View Full Version : Does anyone get any abuse off their neighbours for playing DVDs too loud??
I was thinking today that i'm in a unique situation. I live in a terraced house and my neighbours to the right of me i don't get on with very well. In fact none of my family do. He's a complete tit who plays his music outrageously load. I mean LOUD, you can hear it two houses down. It always used to be a problem with me going round there telling him to shut the f up, especially as my Mum used to work nights.
Anyway that was until i got my Digitheatre and thought i could throw at him whatever he wants. I guess we're as bad as each other now as if he starts i'll put mine on. It's not so bad as it's kinda like an unspoken rule. He's never come round to me to complain but i KNOW he can here it, especially as he's bedroom is right next to mine.
Anyway as i was saying it's kind of a unique situation i'm in and one that would change if i was to move as at the moment i can play my movies reletively loud (although not as loud as him as i'm not a selfish prik).
Does anyone have any understanding neighbours or does your wanting to watch movies result in a neighbourly war??.
No, but I do off my house mates! :D :D :D :D
Richard2001
06-11-2001, 12:56
I got grief for playing Apollo 13 loud of all things. But the Sony HTK215 is a powerful piece of kit!
After I bought a Digitheatre I bought a detached house...
Anyway robby - I used to have the exact same situation a few years back, and ended up borrowing some seriously large speakers off a mate, facing them against the wall and belting computer game music through it at full volume whenever the next door neighbour put his TV or records on loud.
He soon got the hint, whereas previously knocking on the door and asking him to turn it down had got me precisely nowhere.
You know what seems to be the case? Old people are great. They can't hear that well and they always seem glad that someone else is making they're presence known. In addition cos they can't hear well, they've always got their telly's up loud anyway. In comparison I've seen younger professionals come around after a hard day's work, complaining if the tv's up fractionally loud.
Originally posted by jamesking420
No, but I do off my house mates! :D :D :D :D
Me too! :D
Especially Russ. his room is next to mine and the bass goes through the wall. It's not usually loud. When he puts his on (reare but when he does it's loud) i just crank the bass up on mine and then the volume. No contest! :D
My other half tended to get into these "their tv was too loud last night, so I turned up the music this morning. That'll teach 'em" woes at our last house.
Neither I, her, nor the neighbours got any joy from it. Fortunately (but probably unrelatedly) they moved.
Our new neighbours worked nights. That was top. They were never noisy in the evenings (as they were out) and we could make as much noise as we wanted in the day as 'its day ffsake.'
Oddly, I was always worried about disturbing them, though, and grabbed a detached house a few months back. Now I disturb the entire street, but everyone thinks its air/road traffic, delivery trucks, renovations, oil drilling, armageddon.
Of course, I still bug her senseless. But I don't care. I'm watching films. She's just asleep.
I live in a terraced house and was worried about the noise i'd make but fortunately the neighbours to the right work nights so are out and to the left they have moved out and it's empty. Better still a friend is moving into the vacant house so crank up the sub:)
I don't get any grief off the neighbours, but I do off the wife.
I don't think I play my moies too loud (I have a digitheatre DTS system, and turn the volume up to 4/10) but she always complains about it.
She should come round my mate's sometime - he plays his movies much louder than me!!
Creamstick
06-11-2001, 14:09
My neighbours frickin' well know better.
When I got my first pro-logic system (with a Subwoofer) I was living in a newly built flat.
I was very aware of the potential to annoy my neighbours (up, down as well as across) so I was very careful.
Until:
Some arsehole moved in the flat upstairs and across who played music soooo loud it ****** me off.
From then on I cranked up the sub and the volume whenever I could.
Few months later sold the flat for a neat profit and moved to our current semi-detached with much thicker walls and nice neighbours.:) Which suits the DD/DTS system I have now much better.
My dad is ultra noise sensitive so I am constantly having to turn it down. I can only watch action movies when he goes to my nans now!!
It's going to be a right nightmare trying to find a 'cheap' place were i can make as much noise as possible. Dammit why do my two favourite hobbies involve being excessively loud (DVD and Guitars):mad: :mad:
Think i'll buy myself a garage then i'll be sorted.:D
There used to be a cracking deal on decommissioned bunkers along the south coast. Concrete walls some 4 ft thick, isolated locations, sea views.
