How loud can you play music

[Concerto Audio]

I moved into the second floor flat recently..the flat is a newly built and in my opinion not very sound proof and sometimes you can hear the conversation from upper floor. I got a powerful system 750 monblock but i do not play it loud, i always put others first and do not want a complaint from my neighbours.usually i play it at around clock position 7 to 8. But yesterday my downstores neighbour came up and asked me turn the volume a bit down. i didn't want to be rude and i apoligised and turned the volume down. But after the complaint i thought about it and i was never playing it loud...if he can hear my music downstairs does that mean i am playing it loud.
Any suggestion welcome:(

[Haselsh1]

A very difficult situation methinks. I kind of think that you are going to have to play your music at 'ambient' levels from now on to avoid any form of conflict. This could be a time to move to an SET valve amp :) or maybe not.

[Concerto Audio]

Thanks,what is ambiant level:lol:
I drive my power amp with tube Octave class A

[Reid Malenfant]

A guy i know bought a flat & i really couldn't believe it when i went round there as it was built like a house with the flat above seperated by just a ceiling big rafters & a wooden floor ffs :eek: I'd have thought that they would have been seperated by reinforced concrete to cut down on noise transmission :scratch:

I couldn't live in a place like that, you could hear the upstairs flat occupant walking round & the TV on etc, i'd drive me to suicide :mental:

I think what Shaun means is you'll have to keep it at the same kind of level as a normal conversation :eek:

[The Grand Wazoo]

How loud can you play music

With the 67cm thick solid stone walls in this house?
Almost as loud as I've ever wanted to play music. Certainly louder than I need to.........or should!

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/2183/dscf3090x.jpg

[Rare Bird]

Join the club Santosh, i don't even bother using my speaker anymore cos of the complains at even ambient levels. :steam:

[Alex_UK]

I'm lucky - we are very detached, so no restrictions other than my ears bleeding or speakers clipping - in reality, I don't actually like to play it too loud, though - I think my ears are quite sensitive due to my DJ'ing and gigging years

[Concerto Audio]

some of you guys are lucky. Next time when the guys from downstairs complains i will speak to him with an attitude and ignore his complaint. :eyebrows:

[Rare Bird]

some of you guys are lucky. Next time when the guys from downstairs complains i will speak to him with an attitude and ignore his complaint. :eyebrows:

I just go with it & don't bother playing music as we have 5 moaning old folks in our block & just us middle aged couple stuck on the middle floor, 5 against 1 at the council office, as you can imagine doesnt look good even though only one or most probably two will complain the other three are part of the click & join suite if you know what i mean.

[twelvebears]

Unfortunately flats are a real mixed bag sound insulation-wise.

Usually large modern blocks have concrete floors and barrier walls between apartments for fire regulations, so sound proofing is normally excellent. The last flat I was in was amazingly well sound proofed. Never heard more than a slight murmur from anyone else and then only during parties, and I used to crank my system without any comment from anyone and I specifically asked them.

Conversions are totally different and often very poor however. Personally, if you want to be able to enjoy your system without worrying then I consider looking at some proper sound insulating products to do underfloor and possibly use a suspended ceiling, assuming you own rather than rent of course.

[Marco]

Neighbours? Wot are those? :eyebrows:

Nice to see you again, Santosh. Hope you're keeping well, my friend :)

Marco.

P.S Old detached houses with (massively) thick walls rule! ;)

[radio]

this is a difficult one,how long have you lived there,and what about them?:scratch:regards maria

[Concerto Audio]

Hi Marco, thanks I am keeping well.
Around here we believe in thick skin and do not worry about thick walls...saving bloody money on construction but the price of the property or rent never goes down.

[Concerto Audio]

Maria
I have lived here only for 4 monts and it is a temporary move...

[BTH K10A]

Neighbours? Wot are those? :eyebrows:

P.S Old detached houses with (massively) thick walls rule! ;)

Neighbours :scratch: Thats an Auusie soap isn't it? ;)

I agree with Marco with one caveat, big old houses are the way to go except when converted into flats.

