Sound & Neighbors -OMG so it was that bad after all

[admin_exported]

Hi guys

I live in an apartment on the first floor and i was kind of concerned for the downstairs neighbors about that how much they can hear it when iam watching a movie specailly since i also have a subwoofer , they have never complain about it, but i allways feel kind of guilty when iam watching those big blockbuster action movies,

anyway i met him the other day on the stairs and so i asked him about if they can hear it and if it,s disturbing them too much , by the way me and my downstairs neighbor go very good along and he is the freindly and polite type , so he said we can hear it a little but it,s ok, and then i asked him again what is,t exactly u hear , and i was thinking about BASS because as we all know bass has a very long wave's, and at the same time i was suggesting to him whether if i should turn down the subwoofer further down ,and then he looked at me and smile then he said actually we can hear everything even when those actor's are talking in the center speakers[:O]

Even though i don,t even listen at reference level , usaully my listening level is around -15-18DB below refernece and i have carpeted floor, curtin's on windows and a few sound absorber's on the walls

i just wanted to share that with all of ya movies and sound's lover's and who happened to share walls(floors with neighbors.

 

[Chewy]

15-18dB below reference in a first floor flat?!

No wonder he can hear your system, he can probably feel his teeth rattling! (I'm assuming thats fully calibrated with the MCACC system - so sound pressure levels have been set by the amp?)

I like my movies loud but rarely go above -20dB, or indeed need to, on a 'normal' (i.e. not a particularly quite) soundtrack.

You're lucky you have a very understanding downstairs neighbour!

 

[Anonymous]

gdavies09031977:

15-18dB below reference in a first floor flat?!

No wonder he can hear your system, he can probably feel his teeth rattling! (I'm assuming thats fully calibrated with the MCACC system - so sound pressure levels have been set by the amp?)

I like my movies loud but rarely go above -20dB, or indeed need to, on a 'normal' (i.e. not a particularly quite) soundtrack.

You're lucky you have a very understanding downstairs neighbour!

gdavies09031977 -you have got wrong here or maybe i didn,t explain it correcrt , what i ment by below reference level is that iam at -15db before (0) which means the reference level on the pioneer lx82....got me now?

yes system been calibrated with MCACC and slp meter and everything is set at 75BD.

 

[Chewy]

Yep, fully understood your first post, which is why I said mine rarely needs to go above -20dB (below reference) - any louder would be quite straining.

-15dB is therefore 'loud' (again, assuming you have reduced the refernce level [0dB] as set by the amp), especially in a flat!

 

[True Blue]

Must agree, most normal listening for me (TV etc) is done around -50db to -40db. When watching a Blu ray then normally my level will be -25db to -15db at the loudest. No wonder they can hear it!!

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Yep i am with you, that is really loud i don't go above 21db and on music blu rays about 25db and most about 22db.

His speakers might be different i suppose that you have to turn it up louder?

The noise of your centre speaker must be carrying our the sub, mind you, you would still hear both at different times.

 

[Anonymous]

gdavies09031977:
Yep, fully understood your first post, which is why I said mine rarely needs to go above -20dB (below reference) - any louder would be quite straining.

-15dB is therefore 'loud' (again, assuming you have reduced the refernce level [0dB] as set by the amp), especially in a flat!

you know -apart of it depened on how big is your room and how far you seating from the speakers and most importantly the speakers sensitivty it self ,so there will allways be a few DB give and take between one system and another...

 

[Chewy]

gel:

His speakers might be different i suppose that you have to turn it up louder?

Yes, true, I must confess I'm no expert on how different speakers, cables, room acoustics etc might affect the sound pressure scale (i.e. how quickly the volume rachets up), but I would have thought the MCACC would still set 0dB at the required reference level for every setting it is in and with any chosen equipment.

15dB is certainly going to be loud I would have thought, for a flat at least.

Also (I know I'm drifting a bit off topic here) but isn't the volume scale logarithmic (rather than liner), i.e. the difference in sound pressure between -15dB and -20dB is greater than the difference between -20dB and -25dB?

 

[Anonymous]

gel:
The noise of your centre speaker must be carrying our the sub, mind you, you would still hear both at different times.

gel -NO iam aware of that , anyway that is impossible to happaned i have everything set to SMALL and my crossover is at 100HZ...and anyway i was using the center as an example but the fact they can hear the whole system

 

[chebby]

So are you going to lower your usual volume levels for the sake of your neighbour?

 

[Anonymous]

True Blue:Must agree, most normal listening for me (TV etc) is done around -50db to -40db. When watching a Blu ray then normally my level will be -25db to -15db at the loudest. No wonder they can hear it!!
that what i was saying ,,,that my listening level is normaly at max
-15db , so u still think it,s too much? come on guys where is the point
in buying a big meety system...