You'd have to get them power and heating of course. Maybe just power. Depends on how big your amp is...
A²
jon smith
06-11-2001, 16:41
Originally posted by jambo
You know what seems to be the case? Old people are great. They can't hear that well and they always seem glad that someone else is making they're presence known. In addition cos they can't hear well, they've always got their telly's up loud anyway. In comparison I've seen younger professionals come around after a hard day's work, complaining if the tv's up fractionally loud.
S'true. I live in a weird cul de sac surrounded by tons of old people. I can hear their TVs (those old 14 inchers sure do boom), but i've not had any complaints.
Blade Runner
06-11-2001, 16:42
It gets my parents quite upset. :argue:
How much does it cost to soundproof a room? I have no idea, my mate was saying that you can get sticky mats aimed a cars that do a reasonable job and he said they were about £1.50 per sq. foot!
Michael Mackenzie
06-11-2001, 18:28
I don't have a problem, but I usually don't have them that loud. However, when I watch a movie with my parents, it's a different story. My dad cranks up the volume just about full (and this is a full 5.1 set with speakers about half the height of the room!) and my mum gives us all grief.
wong fei hong
06-11-2001, 18:59
In my flat I'm surrounded on all but one side, and no-ones ever complained... even when I put the Beastie Boys Criterion on with the bass right up. And I danced around. And I weigh 16 stone (all muscle, natch). :D
On Friday I move out of the flat I rent and into my first property buy... part of a converted church. Now, it's not massive but the living room tapers up to about 30 foot (there's a second floor in the same room, like a gallery).
Will the acoustics I inherit from the design of the help or hinder my dts/5.1 joys? I have a Kenwood nv701... it has oomph, but it isn't super powerful by any stretch of the imagination.
My neighbours are complete and utter gits when it comes to sound....they bang on the wall whenever the tv is on, let alone if the amp is going (and I'm not talking the TV on loud either sort of 4 bars on a sony (those with sony's will know how quiet that is) and I'm straining to hear it in the same room......they always bang though.....they never come round and politely ask if we could turn it down....oh and if it helps people work out what sort of people they are....they have a lot in common with forum favourite Declan Swan
I can't say i'm familiar with Declan Swan so i don't understand the comparison. What are your neighbours like for noise, can you not pin any blame on them or are they ultra quite?. I feel sorry for you mate as it must seem pointless having an amp if you can't break it in when you want.
This is the one thing that worries me the most about moving as i know as i stand now i'm very lucky.
just the wife :argue: and son :D :D
Wolverine
07-11-2001, 00:45
Right now, i don't have any complaints. But i'll be moving to an apartment next year and i'm sure that there will be some idiot complaining about the volume.
It doesn't help that i like to listen to music very loud. And to make matters worse, i like metal music, which isn't exactly quiet. :D
But in three years time, i'll be moving again, this time to a small, almost country area, where i'll have a 3 floor house all to myself and my girlfriend (who happens to like the same stuff). Only then will i be able to set up my drum kit and blast away without someone knocking on my door asking me to turn it down.
I try my hardest not to upset other people with noise. I don't do much noise (if any at all) after 22:00h and in the morning. I just hate it when people complain in the middle of the afternoon.
Ok, rants over... :D
Lenny Nero
07-11-2001, 03:31
I just got this cool Sony thingie untill I move to my personal warehouse (yeah, I'm gona live in a 3 story high warehouse, I'm nuts). But for now, living in a condo and watching stuff mainly at 3am, this helps a lot:
http://www.techtronics.com/uk/images/audio-video/sony-mdr-ds5100.jpg
Virtual 5.1 DD & DTS with optical In, wireless, perfect sound.
I had a similar experience with the people upstairs, they had a kid who ran round all the time, not so bad. But the over-weight dad would always run after her. It really sounded like an elephant on heat :D .(And he loved his loud music)
So i got 5 full blown Mission speakers and a 100W amp :D :D :D
He got the message, and since he's quieten down quite a bit, which i turn the volume down a bit my self. So Basically, make just a bit more noise then they are and when they quieten then you quieten, but always just above the level they are :D
I think noise is turning into a bigger problem every year.
