Need tips for setting up HT in an apartment that won't make neighbors mad. - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

lopper · 10-11-2003, 06:58 PM

First of all, I'm not sure if this is where this belongs so please feel free to move my topic to its proper place. Like you needed my permission...

Anyway, I'll be moving into an apartment around Dec 5 of this year and, unfortunately, it's on the 2nd floor. I tried to get one on the 1st floor so the sound from my sub wouldn't piss off my neighbors below me, but those apartments are very hard to come by in this complex.

Does anyone have any tips on how I might be able to still watch my DVDs at a resonable volume with out making too much noise for the people downstaris?

One person told me to put cork under my sub, which makes sense I guess, but I'm not sure if that's really going to work.

My speakers are just little ones that hang on the wall or on stands so those aren't really going to be much of a problem. I'm mainly concerned with the sub making too much noise.

Morticia · 10-14-2003, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lopper

First of all, I'm not sure if this is where this belongs so please feel free to move my topic to its proper place. Like you needed my permission...

You can always PM one of us first...

Moving to Hardware, it's all about HT.

Blackbelt Jones · 10-14-2003, 08:04 PM

Mr. and Mrs. Jones live on the 5th floor in an downtown apartment building that has no less than 600 units. I am SURROUNDED by folks. To top it off, I like me some DTS 5.1 action.

The trick I have learned (after two complaints) is to make sure that your sub and your satellites are a) OFF THE GROUND and b) NOT MOUNTED on the walls. We run our center channel on top of the TV, our Front R/L and Surround R/L speakers are on 3 1/2' stands (ear level when sitting on our low slung Euro Trash couch). The Sub is next to the couch and "housed" in a groovy looking side table that is open on all sides. This actually keeps it 3" off the ground and gives us a direct dose of bass. Our setup sounds AWESOME and I have yet to EVER receive a complaint since we set it up that way. And we watch 'em loud...

Hope that helps!

snipsnapsappy · 10-14-2003, 08:06 PM

I live in a second floor apartmen also. I have not gotten any complaints yet from anyone, knock on wood, and I have been here for over 2 years. I actually think sound travels up through the walls more than it does down because the people below me have a shitty boom box and I have to hear their tuba bass line often in the mornings. However, when I go out in the hallway or in the stairway downstairs, I can not hear my music or movies at all. My best advice would be to get clean sounding woofers and clean sounding speakers. I feel that horrible, flat slow bass causes more annoyance than clean, tight bass, so make sure to get a good sub. I would start at:

www.hsuresearch.com
www.svsubwoofers.com
www.velodyne.com

And for speakers, there is no better deal than either of these two companies:

www.axiomaudio.com
www.rocketloudspeakers.com

Both are great companies with products that blow away all expectations.
Check Em Out!

lopper · 10-14-2003, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morticia

You can always PM one of us first...

D'oh! I never thought of that. Next time, I'll do just that.

Thanks for the tips!

I'm going to get some stands for my speakers before I move out. I've been meaning to get stands for a long time, but I just don't have the room for them at the moment.

I like the idea for the sub. Keeping it off the floor sounds like it should do pretty well to keep the noise level tolerable. I was planning on moving it closer to the couch anyway so maybe I wouldn't have to have it up so loud. I'll look for some kind of stand next time I'm out.

A new sub might be in order. The one I've got is pretty crappy but it does the trick for the time being.

incubus0 · 10-15-2003, 03:00 PM

I'm also on the second floor apartment of a triple-decker, with the landlord downstairs.

I tipped the sub on its side so it's not directly pointed at the floor, and it's on the bottom 'shelf' of an audio stand with a thin piece of Styrofoam underneath. There are pics in the home theater link in my sig.

After setting up the system I popped in the Omaha Beach landing sequence from Saving Private Ryan then put it at a level that I thought was pretty damn loud (at least I had to yell for the person next to me to hear anything). Then I called my landlord and told her I just set up the system and wanted to find a level that she couldn't hear. I was surprised that she couldn't hear anything at the level it was at, beautiful!