[Welder]

I had some concerns when I moved to my current flat despite the fact with regard to sound and thermal insulation its far above building regs.
I introduced myself to the tenants above and below me and once I had got the Hi Fi up and running, left it playing at what I considered loud and went to both flats to hear how intrusive it was or wasn’t.
You could definitely hear and feel the bass in the flat below so out of general consideration I don’t play the stereo loud before midday and after 9pm.
That’s quite reasonable in my book.
So, go and listen, if you think its unreasonably loud then you’ve got problems; otherwise it’s a simple case of what the law says and whether or not you want to get on with your neighbors.

[Rare Bird]

All great but when you neighbours sit in silence all day even a pin dropped irritates them (believe me)..If i had the money to move into my own house i would do but i don't.

[Jac Hawk]

some of you guys are lucky. Next time when the guys from downstairs complains i will speak to him with an attitude and ignore his complaint. :eyebrows:

Ask him what he likes, and tell him you can play requests :lolsign:

[WAD62]

some of you guys are lucky. Next time when the guys from downstairs complains i will speak to him with an attitude and ignore his complaint. :eyebrows:

Be careful, ever since the early 90's (criminal justice act) they are within their right to confiscate your kit, on a completely subjective basis...no dB levels, no named complainant.

I've been on the wrong end of an overly sensitive neighbour and they hold all the aces :(

[Marco]

Ask him what he likes, and tell him you can play requests :lolsign:


Ha - indeed! In fact, I'd go the whole hog, fit a microphone to the system, and give it the DJ thing, saying:

"Yo, mothafukka downstairs, this is your bad-ass neighbour upstairs rockin' da crib on 97.6 FM, comin' atcha full-force with some bangin' choons, so pin yo' ears back and rap yo' ass, daddy-o, here's 2 Live Crew to shake da house - BOOMSHAKALAK...." :gig:

:rave:

:lol: :lol:

Marco.

[WAD62]

Ha - indeed! In fact, I'd go the whole hog, fit a microphone to the system, and give it the DJ thing, saying:

"Yo, mothafukka downstairs, this is your bad-ass neighbour upstairs rockin' da crib on 97.6 FM, comin' atcha full-force with some bangin' choons, so pin yo' ears back and rap yo' ass, daddy-o, here's 2 Live Crew to shake da house - BOOMSHAKALAK...." :gig:

:rave:

:lol: :lol:

Marco.

Marco you are definitely the Henry Kissenger of noise abatement issues :lol:

[Spectral Morn]

Hi Santosh

It might be an idea to go down to the flat with music playing at your normal level and see what the problem is. Is it the music or bass booming through the floor.

If its bass then trying various types of platforms under the speakers may be the answer. I used to have similar problems when living at home with my parents. Thick heavy granite platforms (6 inchs thick) solved the problem. Bass was no longer thumping through the floor. However this may not work in your situation.

You could try Townsend platforms or maybe switch to a stand mount speaker...less bass issues compared to a full range speaker.

You will really need to find out first hand what the problem is. Maybe use the system in another room so its above a room the people below don't use very much.

If its just the music playing then frankly the type of amplification being used wont matter, though class A single ended valves with very efficient horns will give you great clarity of sound with out needing it to be very loud.....but loud is a relative term and for those below well they have the law on their side. The council could confiscate your system, if complaints went un-dealt with...i.e you become a repeat offender.

Hope you get things sorted out.


Regards D S D L

[technobear]

Headphones?

[jbloggs]

Headphones?

Yes, this is what I thought....

I live out in the country and my nearest neighbour is 50 yards away, so I have no such issues...I suppose I am kind of spoiled that way!

[Mr Pig]

One practical step you can take is to use speakers that are bass light.

We used to live in a flat. For about five years I used Linn Kans and used to play them quite loud. Never got a complaint.

I got a pair of Linn Saras, which have good bass, and I got a complaint the next day!!!

Basically, deep bass in a flat is a kiss of death. It really travels, pretty much irrespective of what the walls are made of. You have my sympathy dude, I know what it's like.

