Who lives in an environment quiet enough that they can play whatever they want?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by 93curr, Nov 10, 2017.

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  1. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member Thread Starter

    when they want.

    We've had 140 years of better sounding equipment and different audio formats, but it don't mean a thing when you can't play it because of a noisy environment. I don't need to spend more money on audio hardware, but I'd gladly pay for anything that can cut down on other people's music (especially the bass) intruding into my space and making it impossible for me to listen to anything that isn't also non-stop loud. Dynamic range can be a blessing but also a curse when the music gets so quiet it's drowned out by someone else's full-blast subwoofer.

    What's the ratio here of people who have some kind of control over their environment and people who are entirely at the mercy of others? Do people who live in houses have it better than people in apartments or condos? Do people who live alone have it better than those with families? Has anyone been able to do anything to make a listening room that they can actually listen in? Or is anyone just not bothered by other people's music in their space - they can just ignore it? Why has there been no technological advancement in letting us live without getting on each others' nerves? Questions, questions, questions. Discuss.
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2017
    eric777 likes this.
  2. Carl Swanson

    Carl Swanson Senior Member

    We remodeled in 2015 and had all the glass replaced with triple-pane (we got a deal; same price as double-pane) and beefed up attic insulation, new exterior doors, etc.

    Much improved.
     
    Bender Rodriguez and audiomixer like this.
  3. serendipitydawg

    serendipitydawg Dag nabbit!

    Location:
    Berkshire UK
    My elderly neighbour and my wife are hard of hearing. My neighbours house & mine have link-detached garages, so the party wall is between garages.

    Double glazing & a spare bedroom converted to a music room mean I don't annoy anybody, and nobody annoys me.

    Yesterday I listened to several Nirvana albums at the "correct" volume between 11pm and 1am.
     
  4. PMC7027

    PMC7027 Forum Hall Of Fame

    My music room is in our basement so I have no problems. Even at the loudest listening volume my music is not audible upstairs.
     
    Aftermath and Dominick like this.
  5. Whoopycat

    Whoopycat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Des Moines
    I had my the insulation in my house upgraded a couple years ago, so very little sound escapes if the windows are shut. One of my neighbors is an elderly lady who has more or less moved out. And I'm a divorced dad so my kids are not with me half the time. That leaves plenty of time to crank it.
     
    timind and Dominick like this.
  6. J. R.

    J. R. Cat Herder

    Location:
    Kansas City, MO
    We live on a 3-acre lot, so I have been able to do that for the past 25 years. Only need headphones when the wife goes to bed and I stay up.
     
  7. Schoolmaster Bones

    Schoolmaster Bones Poe's Lawyer

    Location:
    ‎The Midwest
    My neighborhood is pretty quiet. Neighbors to my left are retired, and quiet as a mouse. Neighbors to my right are a childless couple who are rarely at home.

    Conversely, I've had very loud bands record in my basement studio numerous times - without any complaint from anyone.

    Last time I can recall having any issues like this would be back when I rented an apartment - this would be around the mid-'80s. That was pretty brutal - horrible tenants above and below me, always being loud and always complaining about me being loud. My sympathies to anyone stuck with living in that kind of nonsense.
     
    Dominick likes this.
  8. gillcup

    gillcup Senior Member

    Location:
    Raleigh, NC, USA
    My listening room is a daylight basement in a detached house. There is a creek running behind us so no neighbors directly behind us. I don't have any problems at the moment. The room isn't that well insulated. I can hear my neighbor's lawn mower for example, but I can listen without problems most of the time.

    To 93Cur - You have my sympathy. I've lived next to loud neighbors throughout my life and it's Hell.
     
    Aftermath likes this.
  9. I'm very lucky. I share 14 acres on the side of a mountain with my sister's family. Her husband built their house and made it basically soundproof. My nearest neighbors are actually about 200 feet below me. So I hear nothing (except the coyotes) and I can play music as loud as I want.
     
  10. Dominick

    Dominick Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    I have a neighbour who spends 99% of his free time outside on his porch. This is very close to my music room and I hate it. He and his wife talk non stop.

    After I have about 6-8 beers I just crank up the Monkees in mono and could not care less....I even sing ;)
     
    Galley, andrewskyDE, kronning and 5 others like this.
  11. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    Big house; storm windows throughout. I can blast it inside and if the windows are closed, I can't hear it standing outside.
    Plus a colder climate really cuts down on outside noises. That's why I don't miss LA.
     
    Aftermath likes this.
  12. Eigenvector

    Eigenvector Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeast PA
    I live in a detached, single home in a fairly quiet subdivision. Far from any busy highways. It's only me and my wife so I have little to no problem with external noise. We've been here for 17 years now so I guess I'm spoiled with regard to the freedom to listen when I want (within reason).

    The worst problems I had was when I lived in various apartments prior to getting married. Just about everywhere I lived, sound carried far to easily through walls and ceilings and annoyed neighbors even when listening at rather modest volumes. So, I was limited to listening during afternoons or via headphones (which I cannot stand!). I'm so glad to be out of multi-family dwellings!
     
    Aftermath likes this.
  13. dadbar

    dadbar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland OR
    We live in a loft space originally designed for commercial use. There are 2 feet of insulation between the upstairs apartment and ours. Same next door. No one below us. The outside walls are 2 feet thick brick. We don't hear anything. My son used to play his electric guitar at full tilt and no one ever complained...because he couldn't be heard
     
  14. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    950 sq.ft. apartment. Quiet stuff is best from about 10pm - about 5pm the following day, for weekdays, and wait and see, on the weekends. My adult son lives with me, and the 2 guys upstairs all work, while I am retired.
    The guys upstairs never care how loud we get, either.
    A perfect situation.
    .
     