It's a very old building with fairly hollow floors and walls, so I was afraid it would be one large resonating chamber, but it's worked out great so far. I watched The Lion King after 10PM at the same level with full bass and the Disney home theater mix, and she didn't even notice the TV was on.

Upstairs was an elderly couple that couldn't hear their own phone ring, they have since moved on, so I'm hoping the next folks are either hard of hearing or the noise just isn't traveling up there.

So if you're friendly with the neighbors (or even if you're not) it would be a good idea to just talk to them and set it up, that way you don't have to worry about it and can just sit back and enjoy the sound and the neighbors know you are at least trying to be considerate.

The Void · 10-17-2003, 09:39 PM

I'm in a 2 story apartment building and I'm on the bottom floor. I picked the bottom on purpose because I was worried about the noise, mainly from my sub. The only person I have to worry about bothering is the guy above me. He's a younger guy maybe in his late 20's and I haven't really talked to him yet. The rest of my neighbors on the sides don't share walls with the room my HT is in. I found the most important thing is the bass, I keep my sub turned down a little low. It is effective and adds to the soundtrack but it's not rattling the walls.

I found what helps the most is that everyone in my building leaves on the weekends. The guy upstairs is never there on the weekend so I'll watch movies with aggressive DTS soundtracks on Friday or Saturday night and crank them up. Lately I haven't been worrying about the sound much during the week either and so far no complaints. I have a 12 inch front firing sub that sits in the corner of the room.

I think the building has decent insulation and blocks alot of the sound. The building I'm in is only about 3 years old. Probably the best thing to do would be talk to your neighbors and let them know you have a HT and don't want to bother them with the noise. Maybe watch a movie one evening and let them know first and tell them to call if the noise is bothering them. You should be able to find a good medium. I haven't talked to my neighbors yet but I think it is probably a good idea.

Home Theaters and apartments are a tough combination sometimes.

Here is the equipment I have in case you are curious.

Receiver: Harman/Kardon AVR325
Speakers: L/R: Wharfedale Sapphire 83 Bookshelfs on stands, Wharfedale Sapphire Center, Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 rears on stands.
Sub: Cerwin-Vega LW12

10-11-2003, 06:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
lopper Actor Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Under the Stairs	Need tips for setting up HT in an apartment that won't make neighbors mad. First of all, I'm not sure if this is where this belongs so please feel free to move my topic to its proper place. Like you needed my permission... Anyway, I'll be moving into an apartment around Dec 5 of this year and, unfortunately, it's on the 2nd floor. I tried to get one on the 1st floor so the sound from my sub wouldn't piss off my neighbors below me, but those apartments are very hard to come by in this complex. Does anyone have any tips on how I might be able to still watch my DVDs at a resonable volume with out making too much noise for the people downstaris? One person told me to put cork under my sub, which makes sense I guess, but I'm not sure if that's really going to work. My speakers are just little ones that hang on the wall or on stands so those aren't really going to be much of a problem. I'm mainly concerned with the sub making too much noise. __________________ I come about my bicycle, you son of a bitch!

10-14-2003, 08:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
Blackbelt Jones edited for BOLD flavor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Chicago, Il	Mr. and Mrs. Jones live on the 5th floor in an downtown apartment building that has no less than 600 units. I am SURROUNDED by folks. To top it off, I like me some DTS 5.1 action. The trick I have learned (after two complaints) is to make sure that your sub and your satellites are a) OFF THE GROUND and b) NOT MOUNTED on the walls. We run our center channel on top of the TV, our Front R/L and Surround R/L speakers are on 3 1/2' stands (ear level when sitting on our low slung Euro Trash couch). The Sub is next to the couch and "housed" in a groovy looking side table that is open on all sides. This actually keeps it 3" off the ground and gives us a direct dose of bass. Our setup sounds AWESOME and I have yet to EVER receive a complaint since we set it up that way. And we watch 'em loud... Hope that helps! __________________ "Mr. & Mrs. Jones Go to the Movies!" The Team Blackbelt DVD Collection (and yes the "Steel Magnolias: SE" belongs to my wife)

