Neighbour problem. Need a bass reduction solution.

sixx · 14-12-2008, 11:29 PM

Hi, been browsing this forum for a while but decided to join up as i need some help.

Recently I had new neighbours move in next door and 3 times now the bloke has come round to ask me to turn my base down. The problem is we live in a new build so the walls are pretty thin anyway and even though i'm a home cinema enthusiast I never have the volume up loud. I think part of the problem is i have laminate flooring and this is why I havent bought a dedicated sub as yet.

The only time i do turn it up a fraction is if i'm running my projector and even then its usually late afternoon and is in no way loud at all. My neighbours before didnt complain once in 3 years and after the 1st complaint from this guy I've always had it quieter than usual which then effects my enjoyment, so part of me thinks this guys being a bit petty, but i need a solution.

My 2 front speakers are floor standing so would something as simple as foculpods or maybe rubber matting under them make a huge difference?

Want to try a simple solution before I sink to his level and complain about his music and singing on a sunday morning (I mean what type of guy sings along to girls just wanna have fun)

Thanks

Leigh

Lord Bunky · 15-12-2008, 12:01 PM

Buy a 250w to 400w sub, and put it near the wall. Turn up loud and enjoy.

Tbh the only way to lessen the sound is to have sound engineers come in and sound proof the room. Bit expensive though.

Are you listening to music or movies mostly? You say you dont have a sub? Do you have the .1 channel (if playing movies) running through your speakers? If so, then just leave it running to the sub channel. If you buy a sub, then you have more control over the bass and you can set it lower than the rest of the system. Without losing quality from your main setup.

I dont like too much heavy bass, it gives me an headache. I have my sub setup so that explosive sounds will just rumble the floor. I have tried it at full output and made my windows shake. Not a good idea.

But sound proofing is the best option if you like slam by the bucket load. Though it wont be 100%.

Hey try playing "girls just wanna have fun" maybe he wont mind that.

MitsiTurbo · 15-12-2008, 4:23 PM

I tried to post this earlier but the forum was down so ill try again!

Welcome to the forum

Are the speakers on spikes? If not, get some on and sit the speakers on something like the Tesco granite worktop protectors. That will isolate the speakers from the structure but cant guarantee it will be the solution.

It is always also worth popping round and chatting to the guy and coming to a reasonable agreement. Do a sound check with him and also explain what you are going to do to try and reduce the amount of bass travelling through. At least it will show you are actively trying to do something about it and he may be more understanding with you.

Good luck!

rcaudwell · 15-12-2008, 4:35 PM

Agree with the above, try and make it as amicable as possible, otherwise he could end up getting the council involved, measuring dB etc. They take "noise pollution" very seriously (much more seriously than emptying bins in my area - but that`s another rant

) and the last thing you want is some jobsworth with a decibel meter lurking around.

ARNOLD AKIEN · 15-12-2008, 6:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixx

Hi, been browsing this forum for a while but decided to join up as i need some help.

Recently I had new neighbours move in next door and 3 times now the bloke has come round to ask me to turn my base down. The problem is we live in a new build so the walls are pretty thin anyway and even though i'm a home cinema enthusiast I never have the volume up loud. I think part of the problem is i have laminate flooring and this is why I havent bought a dedicated sub as yet.

The only time i do turn it up a fraction is if i'm running my projector and even then its usually late afternoon and is in no way loud at all. My neighbours before didnt complain once in 3 years and after the 1st complaint from this guy I've always had it quieter than usual which then effects my enjoyment, so part of me thinks this guys being a bit petty, but i need a solution.

My 2 front speakers are floor standing so would something as simple as foculpods or maybe rubber matting under them make a huge difference?

Want to try a simple solution before I sink to his level and complain about his music and singing on a sunday morning (I mean what type of guy sings along to girls just wanna have fun)

Thanks

Leigh

Hi Leigh and welcome to the forums,

Sadly yours is a problem that has often been mentioned on the forums. Your simple solution is likely to be ineffective as would be the alternative of standing the speakers on granite slabs - this would condition and improve the sound within your room.. as would putting rugs down on that laminate floor

.... but would do little to prevent sound transmission through a badly constructed partition wall.

A search of the forums on 'sound proofing ' will give you no shortage of results, or you could look at this recent thread ...

Sound proofing a room questions

and this one ...

Cheap soundproofing - from neighbours!

which contains my post .. " ..... At a bare minimum you would need to build a new stud wall in front of the existing party wall and some distance away from that wall. The new inner wall should be isolated from that existing party wall. You would then need to fill the gap between the two walls - which should be about 9 inches deep to be on the safe side if it is to be a simple D.I.Y. structure - with whatever sort of expanding insulation you have to hand .... loft insulation might work.

Go back through the replies to your query.

Sadly this is not a simple task.If you want do do it at all effectively with improvised, and non Acoustic, insulation then you will still have to do it properly otherwise it simply isn't worth doing. The efficacy of the job does depend upon your construction skill as well as upon the materials that you employ. "

Acoustic insulating material would work a lot better than standard 'rock wool ' type insulation but would be more expensive. Have a look at this stuff .....

" Acoustic Quilt is a superior sound insulation that offers better sound absorption than normal mineral wool and is the preferred choice for installation between the joists when soundproofing a floor. This insulation will also give enhanced results if used as the acoustic infill when soundproofing stud partitions. "

Web site containing Video on 'Acoustic Quilt ' can be found here ....

acoustic quilt sound absorbing

Good Luck with your problem and I do earnestly suggest that you avoid any measure that could trigger a feud with your neighbors.