 

[Deleted member 2457]

marco_1:

True Blue:Must agree, most normal listening for me (TV etc) is done around -50db to -40db. When watching a Blu ray then normally my level will be -25db to -15db at the loudest. No wonder they can hear it!!

that what i was saying ,,,that my listening level is normaly at max -15db , so u still think it,s too much? come on guys where is the point in buying a big meety system...

I would be scared of blowing a hole in the wall if i was at that volume, on one of my old systems on the day after tomorrow i could easily make the pictures on the walls move about at loud volumes.

 

[chebby]

marco_1: come on guys where is the point
in buying a big meety system...

Perhaps you should arrange to visit your neighbours and experience your volume levels in their flat. You could then work out a mutually acceptable/appropriate level that enables them to enjoy their right to peace and quiet as well as your right to enjoy a movie.

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:
marco_1: come on guys where is the point
in buying a big meety system...

Perhaps you should arrange to visit your neighbours and experience your volume levels in their flat. You could then work out a mutually acceptable/appropriate level that enables them to enjoy their right to peace and quiet as well as your right to enjoy a movie.

thats exactly what i done, each time ive changed a component too, and now i can rest assured that im not bothering them in the evenings once i keep things below certain levels. the soundproofing between our houses is very good though, even though they're timber framed ..

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:
marco_1: come on guys where is the point
in buying a big meety system...

Perhaps you should arrange to visit your neighbours and experience your volume levels in their flat. You could then work out a mutually acceptable/appropriate level that enables them to enjoy their right to peace and quiet as well as your right to enjoy a movie.

yes chebby -propably that will be the next step , though i don,t realy watch movie every day and when i do , it,s mostly in the day time never after kl:20:00 again for tv watching i never turn my amp. On i only use my tv sound.

though it,s realy too bad as i know it will never be the same thrill ride and i won,t get the real benefit from such a system...

 

[grdunn123]

Depends on what channel i'm watching through Sky HD box.....normal is -20db ish but some channels are really loud at that volume whilst others are not. Have cranked it up to 0db on a few occasions watching blu rays, Batman Begins for example!!

 

[Anonymous]

Ooops. I asked my upstairs neighbor the same question when they came round the other day and they said they only hear the really big explosions which shook the plates in the kitchen. i felt quite bad but the guy upstairs loves movies and just insisted that he come round and watch some on the system. Sweet.

 

[Chewy]

marco_1:chebby:

marco_1: come on guys where is the point in buying a big meety system...

Perhaps you should arrange to visit your neighbours and experience your volume levels in their flat. You could then work out a mutually acceptable/appropriate level that enables them to enjoy their right to peace and quiet as well as your right to enjoy a movie.

yes chebby -propably that will be the next step , though i don,t realy watch movie every day and when i do , it,s mostly in the day time never after kl:20:00 again for tv watching i never turn my amp. On i only use my tv sound.

though it,s realy too bad as i know it will never be the same thrill ride and i won,t get the real benefit from such a system...

True, but unfortunately that is the compromise that comes from living in a first floor flat (that and not being able to have BBQ's!)

I lived in a second floor flat for over 5 years, that had substantial concrete floors, and even though I listened to my (then) shiny Dolby Pro Logic TV and tank like DVD player, only at modest volumes, I still got requests to turn it down.

I couldn't wait to move into a detached house and crank things up without worry!

I would suggest you have four options:

1) Carry on listening at your preferred levels (but risk your very amenable neighbour one day cracking and busting down your door)

2) Listen at lower volumes (based on Chebby's advice) (maybe utilising a 'nightime' processing mode).

3) Move to a detached house

4) Invest in some high quality headphones.

Even though I now live in a detached house, I'm having to consider option 4) for post 7pm listening, now that we have little 'un! For most of us that aren't lucky enough to have a dedicated soundproofed home cinema 'bat cave', there are always numerous compromises over our 'ideal'!

 

[Chewy]

grdunn123:Depends on what channel i'm watching through Sky HD box.....normal is -20db ish but some channels are really loud at that volume whilst others are not. Have cranked it up to 0db on a few occasions watching blu rays, Batman Begins for example!!

I tried that once with my new reciever . . almost popped the windows out!

 

[Anonymous]

If it was for me -i would love to turn this monster up to around -8DB before iam fully satisfied

and maybe even a little further more, i just love the way my system sound's it,s so smooth at allmost any given vol. but then again just like you have said compromise's has to be made when u are sharing wall's/floor's with others...

 

[Anonymous]

Have to watch he doesn,t get the EHO in to monitor the sound if it gets a bit out of hand

 

[Anonymous]

A good thing is that now we are geting to know each other more, and now he has my mobile nr. and i have his , and so i told him when ever he think it get's too much he should just call me, he never complain about it , and he only called me one time to invite me for a cop of coffe in his apartment , nice neighbor