Hi all,

Later this month I'm moving in to a flat and having never lived in one before I'm more than a little concened about annoying the people below me (only 4 flats across 2 floors). I don't play my music very loud but would like to do some work up front to minimize issues as much as possible. Can the gurus of AoS please help?

The building itself seems well built and when I viewed it twice I heard nothing from the other flats either time. Underfoot it feels very solid with no noise from footfall but the lounge where my hifi will be has laminate flooring, which is not ideal. I only have small speakers (Elac BS203) but they can put out a reasonable amount of bass.

I was wondering about using heavy tiles or slabs on Sorbathane feet and then stands on the slabs to try to decouple them from the floor and stop bass transmitting that way. After that I plan on getting a large and deep pile rug to cover as much floor as possible. Then I'm starting to struggle for ideas. I've been reading about bass traps and acoustic panels but would prefer to keep it looking more like a lounge than a recording studio.

Any suggestions? Please, no horror stories about flats. I'm nervous enough about my first property purchase as it is! Detached with no neighbours for half a mile is not an option.

Many thanks.