When people used to call me in to deal with .. Er, shall we say interpersonal organizational problems ? I'd plaintively ask ' Why me?! ' and be told that I was good at it and anyway I'd go home at the end of the day ... having knocked heads together in a non violent way .. but ' WE have to live Here ! '

You have to live there and, given the current housing situation, who knows how long you will share your party wall with your present neighbors?

Best Wishes,

Arnold.

deansocial · 15-12-2008, 6:34 PM

phonewell stuck to the wall is a good sound insulation but as others have said a seperate stud wall is what is needed.

is this new housing timber frame or tradition build

sixx · 15-12-2008, 9:07 PM

Hi thanks for all your help people. I should have mentioned before that i only really use my speaker setup (2 front speakers, 2 rear and 1 centre) when i'm watching films. so the only time noise seems to travel through is during a gunfight or some fancy explosions and even then it just seems to be the bass. I actually phoned my old neighbours last night to see if they did hear a lot of noise from me and to be honest, and they said they never really heard anything and they had a new baby at the time so if it was loud they would have been straight round.

I then spoke to my other neighbours who share the wall where my rear speakers are and they said they dont hear a thing. Now my rear speakers are on stands with with spikes covered in rubber so i'm thinking to maybe give the spikes idea a try for the front ones. The thing that gets me is like i said before i in no way have the sound up loud at all and even less since the guy first complained which is why i think he's being petty, either that or he has a glass to the wall. I even think if he did get a noise inspector round then it would be clarified as in no ways excessive and again as i mentioned before i only usually get to sit down and enjoy it on a saturday or sunday afternoon.

thanks again people

Leigh

amioa · 18-12-2008, 11:13 AM

how old is the property?? It shouldnt be leaking that much bass, perhaps the builder can remedy the situation, you need to see the PCT certificate that says the house complies with the latest noise regs, if they say it does you could argue that you can hear the neighbour and vice-versa, and get it rechecked

as someone else said, isolate the sub from the floor in the first instance and see if that can still be heard.

sixx · 18-12-2008, 10:19 PM

House is only 4 years old, but then again most new builds seem notorius for having thinner walls. I'm probably going to rise my front speakers a bit this weekend and see how i get on with that

amioa · 05-01-2009, 1:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixx

House is only 4 years old, but then again most new builds seem notorius for having thinner walls. I'm probably going to rise my front speakers a bit this weekend and see how i get on with that

new builds are governed by regulations, and should be tested to ensure they pass. 'Thinner walls' shouldnt be an issue! The regulations came in in July 2003, demand to see the certificate for the type of property you live in, and tell them that there is a noise issue..

dj-dulux · 05-01-2009, 2:29 PM

As amioa says, get it tested. I have seen some massive mess ups by builders who 'know best' and do not build the walls as the design dictates. They build it incorrectly and they transmit sound next door. The best example I have seen is a floating floor where the builder screwed it down as it ‘wobbled a bit', surprise surprise the attenuation for foot fall was non existence, builder had to remove the screws he put in and problem solved.....

Also worth remembering that peoples perception to noise varies hugely, I have consulted for pubs and clubs and it is often the house 6 doors down that complains and not the ones next door, the issue is taken very seriously now by councils and you are doing the right thing by trying to resolve the issue. The councils test for this is also subjective, if the EHO agrees that the noise can be heard then they can act.

In the short term you may want to agree with the neighbour that you will only watch films between 6pm and 9pm for a maximum of 2 nights (or something like this), the council like this type of pro active control, it will help if your neighbour raises the issue with EHO.

Dupe...

Alistair · 13-01-2009, 10:22 AM

Don't think anyone has suggested this so far, but I have done this in a number of apartments I have rented over the years, before buying my current detached house! Why not ask your 'problem' neighbours to let you go in their home while you have say a gunfight scene playing turned up to the normal volume you would listen at, close both front doors and see what they can hear.

I remember when I lived in Holland, I got some new neighbours and one evening I had some friends over and we were watching Saving Private Ryan, 20 minutes into the movie, there is a knock at the door from my neighbours, they ended up watching the rest of the movie with us!!

Spiderkid · 13-01-2009, 4:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alistair

Don't think anyone has suggested this so far, but I have done this in a number of apartments I have rented over the years, before buying my current detached house! Why not ask your 'problem' neighbours to let you go in their home while you have say a gunfight scene playing turned up to the normal volume you would listen at, close both front doors and see what they can hear.

I remember when I lived in Holland, I got some new neighbours and one evening I had some friends over and we were watching Saving Private Ryan, 20 minutes into the movie, there is a knock at the door from my neighbours, they ended up watching the rest of the movie with us!!

That's a good idea. I agree with everyone who's advised you to keep on negotiating and being as reasonable as possible. There really is nothing in the world as emotionally draining and soul destroying as having an ongoing feud with a neighbour, even if they are a bit unreasonable.

As for short term simple solutions, getting as much soft furnishing on the floor (thick rugs) and walls (er.. thin rugs?) will help to reduce the amount of 'boom' and echo in the room, and will also improve the quality of the sound for you as well.

Hopefully it's a simple misunderstanding and with a bit of careful interaction you could find yourself winning him over, but it would be worthwhile to look into the certification for the building as it sounds as though something's up.

It is possible that this guy is just out to cause trouble and won't let the issue rest however reasonable and accomodating you are - but if that's the case then as and when it does go to the council you will be in a much better position if you can demonstrate ways in which you have tried to be accomodating and have modified your listening habits. Part of living with neighbours is putting up with noise. I have a 6 month old son and he makes far more noise at the most unreasonable hours than any AV enthusiast... but imagine if my neighbours tried to complain to the council about that!

At the end of the day if you're being reasonable and have never had an issue before I think you're on fairly good ground if it ever did go any further.