Apartment Drama

I'm an apartment dweller too and mostly try to accomodate my neighbors. I have my speakers spiked to a maple butcher block that lays on the carpet. It's a semi-open baffle design so I have some wool rug carpeting on the wall behind each speaker. I try to remmeber to close all the doors and shut my window.

It also helps that my speakers roll off at around 40 Hz but I still get great tuneful base and my neighbors have yet to complain. There are even times when I forget to close the window and regret indulging my neighbors with my eclectic musical tastes and still no compalints (for the last several years)

Maybe I'm lucky in that most folk realize the compromises of apartment life. Heck, with everything imaginable accounted for, I can go out and clearly hear my music with the window closed and it's not at all loud but that's with single plane glass. Maybe the walls and the steps I've taken are enough. All you can do is try.

All the best,
Nonoise

I would agree that the bass is very probably the issue. Even what seems like a very little to you could very well be a real problem downstairs. I would consider moving to a first floor apartment.

I'm with those that feel you CAN live in an apt. and be an audiophile. But it's a learning process. I've owned homes but currently I rent an apt. BTW, owning a condo can be equally frustrating, same set of problems except you CAN'T just up and move! Some of the best systems I've ever heard have been in friend's apts! Your audio needs MUST be taken into account when looking for an apt. I find that most apts. built in the last 10-15 yrs are simply flimsy. They may look great and modern, but springy floors and wood/plaster walls not only make for shitty sound but you usually can hear your neighbors when they fart (amongst other things!). My apt. is a ground floor corner, built in the 90's, carpeted concrete floors, walls are cement filled concrete block. The only wall I share in my listening room is the ceiling. One of the 1st things I did when I moved in was to fire up the system to a decent volume, and than go outside to hear how loud it was from OUTSIDE the apt! Luckily, it was barely audible! I also got to know my upstairs neighbor and asked him if my tunes were too loud and he sez he's never been bothered by it. Granted, I don't ever turn it up to wall-bulging levels anymore, and I don't listen past midnight (I own cans for that!). I've got to admit though, I don't use the rig as much as I used to. Prior to this I rented a house, on an acre, by myself, in Georgia. Man, those were the days, rockin' hard into the wee hours of the morning!;) Hate to say it but it sounds like you're in a worst case scenario, thin walls and a fussy neighbor!

One thing you might do is cultivate a library of music you enjoy that doesn't contain loud bass or drums. Solo guitar, solo piano, piano/guitar, string quartet, solo violin. There's really tons of stuff once you start looking. Assuming you're not a metal-head or something like that. There's even a lot of jazz without loud bass. Most of the Bill Evans records seem to go fairly light on the bass. You also do have to get used to listening lower than you might like. I suggest you try an experiment. Start listening at a level you consider "too soft" and sit for a few minutes listening. Then walk out of the room and come back with the music at the same volume and sit back down. You might find it's loud enough. Good luck. You know - to a lot of people, the complaining thing is more about power than anything else. They are usually powerless a-holes that now think they have a chance to flex their muscles. I would ask (nicely) if you could go into their apartment while the music is playing to see what they're hearing so you can come to some agreement. There HAS to be some level of music they can tolerate. If they refuse, you can be pretty sure they're just being pricks. But if not, you might find there's a lot of music you can play without annoying them.

" Thats a bummer kick his ass!!"

Yeah, either be a good neighbor or do that. :-)

YOur choice....