Is it possible to have a subwoofer in an apartment without disturbing others?

[ZolaIII]

Unfortunately maverick with Italian audio is not so good, the English soundtrack is many way better!
Thank you, being here it's really nice!

Actually I find a bit uneven some soundtracks especially in original (English) track and high DR (24 dB or so as I remember, scean and the track on the bike the most) which is a loot for home. Didn't use adopted narrated audio for a very long time no matter what's the original language (even if I am a sitting duck not understanding a word). Funny part is last night I watched Pope's Exorcist and had a bit of lost on Italian small talk and problem remembering some Latin while native sub whose a little off but it whose fun to watch (still not close to original Exorcist but good to say at least regarding genre).

 

[pablitho]

Italian tracks, also many English also, during mastering process suffer of roll off filters on frequency between 40/10 Hz... (i opened a thread for BEQ info, open someone can help).
But Italian tracks many times suffer also of a loss of general dynamic... Very sad

 

[Ron Texas]

It depends on how the place is built. If it's wood frame forget about it. A steel and reinforced concrete building maybe.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Is it possible to have a subwoofer in an apartment without disturbing others?​

No, unfortunately.

 

[Multicore]

No.

A middle ground exists, e.g. if you use it only when others aren't around or when the others are enjoying the effects of the sub with you or during hours you've negotiated or if you look after their pets when they are away.

 

[aslan7]

You fellows must really pump up the bass or be into home theater. Now that everything has settled down with the neighbors I barely notice the sub. The system has a fuller, richer sound and the main speakers don’t sound taxed. But I am classical and jazz enthusiast—a young friend is into hip-hop and he really gets the floorboards rattling. He tried to help me set up my system but it didn’t work for my music. I guess much of this has to do with genre.

 

[ahofer]

I don't use a sub, but my 1911 apartment building in NYC is amazing - built like a mausoleum. The kids above us have a trampoline, and that's literally the only noise that gets through. I asked my neighbor below me whether I had bothered her, and she said she never noticed.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

You fellows must really pump up the bass or be into home theater. Now that everything has settled down with the neighbors I barely notice the sub. The system has a fuller, richer sound and the main speakers don’t sound taxed. But I am classical and jazz enthusiast—a young friend is into hip-hop and he really gets the floorboards rattling. He tried to help me set up my system but it didn’t work for my music. I guess much of this has to do with genre.

I think you are right. It has all to do with the program material. Girl & guitar doesn't upset noone. And if acoustics is your thing you might not need a sub after all.

 

[Miniyouuuu]

Subs complement non full range speakers. If you feel your speaker lacks some bass you can adjust the amount of extra bass supplied by the sub.
When I bought a subwoofer I didn’t have any way of measuring the impact of bass in my room. My neighbours came twice in 2 months. After adjusting the whole system with a miniDSP i discovered a +13dB at 80hz. I flattened that frecuency and, they never arrived again.
It’s not matter of on/off decision, it should be something adjusted to the room and hour. You could make different sets of DSP.

 

[nygafre]

Had a guy in my old apartment block that had a sub located against the wall between his living room and bathroom. Those sub frequencies travelled as a MF through the pipe-work in the building. Could hear it down to the car parking beneath the block, 5 levels down. Drove me close to insane, literally. The biggest problem was that he could play at every hour during the day/night.

I’ve since sworn never to be that guy.

 

[Pancreas]

I've decided not to buy a subwoofer lol I'm researching bass shakers

 

[Miniyouuuu]

Buy a microphone and install REW in a computer. You’ll know what your space needs.

 

[aslan7]

I like the sound of the Genelec system of the 8030s plus the 7050 so much that I’m considering making it my main system in the living room. The main system uses Larsen 6.2s, a Swedish speaker designed to sit flat against the wall, driven by a Nord Hypex amplifier. They just don’t sound as good as the Genelec system. The wife dislikes the looks of the Larsens, calling them “little wastepaper baskets.” She hates the sub so I have to hide it somewhere. Life is filled with negotiations….

 

[afinepoint]

At what level do you listen? I'd say yes for low level listening but that's not why we buy subwoofers. Talk to your neighbors. Maybe their threshold of tolerance is higher than you think.

 

[aslan7]

Just answering for myself, at the very loudest I play at a volume close to a what a non-electric instrument would sound like in a concert hall.

