Move to NYC Apt -- Vandersteen 3A Speaker Woes

It really depends. When I moved to an apartment in Manhattan from a big house in the suburbs, I had a similar concern and I ended up disposing of a lot of stuff that I later regretted. You can always sell/swap it later when you know exactly what you are facing. For example, my building is constructed of reinforced concrete and no one has ever complained about low frequencies, not with my old monster subs and not with my big rig now. So, don't presume or limit your options until you have to.

Good luck.

Kal

I second that response - NYC is a fab place to live, for music and many other reasons. I have a rental in midtown which is great as it's a 1 bed penthouse in an older building. I don't share a wall with anyone and the floor seems to be about 3 feet thick, so I occasionally crank it.

If you are worried about noise, try getting into a pre war apartment building, or a new one which you can thump the walls real hard - many are fire proof such that they have very solid concrete walls. Make sure you don't live in a brownstone as you can hear lots through the wooden floors. One of the other long time tenants in my building was saying how the workmen used to fill between the floors with clay - if true that stuff will absorb a lot of sound.

The pre wars also have bigger rooms I think, whereas the newer ones tend to be a bit cookie cutter. Either way it's not cheap, but I always think you should pay up for at least a couple of years to get the best out of the city - you only live once (and you don't need a car here either so that cuts the expense down).

I also have a nice pair of headphones (Senn 600s) for when I fell the need for a bit of late night listening at volume...

The cool thing about NYC, is you can head out your door and hear the real thing at a club, or some other venue.

I've been wanting a pair of Vandys, but just haven't had the room, so I went with Ohm Walshes - no shipping, I picked 'em up in Brooklyn myself - very close to Manhattan. They're easier to place in odd NYC spaces, but I still have to keep the volume down to keep the co-op board happy.

if your apt dont work out with the rig you can get a house over in jersey alot cheaper than a shoe box in manhattan & be a short drive from the city but i also agree not to jump the gun & dump any gear till you know exactly what your up against.

mike

I live in NYC in a corner apartment. It was built in the late fifties solid concrete construction. So crankin the tunes has never been a problem. The outside noise can also distract people from your system. If you like your speakers try to bring them.