Sound Insulation- how much can it help?

Ok, maybe I should be more specific about the decibels. Playing Norah Jones at -36 db in that room was acceptable to my neighbor, whereas -32 db was too loud. I felt that -32 db was too quiet, and made the estimate of 3-4 times by calculating across different types of music I might play, as well as movies (which I assume would be worse for neighbors because of wide range of volume...?).

Revisiting the apartment and seeing these comments, I could lower my acceptance threshold - if I could play Norah Jones at -30 db, I think the place could be OK given my lack of choices. I think I could selectively listen to non-bass heavy music at night, although I don't know what bass might be in movie soundtracks.

I'm not sure if these decibel figures help. I tested my stereo in another apartment, and at -36 db the overall sound volume seemed significantly lower than in the one with the vaulted ceiling.

Retrofitting sound isolation into an existing structure (especially a rented one) is futile. However, if sound isolation is designed into the building from the start the result can be very satisfactory. The prime examples are hotels at airports, where the surrounding jet trafic is inaudible.

The decibel figures are irrelevant. The music is keeping a small child awake. As Jeff_Jones so eloquently said, "headphones".

You can get an absolutely killer headphone setup for a few hundred. You can get reference quality and -good- 5.1 emulation for $1000

Possible solutions:

1. Get your neighbors to move out and take over their apartment: Watch the movie, "Pacific Heights" for some pointers to that end.
2. Perhaps Jeffrey Dahmer's spree started like this. Have you got a big freezer? You'll also need some heavy-duty plastic bags and a chain saw. I know what you're thinking, but I don't think you'll need to worry about the noise the saw makes at that point.
3. Headphones, as has already been suggested. Try a good setup and you may get hooked.
4. Buy your own house / Move to a different apartment with a better arrangement with the neighbors.
5. Find a new hobby.

Marco

Line your floors, ceilings, & walls with 1/2 lead plate...and then acoustically treat the resulting room, or buy a home, or pop for some headphones. I'm guessing the headphones are looking pretty good at this point.