Improved technology and recession in Asia have made the Watts per Pound increase so much that even poor people can afford a powerful system :D
I used to live in a flat and it was a real pain having to keep the noise down while also having to put up with listening to doors banging, neighbours rowing etc., as well as other people's musical tastes (yuk!)
I am now fortunate enough to have a detached house, as it allows me to make as much noise as I like without having to listen to others. If I couldn't have my system cranked up for action movies it just wouldn't be the same, but I am a considerate person so if I do end up in a semi or terrace in future I will just have to get used to being quiet.
Ian Gray
07-11-2001, 11:42
I used to live in a semi-detached house. The neighbours there were sooooooooooo sensitive to noise. Knowing when next door were out became quite a game. They even banged on the wall on 31st Dec 1999 to complain about the small millenium party i was having....
Anyway I've now purchased the ultimate Home Cinema accesory, a detached house with double glazing..yipeeee.
;)
I live next door do an old lady who has never complained but then again I never play my films very loud. I am seriously thinking about building an extension with a soundproof room so I can 'really' watch my films.
I recently had some mates round to watch some films and ended up falling asleep (after quite a lot of Stella) whilst watching Predator in DTS. It was approaching 1AM when I woke up just as the scene where they 'destroy' the jungle was starting, but due to the alcohol I didn't make the connection between the level of volume and time of day (this was playing on a full Mission system with Yamaha amp and REL sub).
The next morning when I realised what I'd done I went round to apologise to my neighbour as I felt a bit bad. First of all he said that he thought the noise had been thunder and when I told him it was me he said 'Dont worry about it, you buy these things to enjoy them dont you!' How cool is my neighbour???!!!
danielod
07-11-2001, 13:37
Originally posted by Lenny Nero
http://www.techtronics.com/uk/images/audio-video/sony-mdr-ds5100.jpg
Virtual 5.1 DD & DTS with optical In, wireless, perfect sound. [/B]
How much did they cost?, they look very nice,
Dan
silverpenguin7
07-11-2001, 14:42
The only time I have ever been asked to turn it down was a few years back after I had just moved in to my new house. The great thing is, it wasn't next door who came knocking, or the people next to them....no no, I done it properly and had the guy 3 doors down banging on my door!! :argue:
He moved about 6 weeks after that but I doubt that was cos of me. He was an old guy so prob of to the country/seaside to retire.
Thankfully, I've never had another prob there or here at my gf's :cool:
Originally posted by Draven
he said 'Dont worry about it, you buy these things to enjoy them dont you!' How cool is my neighbour???!!!
:eek: :eek:
You're very lucky, maybe you should invite him round for a 'session' keep him even sweeter.
Jon Weaver
08-11-2001, 14:42
I have always been lucky.
I used to live in a terraced house and had friends round every Monday night.
Every week it got louder and later (films were finishing at 12:30-1am by the time I moved)..
Once I bumped into my neighbour who said that although it made her pictures rattle on the walls, she felt that I had a 'right' to do it.
After all, I lived there.. It was my house, and it wasn't very often (once a week not often...). They just accepted it as part of 'terraced life'.
Nice people...
I have sinced moved to a detached house which is great as none of my neighbours are in ear shot..
But its not all good news.. Whilst I don't offend people OUTSIDE.. My girlfriend doesn't like it up loud.. Not even slightly..
When I have friends round who want a demo of my new system, she just sits there looking stoney faced..
I feel like I have a stash of Porn.. I wait till she goes out, I get out my collection and go for it :)
Ian Gray
08-11-2001, 16:22
What is it with girlies and loud stuff ???
I like nothing more than to blow a few cobwebs away after a crappy shift at work, my wife on ther other prefers the cobwebs to stay put !!
Ian;)
Originally posted by Jon Weaver
I feel like I have a stash of Porn.. I wait till she goes out, I get out my collection and go for it :)
:D :D Haha, that made me laugh, i don't think you mean't that literally did you???:D
carrott_girl
08-11-2001, 19:23
No problems here. Maybe because the people in my block all think I'm the owner of a free cinema!!! :mad:
Originally posted by Draven
I recently had some mates round to watch some films and ended up falling asleep (after quite a lot of Stella) whilst watching Predator in DTS. It was approaching 1AM when I woke up just as the scene where they 'destroy' the jungle was starting...
