2. misc-audio
  3. 1140229518

condo owners, how do you appease the neighbors?

Hi everyone,
I just moved into a condo and the neighbor downstairs won't leave me alone. He keeps knocking on my door and asking me to turn down the music. I checked the volume level with my Radio Shack SPL meter, and found the average to be about 72db. Peaks at about 76db. Measured with pop music. For reference, my HVAC runs loud at about 65db. If I turn the music down a little, I can't hear it when the heat turns on. This is not as loud as I'm accustomed to listening, but it is far too loud for my neighbor, apparently. What have you other condo/apartment owners done?
Thanks.

Tom
tfkaudio
maineiac
649 posts
 
Never mind the neighbors, I live in a house and I am constantly hassling my wife and kids about the dishwasher and my kids about their computer. It is a challenge to get good quiet time to really listen.
tfkaudio OP
589 posts
 
Thanks again, everybody. I've read the responses and I have some questions to put out there:

1) Do speakers on spikes really help?
2) What db level would most of you honestly consider to be the threshold of nuisance behavior in a multi-dwelling? I figured 90db measured in-room at 10 feet would be a good guess, but 75db seems to be the limit for me.
3) Will room treatments help? I know they'll make the sound better for me, but will they keep the sound in my living space a bit more?

I don't use a subwoofer.

I like the idea of wwwrecords, but I honestly don't think I could sh*t my pants on queue. Taking a magazine with, and waiting for it, would ruin the whole effect, I think.

Cheers.
dirtyragamuffin
213 posts
 
Faced with this potential problem, I went the good audio karma/mild coercion route and got my neighbor into high end audio. Then we got his girlfriend into it. They understand when my system is rockin' and I understand when theirs is!
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