 

[Willem]

Much will depend on the construction of the building. We live in a modern house with brick walls and concrete floors, so I decided to do an experiment. I am now playing the main systrem in the living room, while I am sitting in my home office a floor above. I have been playing a Brahms violin concert and Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA at a pretty loud level and all I hear are very faint noises coming through the doors, and no booming bass. The main audio system has three subwoofers with a total power of 1200 watts (an SVS SB2000, a Kef Kube8 and a B&W PV1d), equalized by MSO).
This underscores that there are three ways in which sound can propagate. First, through openings like, in my case, doors, but also along piping and various ducts. Second contact noise. This is probably a big issue in timber framed houses. Dual opposed drivers may help a bit. Third, propagation through the air. Here my thick brick and concrete walls with their high mass probably block all sound.
Finally, for the subjective experience of noise it helps if there are no bass peaks - dsp room eq is not only key to good low frequency sound quality, but also to keeping your neighbours happy.

 

[nygafre]

Much will depend on the construction of the building. We live in a modern house with brick walls and concrete floors, so I decided to do an experiment. I am now playing the main systrem in the living room, while I am sitting in my home office a floor above. I have been playing a Brahms violin concert and Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA at a pretty loud level and all I hear are very faint noises coming through the doors, and no booming bass. The main audio system has three subwoofers with a total power of 1200 watts (an SVS SB2000, a Kef Kube8 and a B&W PV1d), equalized by MSO).
This underscores that there are three ways in which sound can propagate. First, through openings like, in my case, doors, but also along piping and various ducts. Second contact noise. This is probably a big issue in timber framed houses. Dual opposed drivers may help a bit. Third, propagation through the air. Here my thick brick and concrete walls with their high mass probably block all sound.
Finally, for the subjective experience of noise it helps if there are no bass peaks - dsp room eq is not only key to good low frequency sound quality, but also to keeping your neighbours happy.

Would probably be worse if you were located in a floor below.

 

[Willem]

Would probably be worse if you were located in a floor below.

Not sure why in a heavyweight brick and concrete structure such as ours.
Anyway, I decided to find out something else: is there indeed a benefit to dual opposed speakers in terms of potential contact noise. So I put my hand on my dual opposed B&W PV1d and I could not feel any vibration. Conversely, I could easily feel quite a bit of vibration on the SVS SB2000 and on the KEF Kube8b, both with just single drivers facing forward. It was not a serious scientific experiment, but it convinced me that the physics is probably right.

 

[nygafre]

Not sure why in a heavyweight brick and concrete structure such as ours.
Anyway, I decided to find out something else: is there indeed a benefit to dual opposed speakers in terms of potential contact noise. So I put my hand on my dual opposed B&W PV1d and I could not feel any vibration. Conversely, I could easily feel quite a bit of vibration on the SVS SB2000 and on the KEF Kube8b, both with just single drivers facing forward. It was not a serious scientific experiment, but it convinced me that the physics is probably right.

In the context of an apartment building there is usually concrete between every floor. You’ll generally get a somewhat higher disturbance of the apartment below due to higher coupling between the sound source(s) and the floor/ceiling of apartment under, compared to the impact on the floor above. For LF to reach the upper floor, the sound has to travel up through the walls etc and then through the concrete floor. But you’ll hear it both ways.

 

[Sokel]

In the context of an apartment building there is usually concrete between every floor. You’ll generally get a somewhat higher disturbance of the apartment below due to higher coupling between the sound source(s) and the floor/ceiling of apartment under, compared to the impact on the floor above. For LF to reach the upper floor, the sound has to travel up through the walls etc and then through the concrete floor. But you’ll hear it both ways.

Are we talking loud? (ok,I know that "loud" varies according to taste but still... )
Cause my house has double floor and wall reinforced concrete (we didn't want columns so that's the way is done,it's steel frame is like a cage) and I can very well hear it just fine 1-2 floors up and faintly on the last top floor if I crank things up and with the right material.

(I usually don''t use subs,it was a test described back at this thread).

Is it acceptable to run a subwoofer/subwoofers in an apartment building?

Nah. This is a subwoofer! Apparently that's an actual consumer item for home theater. (Abandoning the sympathetic half of my brain...) WTF is wrong with people? Who on gawd's earth needs that? Reminds me of those absurd "boom car" battles or food eating contests or any other...

www.audiosciencereview.com