The next morning when I realised what I'd done I went round to apologise to my neighbour as I felt a bit bad. First of all he said that he thought the noise had been thunder ...
:D :D :D :D
You obviously didn't have it up loud enough, he'd have thought it was the end of the frigging world if it'd been on full blast!
Well I live in a back-2-back terrace house, I get on great with my neighbours on both sides but the bloke behind is begining to get on my nerves.
I think he has recently moved in, past 6 months or so, never met him myself but one of my neighbours went round to complain cos his music was too loud and he started to behave.
But over time he is getting worse and im sure he's got a new DTS system or some amp and invested in a DVD player. Problem is that he usually listens/watches stuff when he gets in from the pub and then has it on full blast until the very early hours of the morning and this is not restricted to weekends.
Im very tempted to call in the Environmental health but it's a case of not knowing how loud I have my system sometimes!!
Now Im probably jealous as Ive only got Dolby Prologic but that's mainly because it is such a small room and because I have neighbours that I havent gone out and spent my hard earn cash on a better system, I will do this when I move in a bigger and better house (at least semi-detached).
Anyway, thats my moan over, but it would be funny if he was forum member as well!! :D :D (if this story sounds familiar - let me know!)
gertrude
09-11-2001, 15:38
Originally posted by saigon
<snip>they have a lot in common with forum favourite Declan Swan
erm declan swan = speck little git = money grabber = pretend solicitors as neighbours = people with heads up bum
correct?
On a similar note to rfawley where i used to live we were all terraced front and back and some tit thought it would be really good to play their music by putting their speakers out side their window and sit them on his windowsill. :confused: :confused:
Never understood that one.:D
tigurrgh
09-11-2001, 21:15
okay... who else admits buying a house with the plus point being you can have your amp on as loud as you like???
and how many people took it into consideration when deciding??
go on... you know you did....secretly, in passing, without telling the missus? I did :D and very nice it will be, if they finally sign the damn contract!! :mad:
Originally posted by tigurrgh
okay... who else admits buying a house with the plus point being you can have your amp on as loud as you like???
and how many people took it into consideration when deciding??
go on... you know you did....secretly, in passing, without telling the missus? I did :D and very nice it will be, if they finally sign the damn contract!! :mad:
Bugger 'secretly', getting a detached house was an A1 priority. The DTS system had something to do with that but more important was avoiding noisy neighbours...
ProgressiveScan
10-11-2001, 15:51
I *know* the whole street can hear my baby Yammy blowing off - I've got my HT setup in the loft - but I don't care, my parents aren't on good terms with the neighbours to the right of us, but are worried about the new ones who've moved in next door, but they're never there and we've had a visit from the police about them on an unrelated matter (someat to do with an alleged car fraud I think), so stuff 'em.
Oh, we're in semi-detached land.
Like Me i found the best way is to invite the Moaners round and everyones happy,Soon got fed up with this and bought a Detached now at least i can sit exactly where i like and the neighbours "******* EM"
THX.:clap:
Chief Wiggum
13-07-2004, 15:51
Thought I'd dig this one up as I may be moving into a flat soon and wondered what problems people have with playing DVDs through a home theatre set up in flats.
Does the noise generally tend to travel and is the main thing just trying to ensure you keep the bass down?
God nearly 3 years ago. Are you moving into ground floor?
Brian_JD
13-07-2004, 16:07
Moderation and variation is the key imo, don't go putting on a blockbuster
on every night.And those levels :eek: who really needs to wack them up
so's the whole street can hear what you're playing(exhibitionists anybody!)
oh..unless you're partially deaf of course :wave:
I have to be really carefull in my house becuase the walls are soooo thin and I'm a kind and considerate person.