10-14-2003, 08:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
snipsnapsappy Actor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Shell Beach, CA, USA	I live in a second floor apartmen also. I have not gotten any complaints yet from anyone, knock on wood, and I have been here for over 2 years. I actually think sound travels up through the walls more than it does down because the people below me have a shitty boom box and I have to hear their tuba bass line often in the mornings. However, when I go out in the hallway or in the stairway downstairs, I can not hear my music or movies at all. My best advice would be to get clean sounding woofers and clean sounding speakers. I feel that horrible, flat slow bass causes more annoyance than clean, tight bass, so make sure to get a good sub. I would start at: www.hsuresearch.com www.svsubwoofers.com www.velodyne.com And for speakers, there is no better deal than either of these two companies: www.axiomaudio.com www.rocketloudspeakers.com Both are great companies with products that blow away all expectations. Check Em Out! __________________ I balked, now the proud owner of both formats. I am now bi-partisan. I enjoy what both red and blue have to offer. My Theater MySpace

10-15-2003, 03:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
incubus0 Banned Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Massachusetts	I'm also on the second floor apartment of a triple-decker, with the landlord downstairs. I tipped the sub on its side so it's not directly pointed at the floor, and it's on the bottom 'shelf' of an audio stand with a thin piece of Styrofoam underneath. There are pics in the home theater link in my sig. After setting up the system I popped in the Omaha Beach landing sequence from Saving Private Ryan then put it at a level that I thought was pretty damn loud (at least I had to yell for the person next to me to hear anything). Then I called my landlord and told her I just set up the system and wanted to find a level that she couldn't hear. I was surprised that she couldn't hear anything at the level it was at, beautiful! It's a very old building with fairly hollow floors and walls, so I was afraid it would be one large resonating chamber, but it's worked out great so far. I watched The Lion King after 10PM at the same level with full bass and the Disney home theater mix, and she didn't even notice the TV was on. Upstairs was an elderly couple that couldn't hear their own phone ring, they have since moved on, so I'm hoping the next folks are either hard of hearing or the noise just isn't traveling up there. So if you're friendly with the neighbors (or even if you're not) it would be a good idea to just talk to them and set it up, that way you don't have to worry about it and can just sit back and enjoy the sound and the neighbors know you are at least trying to be considerate. Last edited by incubus0 : 10-20-2003 at 05:23 PM.

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10-17-2003, 09:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
The Void Supporting Actor Join Date: Sep 2003	I'm in a 2 story apartment building and I'm on the bottom floor. I picked the bottom on purpose because I was worried about the noise, mainly from my sub. The only person I have to worry about bothering is the guy above me. He's a younger guy maybe in his late 20's and I haven't really talked to him yet. The rest of my neighbors on the sides don't share walls with the room my HT is in. I found the most important thing is the bass, I keep my sub turned down a little low. It is effective and adds to the soundtrack but it's not rattling the walls. I found what helps the most is that everyone in my building leaves on the weekends. The guy upstairs is never there on the weekend so I'll watch movies with aggressive DTS soundtracks on Friday or Saturday night and crank them up. Lately I haven't been worrying about the sound much during the week either and so far no complaints. I have a 12 inch front firing sub that sits in the corner of the room. I think the building has decent insulation and blocks alot of the sound. The building I'm in is only about 3 years old. Probably the best thing to do would be talk to your neighbors and let them know you have a HT and don't want to bother them with the noise. Maybe watch a movie one evening and let them know first and tell them to call if the noise is bothering them. You should be able to find a good medium. I haven't talked to my neighbors yet but I think it is probably a good idea. Home Theaters and apartments are a tough combination sometimes. Here is the equipment I have in case you are curious. Receiver: Harman/Kardon AVR325 Speakers: L/R: Wharfedale Sapphire 83 Bookshelfs on stands, Wharfedale Sapphire Center, Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 rears on stands. Sub: Cerwin-Vega LW12