Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater home theater in an apartment

Hello,
Im soon to be moving to a 3rd floor apartment in an old 6 story apartment building and at the same time I'm looking to get an "epic grand master" set up but I worried about the bass and my neighbours.

while I understand it will be different for all situations, in general how does bass travel in apartment buildings, and are there any tricks for trying to contain the sound?
thanks
Mark

Mark,

I understand your concerns. I live in Manhattan, so apartment living is the only option. First of all, where are you located (doesn't make too much of a difference, but just curious). Secondly, the manner in which your building was constructed will play a large role in your use and enjoyment of home audio equipment.

In NYC, there are lots of newer rental buildings that were built cheaply with thin walls, where not only can you hear sound from home audio, but dishes, voices, dogs barking, etc. In those types of buildings, you definitely must be conscious with how loud you are playing music and movies.

There are also lots of older buildings that were constructed with much thicker concrete walls, where sound is pretty much kept within individual apartments. Fortunately, I live in the latter, as my building was built very solidly, and I had to use special drill bits when I went to install my QS8's on the walls.

I own M22's, VP150, QS8's, and a Velodyne sub. I would own this system regardless of how thick my walls are, as noone can stop you from playing music in your own apartment. However, as I own my apartment and live in a cooperative, I had to be conscious early on. I started out playing music at low to normal levels, and then gradually started increasing the volume. I have had no complaints. Bass is obviously a concern, so I pretty much did the same thing. Started out with the sub turned way down, and have gradually increased the SPL. Still no complaints. Of course, I would not be able to buy an SVS sub and crank the sub to reference levels. Just not practical. But, my sub does thump with music, and rumbles with movies, and I am yet to have any complaint.

So, it is really dependent on a bunch of factors. But, don't let apartment living stop you from purchasing and enjoying good audio equipment (you came to the right place for speakers). In terms of things you can do to dampen the sound, carpeting should dampen some sound. I presume you are not looking to spend the money to seriously sound-proof your apartment. Best of luck, and feel free to ask more specific questions.

thanks for the reply, Im actually moving to a place in the bronx, its an older building and it seems to have thick concrete walls so that should help. and yeah Im not looking to spend any real money on sound proofing, but if it helps to put a piece of carpet under the sub or whatever, I would do that as the apartment has hardwood floors.

I had my Epic 80 set in an apartment for a few months before my lease ended. It got to the point that I disconnected everything or I'd have been thrown out.

This will of course depend on the construction of your building.

I just ordered a pair of m22ti, qs8, and a vp150. I already have an Athena 8" sub. I just moved into my new apt Sat. so the fun will begin shortly....

What I found to be very helpful (and what I did at previous places, and what I will do at my new apt I just moved into) is go talk to your neighbors. Tell them you had the home theatre setup in your previous apt with no complaints, but you just wanted to let them know and tell them they can come tell you anytime it gets too loud. I only had one person ever come up to me in my old apartment, and he stayed to watch the rest of the Fifth Element with us =)

Just be honest and friendly...I think that will go alot further than sound dampening.