I've had a powerful home theatre system in a flat for several years, with no complaints so far; my upstairs neighbours also have a system which I've had to complain about a couple of times. We live in a converted building in a Victorian terrace, so thick walls but thin floors. Here are some tips which have worked for me:
* mid and high frequency sounds travel mostly upwards
* bass travels mostly downwards
* if you are willing to lift floorboards or take down ceilings (maybe because you are installing cabling for your system :D) then you can put sound insulation materials in - I have the floor cavity stuffed with 'Rockwool' (not expensive) which helps with the bass frequencies; I also have installed studio quality insulating board ("Instacoustic" is the brand name - again, the actual material is not expensive) beneath my floorboards
* if you are listening loud, close windows and curtains - especially if looking out onto a 'lightwell' or another hard surface which sound will bounce off - it is antisocial to play your music/DVDs so loud that you force your neighbours to shut their own windows
* similarly, try to close the door between your living room and your hall, so there are two doors between you and the common parts - you'd be surprised how much noise travels out the front door and up or down the stairwell. If you're disturbing your own family by your viewing habits, replacing the living room door with something more solid could be a very cost-effective upgrade.
* try to work out a pattern of when your neighbours are likely to be in or out - if your neighbours work in the day and lights out at 11 pm then they are not going to appreciate it if you start watching Saving Private Ryan for the nth time at 11.30pm
* if possible, try to work out where your neighbours' living rooms and bedrooms are relative to your own (and place loudspeakers accordingly) - they are not so likely to mind if they hear your DVDs in their living room, but if they can hear them in their bedroom or, even worse, their children's bedroom then watch out
* in general, it would be considered extremely anti-social to play DVDs that are audible outside your flat after midnight, except maybe on Friday and Saturday nights
* try turning off the subwoofer, and/or standing your front speakers on cushions, to reduce bass late at night
* many amps have a "Late Night" mode for DD5.1 soundtracks, which amplifies the quietest sounds (so you don't need to turn the volume up so much) while reducing the loudest sounds - it works well on my amp and does not ruin the experience
* it is also a good idea to turn up the relative volume of the Centre speaker while keeping the overall volume low - so you can hear the dialogue easily without the music being a nuisance to your neighbours - in any case, many DD5.1 soundtracks have the Centre speaker mixed too low (maybe because cinemas have two or more centre speakers??)
* if planning a particularly loud movie, invite your neighbours too - it is much harder to complain about something you've been invited to
* if there are complaints, try to deal with them amicably and work out a compromise
* if your neighbours are parents of young children, and you have woken the children up in the night by playing your system too loud, then abject apologies and copious and extravagant gifts are the only answer - or you could offer to do some babysitting, that always goes down well (it would give you a good excuse to watch Monsters Inc anyhow ...)
If nothing else works, have you tried headphones - there are some good models around and it can often give you a very immersive experience (try watching Aliens or Event Horizon late at night on headphones with the volume turned up). Don't bother with 5.1 surround headphones (pointless) or most models of cordless headphones (poor audio quality and interference) - you'd be better off with a good set of full-size closed-back phones with a long cable like professional DJs wear.
Chief Wiggum
13-07-2004, 17:47
God nearly 3 years ago. Are you moving into ground floor?
It was only on the 3rd/4th page of the search, so I didn't have to dig too far. :)
Thanks for the responses.
I'll be renting and not definately moving into a flat, but the likelihood is that I will because of the costs.
I don't tend to watch films much past 10 anyway, so that shouldn't be too much of an issue.
The Late Night mode cm-9 mentions is a good idea, I'm sure my Yamaha has one. I wouldn't be playing films at daft levels anyway, I was trying to work out how much compromise I'd have to make if I did move into a flat.
Blimey this is an old thread. I don't even remember posting it.
Must have been a wee nipper back when i posted that.
Still got me digitheatre tho'. Sound investment. boom boom.
BigDavie2000
14-07-2004, 08:12
The lass in the flat below mine used to complain all the time about me and my flatmate making too much noise (mostly him as I work nights). Then one night she decided to set her flat alight and sit in the flames. The details of her rescue I have posted on here before. After her flat was fixed up she moved back in and was soon back at our door to complain. She mentioned something about being rude to play music so loud. I replied along the lines that it was not as rude as trying to kill your neighbours so don't come back until I have crossed your level of rudeness. She hasn't complained since.
When I first got my Pioneer system, I tried Matrix and U-571 cranked up real loud.
Next day I called in on the neigbours to see if I disturbed them...they didnt hear a thing :)
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.