    Aftermath likes this.
  15. jeffmackwood

    jeffmackwood Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ottawa
    Years ago I installed some great outdoor speakers in my back yard which I enjoy listening to when the weather permits. The problem is that the neighbours (on both sides) are always yelling over the fence for me to... turn it up! They like the tracks I play while they're lounging by their pools. :)

    My main HT is in the basement and could never disturb anyone not in the house. I use the rest of the house as a bass trap - so my wife gets upset a bit when the LFE's operating at realistic levels. The main HT is where I go when I want really low background noise and high signal to noise.

    The family room HT runs almost all the time - mostly as background listening.

    The 2.1 garage system could potentially disturb some folks - but I don't run it very loud when the garage doors open.

    There are various other systems throughout the house, but again they are used in moderation.

    On Canada Day I host a block party in front of my house for a 100 people or so, and set up a pretty capable system on the front porch and keep the tunes going throughout. Nobody complains! :)

    Jeff
     
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  16. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    That's a good citizen!
     
    Dennis0675 likes this.
  17. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    I've very relieved you aren't my neighbor. :D
     
  18. monte4

    monte4 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ontario Canada
    Seems so far everyone responding doesn't have any issues with how loud or when they can play their music. I'm the same. Detached house with the music room in the basement. We had this house built and I had the ceiling in the music room insulated therefor I can play music basically as loud as I want. My wife will stay upstairs watching t.v and she can barely hear the music. Outside is no problem even though the neigbor's house is quite close but since my house is solid brick with good quality windows you can't hear anything. I feel for anyone who can't play their music as they'd like. One of my friends lives in a condo and he can't crank it up at all and he has a serious system. He comes to visit me and always wants to hear rock and roll up loud.
     
    Aftermath likes this.
  19. ibanez_ax

    ibanez_ax Forum Resident

    I live in a a single one story, no basement unattached house by myself. The house has good storm windows. My street runs parallel to a major highway, but that never interferes with my music, even though I don't really play it loud.

    I never hear music from the houses on either side of me.
     
  20. Dennis0675

    Dennis0675 Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Ohio
    I had a house on 1/4 acre lot in a development and I had the police called to my home on several occasions with some very specific suggestions on some adjustments I needed to make to my system. I had a buddy that was working at 911 and he once told me the call came from a house behind me, three doors down. That was a system with a 200w amp, very large speakers and a sub.

    I still have them system but it is packed away in boxes in favor of a tube amp that doesn't get much above 80db. IT's unlikely I'll get a call from three houses down but there are still limitations that need to be respected.

    No one listens without some restrictions on what they can do with their system.
     
    Aftermath likes this.
  21. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Unfortunately I'm not as lucky as some of you. I live in a house that's been modified to have two apartments. Landlady lives above me. We're attached on either side as well.

    But I still consider myself lucky because I can play music at a decent volume and it never bothers her. It would be worst if it was the other way around though. I also get the basement and when I;m down their I can really hear the music upstairs coming through the floor. No insulation there at all.

    She's away often enough that I can get some weekends here or there with some loud music. Even when she's not away she's often very busy so I can increase the volume for a little while. When I hear her come in, I lower the volume. All in all it works out pretty well and our lives are very compatible in that regard. The only noise I get from her is footsteps. Usually when she's in a hurry. It's never a bother.

    Neighbours are pretty good too. One had a party that went into the early mornings a couple of months ago but I hardly heard a peep. I only heard music when I opened the windows. Otherwise it was really quiet. Neighbour on the other side plays guitar, piano and drums and his kids take part sometimes. But it never bothers me. Sometimes when I'm in the kitchen I can hear him tinkering or bashing away. He's pretty cool and we get along really well. He's mentioned the noise often and always tells me to make sure I tell him if it's too loud. But it never really is and even if it did, I'd probably let it pass as he doesn't get to play that often. Maybe once a month.

    All in all, I'm quite happy with the situation. I've been in worse situations when I was younger.

    But I have to say, I really do wish that just for a little while, I had my own space with no one around me so I can just play music into the early hours and not have to worry about disturbing anyone and having to use headphones.
     
    kevywevy and IanL like this.
  22. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    I can't remember the last time I lived somewhere where playing music loud was an issue. Thinking hard on it, I've only lived in an actual apartment one time where it might've been a problem.
     
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  23. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    Its horrible, in the summer and the windows are open those darn crickets with all their chirping and the fire flies flapping their wings. Just terrible!

    Seriously, when I had my first apartment the kid next door had horribly loud parties on the weekend. It wasn't interfering with the music it was sleeping!
     
    EasterEverywhere likes this.
  24. chervokas

    chervokas Senior Member

    I live in a house in the suburbs, my music room is partially below grade in the back of the house that backs up on quite wooded stretched of back yards the lots each are small but backed up together form a much largert, quiet space. While depending on the time of day or night I have my wife's comfort to consider in terms of volume or keeping the music room doors opened or closed, any sounds from outdoors or from neighbors and vice versa are not meaningful considerations for me. I don't know that I'd ever want to go back to apartment living.
     
    showtaper likes this.
  25. pdxway

    pdxway Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oregon, USA
    I am in a house. I frequently listen at peak of 100 dB during hours between 8 am til 9 pm. No complaints so far from my neighbors for more than a decade. My across the street neighbor said he can hear my music when he is outside. His comment was "blast away". : )
     
    SirMarc likes this.
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