guys deal with noise levels in regards to neighbours?

I was playing some Dream Theater followed by Leftfield earlier tonight (10 O'Clock-ish) and had my neighbours come down and complain about the noise level. I couldn't have been playing it that loud as I was on Skype talking to a friend at the time and the other people living in the house could barely hear it. I think it's a positioning problem with my REL Storm III, as at certain points of the house (and probably upstairs' house too?) it resonates extremely loudly. I remain unphased, however (Nice little pun there []). Is there a certain decibel limit for residential noise?

I know many of the rest of you have A/V systems in non-detatched housing, I'm just wondering how you all manage to use a fraction of your system's potential without enraging the neighbours?

I'm only running a NAD C326BEE - Mission 782 - REL Storm III setup, hardly a 'loud' setup. I plan to get my hands on some musical fidelity M250's and an X-PRE or an A5.5 integrated soon to really open up the sound im getting, I can't think how it can result in anything other than a neighbourhood fist-fight, right now. Of course, this doesn't stop them blasting out newfangled pop rubbish with their Smart Price one-in-a-box music system, so loud that the entire street can hear it at 9 in the morning every week.

Thoughts, reflections?

 

[Anonymous]

You could try lowering the ceilings and filling with sound deadening material but a big job and quite pricey, not think of moving then because it does not matter what you do, upstairs will always complain i think.

 

[scene]

I know it's your neighbours upstairs who were complaining, but maybe a subwoofer stand to isolate your REL from the floor might help reduce the vibrations being transferred to their place. Something like an Auralex subdude springs to mind - gets a lot of good reviews.

 

[Anonymous]

scene:I know it's your neighbours upstairs who were complaining, but maybe a subwoofer stand to isolate your REL from the floor might help reduce the vibrations being transferred to their place. Something like an Auralex subdude springs to mind - gets a lot of good reviews.

Might look into something like that, as we have concrete floor under the carpet, so I think that's helping to reflect the downward firing sub striaght back upwards...

@Johnny- I'm moving out after summer with a friend from uni, I'll try avoid having any vertical neighbours

 

[Big Chris]

Do what I did. Move in next to a deaf person.

Oh. Which D.T album was it?....... If you say 'Falling Into Infinity', We're gonna have to have words (Hell's Kitchen aside).

 

[The_Lhc]

I don't have any neighbours and the missus still makes me turn it down because she thinks someone will complain! The nearest person is half a mile away and runs illegal raves twice a year!

 

[brendonw]

Now that is S.A.D. sad

 

[The_Lhc]

The funniest one was when I put up the outside speakers in the garden, they point down the valley towards the village, which is a mile or more away, these speakers are connected to a ZP120 and she was worried we'd be disturbing the village, you couldn't hear it in our own kitchen!

 

[idc]

Purchase a headphone amp such as the X-CANV8P and two pairs of headphones.

You can now both listen to music and chat without disturbing the neighbours.

This plan maybe flawed.

 

[scene]

idc:
Purchase a headphone amp such as the X-CANV8P and two pairs of headphones.

You can now both listen to music and chat without disturbing the neighbours.

This plan maybe flawed.

I can't see much chatting happening

"Would you like a cup of tea"

"I SAID: WOULD YOU LIKE A CUP OF TEA!"

Probably followed by the neighbours calling th council because you keep shouting at each other...

 

[jiggyjoe]

I think she's trying a jedi mind trick on you 'no you don't like loud music' lol!!

 

[basshound]

Monstrous:
scene:I know it's your neighbours upstairs who were complaining, but maybe a subwoofer stand to isolate your REL from the floor might help reduce the vibrations being transferred to their place. Something like an Auralex subdude springs to mind - gets a lot of good reviews.

Might look into something like that, as we have concrete floor under the carpet, so I think that's helping to reflect the downward firing sub striaght back upwards...

@Johnny- I'm moving out after summer with a friend from uni, I'll try avoid having any vertical neighbours

I don`t have a problem with neighbors (apart from the bad acting ) but would second the suggestion of getting a Subdude,I got one last year and it made a difference to my sub performance and if it helps with the neighbors that`s a bonus.