[Concerto Audio]

head phone is a no no:(
I have been trying all day tweaking my system to get the perfect sound with low volume and I think I am nearly there. Never liked active power sub but I tried it with very low level to match it with my speakers today and it is working perfect now (i think).Without sub playing at low volume looses its slam and the music sounds very lifeless and thin...adding the sub at low level gives it life and am enjoying the music now at low volume....or until the guy complains again.
Thanks guys...if i am thrown out of the flat through my window i will report back how aerodynamic the flight was to the floor below.:eek:

[sparrow]

Since a new neighbour moved in below me ..I simply have to keep the music down 24/7..I'm used to it now but at first it was a barsteward. I loved to pump it out loud n' proud when my wife was out. However our upstairs neighbour goes over the score too often. I've had a word with him many times but although his sessions last no more than an hour it pisses me off good style. He plays the same song about 7 - 10 times in a row.

[Jac Hawk]

i always thought it was only after 8 or 9 at night that you had to keep the volume down, and that it was difficult to stop people playing it loud n proud, i remember back in the mid 90's i lived in a big old victorian terraced house my daughter was just born and we got new neighbours who liked it loud every night, i'd go round and they'd turn it down for maybe 10 minutes then it was slammin again, so loud infact that it had glasses and plates rattling in the cupboards, the real problem was that it woke my daughter up, and we got very little sleep at that time with early feeds etc, so we called the police and they did bot all, told us that yes the neighbours were breaking the law but that it was a hard one to inforce. we moved soon after so job sorted.

[Rare Bird]

Since a new neighbour moved in below me ..I simply have to keep the music down 24/7..I'm used to it now but at first it was a barsteward. I loved to pump it out loud n' proud when my wife was out. However our upstairs neighbour goes over the score too often. I've had a word with him many times but although his sessions last no more than an hour it pisses me off good style. He plays the same song about 7 - 10 times in a row.

O they have to be the worse of the lot. we had one upstairs from us in the last flat we were in. like you say the same track on repeat. a 40 year old bloke listerning to trash a you teenager would listern to :mental:.. why men at that age listern to childish crap is beyond me.

Gotta admit i do cringe on a regular basis at the 'whats playing now' topic :lol:

:sofa:

[magiccarpetride]

I moved into the second floor flat recently..the flat is a newly built and in my opinion not very sound proof and sometimes you can hear the conversation from upper floor. I got a powerful system 750 monblock but i do not play it loud, i always put others first and do not want a complaint from my neighbours.usually i play it at around clock position 7 to 8. But yesterday my downstores neighbour came up and asked me turn the volume a bit down. i didn't want to be rude and i apoligised and turned the volume down. But after the complaint i thought about it and i was never playing it loud...if he can hear my music downstairs does that mean i am playing it loud.
Any suggestion welcome:(

I am fortunate to live in an old detached house, where my next house neighbour is a deaf old man, while my other next house neighbour is a very friendly family whose companionship we enjoy very much. This gives me the liberty to play music at insanely loud volumes, without worrying about complaints.

However, I think the bylaws where we live ask that you keep the noise down after 10:00 PM, so I would definitely observe that regulation.

[Reid Malenfant]

I'm also lucky i guess as i live in a victorian detached house, though strangely everywhere i have lived has been detached :scratch:

I could play music day or night at any level that pleases me or makes me go deaf if i wanted. The bay window appears to be strangely filled in (for projector use as it's an AV room) & along with a double thickness brick wall not a lot of sound manages to escape :eyebrows:

At ear splitting levels it can just about be heard at the front gate (12ft from the front door), as for the neighbours they'd never hear a thing ;)

[MartinT]

My house is a modern detached and it benefits from very good heat insulation, the by-product of which is good sound insulation. Even so, I don't play at ear-bleeding levels and turn the volume down after 11pm despite it not being that loud when I step outside to test it. I am very happy with my freedom to play at the volumes I like :)

A far cry from my early days in a flat in King's Cross when I could hear every neighbour around me, mostly loud conversation, shouting or the occasional plate throwing. I only had to put music on and someone below me would start pounding his ceiling with a broom handle :(