Answered Subwoofer in a flat, neighbor complaints.

willz

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So only neighbor that has his bedroom wall into my livingroom complained about the bass at 8:30 Saturday night, I personally didn't see an issue due to the time but also it was not hughely loud.

Anyway I want to try and do as much as I can to reasonably play my system with music and movies at reasonable times.

What sort of sound proofing should I consider ? Currently my BK XXLS400 subwoofer is straight on the floor with the M8 spikes, 35Hz and lower causes rumble nearby and I can see a glass figure with leaves violently vibrating even at lower volumes.

The speakers are Wharedale Diamond 9.1s on floor standing bases with spikes on, the floors are wood laminate I presume with a cavity due to underfloor heating then will be concrete underneath that . We sit at the side of the room with the wall connected to my neighbor and the speakers opposite.

So any help regarding limited bass travel next door would be appreciated. There is no one below and corridors to the front and left so only one neighbor is an issue.
 
This site is great.
https://www.soundproofingcompany.com/

Could try a granite slab, tamed some of the vibrations for me. -_-

Stopping low frequency waves is really hard though. Short of decoupling the adjoining wall and adding lots of mass (double plasterboard, green glue for damping etc) you're going to struggle. Could pop around to his and see what it's like?

Try moving location of sub?

If not ... headphones? or..

Rightmove.co.uk
 
So is it entirely possible that the lower frequencies are louder in his appt than for sitting in the same room as the sub? Where can I get a slab from? B and Q?

If I move the sub to The window corner it'll be on his wall surely that's gauranteed to cause more noise for him?

And yeah good move there I intend to move, paying 120 a month for electricity and hardly using anything and freezing to death is a nightmare! Maybe he's leeching my leccy because of the bass.
 
Yea possibly. I moved my sub from one corner to another and it's created a horrible null where there's little bass and then the bay window sounds great, but I don't sit there lol

Be good to hear what it sounds like for him though and if changes you make any difference.
 
Ask the neighbour if youncan come round and listen to the level when played at your preferred volume.....
 
Will the SVS isolation feet work on my BK sub? Are they worth 60 quid ? How exactly do they stop vibration and make my neighbour reading time much more tranquil? I just imagine them as foamy feet in my mind, how can they stop bass?
 
They are made from sorbathane which is an isolating rubber polymer
They do work and will fit the BK
They work best on a solid surface and then isolate the vibrations entering the flooring
 
"The SVS SoundPath Subwoofer Isolation System works with nearly every subwoofer brand and model to improve bass performance while reducing floor and wall vibrations, noise artifacts and complaints from neighbors or roommates. De-coupling a subwoofer from the floor results in inherently tighter and cleaner sounding bass. It’s also the next best thing to sound-proofing and ideal for carpeted rooms, hardwood floors or any space where room rattles, buzzes or vibrations are present."

Q
 
They be ok on wooden laminate with cavity under ?
 
Yes I have a SVS SB 13u and it was on a granite plinth which sat on felt pads and the sub was on the sound path feet on top of that and the neighbours below never heard it and I had floating laminate flooring throughout the flat
 
Will this help for neighbours to the side on same floor? Also seems a lot of People think these feet are snake oil? Seems a lot for feet if I'm hkbhon.
 
Yes.
They are not snake oil they do work
Definitely worth it
 
Will this help for neighbours to the side on same floor? Also seems a lot of People think these feet are snake oil? Seems a lot for feet if I'm hkbhon.

you could always start with a couple of squash balls cut in half.....
 
Sorry didn't see those, how much more effective would the SVS feet be compared to those hemispheres?
 
They deffo worth 60 squid like? I mean I need to decouple The sub but really?
 
Try other options and see what level you need to take it to....
 
Why are they so expensive? Doesn't seem like much for the money?
 
"Audiophile Tweaks" have always assumed that people have more money than sense IMO....
 
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OP - as an alternative, have you heard of the SubDude isolation platform?

I had a Mark 1 version and paid something like £25 at the time. There's a Mark 2 version now and the cheapest I could find it online was £64.

Here's a review of the Mark 1:

Auralex Acoustics SubDude HD Subwoofer Isolation Platform Reviewed

And here's what the Mark 2 looks like:

Auralex SubDude II subwoofer isolation platform for sale | Bax Music

As you can see, it uses thinner foam but, to all intents and purposes, is identical to the Mark 1! Here's something pretty similar to the Mark 1 design and much more affordable:

Studiospares Speaker Isolation Riser

It doesn't use the "SubDude" brand name, but if it works just as well then who cares?

Delivery is another £4.50 = £29.50 in total, half the price of the SVS feet!

In addition, it might be worth decoupling your speakers too with some granite chopping boards:

Buy Argos Home Malton Granite Worktop Saver | Chopping boards | Argos

You'd need two of these and could do this at the same time or maybe add later. You'll also need some spike shoes to go with these if you haven't already got some:

speaker spike shoes | eBay

You'd need 2 x 4 for your speakers.

So yes, you could get the SVS isolation feet for £60, the SubDude 2 for £64 or all the items I've listed for £59.68! Which works best? I can't answer that definitively for your flat, but what I can say is I tried all the items I linked you (Sub isolation platform, granite chopping boards, spike shoes) and it worked well. I never had any complaints from neighbours or things falling off the wall!

Good luck!:)
 
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