Subwoofer torture

February 19, 2003

Editor,

I am writing to you out of desperation. I have an upstairs neighbor who has an entertainment center with subwoofers. Numerous times I have had to march upstairs and ask him to turn his music down. He never seems to get the message, and it sounds like I'm living under a freaking airline runway where explosive charges are set off every 30 seconds. The landlord is getting involved in this, as his reluctant compliance has turned to animosity, and if that doesn't produce results, the police are the next step.

I'm trying to be diplomatic in this situation. I realize that being in an apartment is a unique situation. While my right to "quiet enjoyment," as often termed in noise ordinances, is legally recognized, I'm trying to recognize that he should be able to enjoy his entertainment center. Never having been one for loud music like many of my friends, I also recognize that my hearing is probably more acute than that of many young adult males.

While I'd prefer not to have to hear it, I tolerate the constant rumble of the bass during most of the day, because I recognize that it'll be hard for him to use his center without my hearing it. There are two things I feel are reasonable to expect:

(1) To not hear his TV/music at insane levels (so loud that I cannot hear my own TV and objects in my apartment are rattling), and

(2) To not hear his TV/music in my bedroom after 11 PM as outlined by our city's noise ordinances.

There are two features of the subwoofer's placement that I assume are contributing to the level of sound transferred into my apartment:

(1) The subwoofer sits on the floor of his apartment, which is my ceiling, and

(2) The center rests against the wall where the air-system duct work runs between the living room and bedroom in the apartment floorplan.

I would rather be able to strike a balance between the two of us, wherein he can use his entertainment center within reasonable volumes and I don't have to endure it disrupting my sleep. Is there anything I could suggest that would help block the sound between the apartments? Will raising the subwoofer off of the floor help? Would putting something between it and the wall where the air ducts run help?

Signed,

Sleepless in Missouri

You are fighting a couple of battles here. With regard to subwoofer placement, it is helpful to understand how a subwoofer works, and frankly, this is the bad news. A subwoofer that is operating correctly will couple to room boundaries, effectively transferring their energy, which is very low bass, to the walls and floor. Low frequencies -- those produced by subwoofers -- are felt rather than heard. This means that for your neighbor to "get" what the subwoofer is supposed to produce, especially with movies, it has to do some shaking and rumbling of room boundaries (floors and walls, or in your case, the ceiling). It does, however, sound like the volume may be excessive.

I really don't see much other to do than to pursue the avenue you're on now. You mention that he is a young male and watches movies in the daytime as well as night. I can't help but wonder if he is a student or unemployed! He sounds like he may be an audio/video reviewer! Seriously, I hope a reasonable situation can be worked out. It sounds as if you've been more than reasonable, as evidenced by this letter seeking a solution. I only wish I had a solution for you! Good luck, and let us know how it turns out....Jeff Fritz