Stereos and Unreasonable Neighbours

[Rhettzky]

Sometimes putting your speaker on stands or boxes will help eliminate the problem or at least help it a little in apartments. Any kind of vibrations seem to travel pretty easily and bringing them off the ground helps.

We had an old lady living below us once that would complain about us walking around in our apartment. It would creak and she'd start banging away on the roof.

[REDVAN]

Originally Posted by Raekwon

Not applicable to this situation but people do work night shift and sleep during the day so the whole daytime noise arguement has flaws.

I agree, and there's something to be said for being a considerate neighbour. But there's also something to be said for unreasonable complaining.

It's hard to tell who's in the right here: the poster, or his neighbour, without actually hearing the offensive noise.

[GrrlGoalie33]

Wow! I live in a house and my neighbours play their music louder than that! I must be an understanding neighbour because only once have I complained to them about it. Guitar Hero, 2am on a Monday, and through my (slightly) open windows, I could actually hear lyrics to the songs.

[Frequitude]

Sorry dude, bylaw levels or not, I'm on her side. You've got a sub going in an apartment.

The low tones from a sub have nothing to do with it how loud they are. The subtle repetitive nature of them is freakin annoying. Its like that guy tapping his pencil a couple cubicles over right now...not loud, but just persistently there and annoying.

[TorqueDog]

I'm not sure how old she is, landlord alluded she was somewhere in her 60s or so and that this particular tenant has always had a bit of a sour attitude. I have also lived in this building longer than anyone else in it including the landlord (four and a half years), save for the complaining neighbour who moved in a month before I did. Building management knows me quite well and know I'm certainly not an unreasonable guy.

Originally Posted by THE SCUD

Karma can also be a biatch. If you're listening to stuff loud enough for it to be heard through concrete walls, it's time to unplug the sub and realise you live in a friggin apartment, not a house, so you give up a few things in the name of common decency.

Derp... concrete walls? Don't I wish, the walls are wood. Believe me, I took the wood floors/walls into consideration when I set up the stereo, which likely contributes to why none of the other tenants have complained.

All of the speakers (not just the subs) are kept away from shared walls, and away from the baseboard heaters (since the sound might carry through the pipes). I even have small sections of carpet cut out and placed beneath the subwoofers to dampen any vibrations (even though they already have soft rubber feet on them for this purpose).

I lived on the main floor of this building previously (so was spoiled with concrete floors), and my neighbours above me were heavy walkers (and sometimes sounded like they were just jumping on the floor for no reason), but so long as they weren't doing it at night, it was none of my business.

I think part of being a good neighbour in a residential building is being reasonable enough to make concessions so as to endeavour not to disturb others (as I have) but also understanding that you will still get some noise from surrounding suites and that's an expected downside of living in these sorts of buildings.

And as I said, the noise of her refrigerator was louder than what bass I could hear. I'd sooner complain to the management about how loud the fridge in my suite was than the neighbour's bass if mine was that loud.

[Frequitude]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

And as I said, the noise of her refrigerator was louder than what bass I could hear. I'd sooner complain to the management about how loud the fridge in my suite was than the neighbour's bass if mine was that loud.

Sounds like you're doing your best to keep it down, but I think you should recognize the difference between the constant hum of a refrigerator and the repetitive beat of a bass line. The latter is much more noticeable and irritating.

[Kybosh]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Sounds like you're doing your best to keep it down, but I think you should recognize the difference between the constant hum of a refrigerator and the repetitive beat of a bass line. The latter is much more noticeable and irritating.

He was listening to the Eagles though. The Eagles may be irritating but they are definitely not known for thumping base lines.

[TurnedTheCorner]

TourqueDog is going above and beyond IMO. Some old bitches be crazy.

[Traditional_Ale]

Maybe try playing porn really loud?

"Oh, sorry about that. You know in 2011, people make noise when they get laid."

[HotHotHeat]

You could complain about her banging on the wall?

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

He was listening to the Eagles though. The Eagles may be irritating but they are definitely not known for thumping base lines.

Maybe the Dude is living below him..

[TorqueDog]

Frequitude, obviously I recognise the difference between a bass line and a refrigerator hum. But the noise that was audible was certainly not enough to justify banging on my wall and that's what I'm getting at.

Originally Posted by Kybosh

He was listening to the Eagles though. The Eagles may be irritating but they are definitely not known for thumping base lines.

Whoa whoa whoa.

Spoiler!

Originally Posted by Hesla

Maybe the Dude is living below him..

... the dude? lol Someone hasn't read the thread. Neighbour is on the east side of my suite. The neighbour below and the neighbour to the west haven't had any issues.

[CrunchBite]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Frequitude, obviously I recognise the difference between a bass line and a refrigerator hum. But the noise that was audible was certainly not enough to justify banging on my wall and that's what I'm getting at.

Whoa whoa whoa.

Spoiler!

... the dude? lol Someone hasn't read the thread. Neighbour is on the east side of my suite. The neighbour below and the neighbour to the west haven't had any issues.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by THE SCUD

hahaha okay I am done playing crotchety old man the joke / devils advocate thing is too much work.

B-B-B-B-BASE.

"What? You mean nobody is supporting my position? To avoid sounding like a tool, I had better comment that I was joking all along. Psych!"

[gottabekd]

Bass, at any detectable volume, is annoying. Probably some are more annoyed than others. I'm one who is very susceptible to bass poisoning.

It seriously makes me physically uncomfortable if I can hear bass from music that is not mine. Even if it is quieter than a fridge, the vibrations can be really annoying. It isn't about the music, it is about the vibrations a sub woofer puts out.

So I would suggest unplugging the sub woofers completely, and see if that solves the issue with your neighbour.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by gottabekd

So I would suggest unplugging the sub woofers completely, and see if that solves the issue with your neighbour.

... you can't be serious. You're either missing the green text, or missing the point, man. This is akin to the neighbour suggesting I use headphones for everything.

I've made concessions that go above and beyond what's expected me both legally and as far as being a courteous neighbour goes.

[gottabekd]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

... you can't be serious. You're either missing the green text, or missing the point, man. This is akin to the neighbour suggesting I use headphones for everything.

I've made concessions that go above and beyond what's expected me both legally and as far as being a courteous neighbour goes.

No, I'm not being sarcastic. When I moved into an apartment, I bought wireless headphones so that I wouldn't disturb the neighbours.

[TorqueDog]

Yeah, that's not happening. I've been more than reasonable, she can buy my whole home theatre audio setup off me if the only way to shut her up is use wireless headphones in my own home.

[taco.vidal]

Bass is terrible when you live in an apartment. Id rather hear voices of people talking or someone with the TV too loud rather than low bass tones. Im a pretty easy going guy and I remember being annoyed by neighbours who cranked the bass not only on music but also on movies and video games. Its terrible. Theres nothing you can do to shutout the bass. If its a loud tv or just loud music, I could put ear plugs on. Ear plugs do nothing for bass.

Move into a house or unplug the sub.

[taco.vidal]

Its not your own home. Its a shared living space.

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Yeah, that's not happening. I've been more than reasonable, she can buy my whole home theatre audio setup off me if the only way to shut her up is use wireless headphones in my own home.