 

[Anonymous]

Big Chris:
Do what I did. Move in next to a deaf person.

Oh. Which D.T album was it?....... If you say 'Falling Into Infinity', We're gonna have to have words (Hell's Kitchen aside).

I listened to Octavarium, Images and Words and a few songs from Live at Budokan along with Misunderstood frm Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

@the_lhc - I want your location

@idc - Headphones just can't give as much musical joy as a good two channel system, I prefer my Mission 782's to my Grado headphones by a long shot!

@scene/basshound - My sub is too big to fit on one of those SubDude platforms, just measured it a minute ago

 

[basshound]

Monstrous:@scene/basshound - My sub is too big to fit on one of those SubDude platforms, just measured it a minute ago

They do a bigger version called the Great Gramma size is 76.2x7x48.3cm

 

[Alantiggger]

Okay I'm hi-jacking this for my own selfish reasons... how or rather ... what's the best way to keep my sound within my own living-room so as not to disturb my neighbours whom I may add are a pain in the ..... what with them having wall-to-wall laminate flooring ... even when the woman raises her voice... we all hear her like she is in the same room... (most annoying at dinner time) please advise (i'm guessing if I can insulate properly the non-sound will be both ways ? )

 

[shooter]

Monstrous:
). Is there a certain decibel limit for residential noise?

Around 40db is acceptable, in real terms the sound equates to light rainfall!!

 

[shooter]

Alantiggger:Okay I'm hi-jacking this for my own selfish reasons... how or rather ... what's the best way to keep my sound within my own living-room so as not to disturb my neighbours whom I may add are a pain in the ..... what with them having wall-to-wall laminate flooring ... even when the woman raises her voice... we all hear her like she is in the same room... (most annoying at dinner time) please advise (i'm guessing if I can insulate properly the non-sound will be both ways ? )

You can bye Rokwall acoustic panels, RWA45. Very good damping qualities and relatively cheap too.
I've used this in floor joists to great effect but can be used in walls also; highly recommended...

 

[Alantiggger]

Thanks shooter69 ... i'll take a look

 

[Dan Turner]

I live in a flat in a converted detached house with neighbours above and below, but I'm fortunate that the lady downstairs is a little deaf and the chap upstairs is hardly ever there, plus there's very good soundproofing above because the 2nd floor flat was only recently added and the regulations required a certain level of soundproofing. It does worry me sometimes, especially late at night, because the lady downstairs has her bedroom beneath my lounge and I do like to crank it up. The precautions I've taken to minimise sound being transferred below are to use solid speaker stands that won't allow any vibration to be transmitted down, plus a paving slab under my sub. Not much one can generally do about above though, so I'm grateful for the sound proofing (which was, as someone else also suggested, a false ceiling in my flat with insulting material in the space).

Monstrous - it sounds like you and your neighbour have a mutual problem, in that you can hear each other's music, so there must be some room for negotiation/compromise. I'd speak to him and point out that whilst your music may disturb him from time to time, so does his disturb you. See if you can agree a mutual time, prior to which you'e both free to crank it a little, or alternatively if he complains when you're not playing it particularly loudly, then invite him in to show him that you're not taking the p***, and appeal to his better nature to be a little tolerant and not complain just because he can faintly hear your music, because afterall he's doing exactly the same as you are.

I may be being over-optimistic, not everyone is reasonable or good-natured, but hopefully he can be made to see reason when he is potentially causing you the very same disturbance that he caims that you are causing him.

Good luck anyway, I wouldn't like to be in this sort of position with a neighbour.

 

[whiskywheels]

Fortunately we've lived in a detached house for over 20 years now, and before that a semi that was joined with the neighbours by the hallway/kitchen/bathrom instead of the living and bed rooms. I still remember the misery and irritation caused by having to listen to other peoples noise even though it's a long time past. There's no effective solution in terms of acoustic treatment etc. Move house or use headphones if you want loud, otherwise turn it down and consider other people.

 

[Sizzers]

Big Chris:
Do what I did. Move in next to a deaf person.

Oh. Which D.T album was it?....... If you say 'Falling Into Infinity', We're gonna have to have words (Hell's Kitchen aside).

A dead one's better.