Neighbor complains - he lives in a pre-made home

[Destroyer OS.]

My neighbor always says my bass (well usually only when something with bass kick drum is going) is thumping his walls. When it is in the middle of the day I usually just want to say **** your walls. However I would like to not make a bad relationship with the neighbor.

My living room has NO other option for placement of speakers. I have two forward firing and ported forward subwoofers.

There is one room behind it, then 10-20ft between our places.

The big problem is he has a pre-made home that is probably made out of 2x2s and absorbs everything under the sun. He considers himself sensitive to bass. He can never hear the music, only feel the bass. At night, on the right nights, he thinks it all comes from some bar/club/****box nearby and it does, so I can just add in to it. However during the day I want to listen to my music.

I was told maybe sound board, like they use in walls would work, just somewhere between my room and his place, probably behind my listening chair and the massive painting that is wood and on 2x4s to hold it up. I have no idea where you buy sound board. I have no idea what the real name is.. I have heard estimates of 4x8ft sheets for $8 or abouts... It does not exists as far as I know.

Whatever I do it needs to be *** **** cheap. I have next to no money.

[scott wurcer]

A 2X6 equvalent wall built with double offset 2X4 construction is what is often recommended. Then snake standard insulation as a complete barrier (so that mechanically there is no connection from one side to the other). Air tightness helps too. Bass propagates by brute force.

[Cal Weldon]

I hope you get the answers you need but I gotta ask you to not use coarse language no matter how #@$%&*! off you are about your neighbour. I hate editing by hand.

Thank you.

[Cal Weldon]

Originally posted by scott wurcer
Bass propagates by brute force.

Yup, the offset stud wall works well to cancel the transmission.

[star882]

Insulate *your* house with blown-in insulation. That might be enough to solve the problem.

[Destroyer OS.]

Thanks for the suggestion. I rent from a friend and am not sure I can re-do a wall in it. Perhaps I could make a wall out in the yard though...

I am also not responsible for people sensitive to non-four-letter words when put into not obscene, lower language terms. If that is going to be edited I would request that everything environmentally and homosexually that is on the same level be edited as well.

[Cal Weldon]

Check your email

[tvi]

This might give you some ideas?
budget mlv sound proofing

Regards
James

[Destroyer OS.]

That MLV sure is not cheap. Unfortunately there is no real easy access to the inside of the wall because the attic has blown in insulation that makes a mess if you try to open the door to it.

I considered maybe constructing some sort of container that is around 15ft wide and 10ft tall, or just to the window of the room behind the living room, and buying a truck load of sand or two to fill it. The reason is that I would almost only be paying for the sand. I might be able to pull off getting the materials real cheap for a container, or even make it out of pallets that are free around town and just use a tarp to contain the sand.

I guess in no way would it be attractive.

[kevinkr]

Perhaps measuring the spl level at his location with a cheap Radio Shack sound pressure meter would help you to determine just how loud the bass is, it might be possible that reducing the levels at your end by just a couple of dB might be acceptable, it is also possible that legally this fellow doesn't have a leg to stand on. Given your lack of funds some more negotiation seems reasonable.

Adding another layer of drywall in your listening room is going to be about as effective as anything you can do, the more complex wall structures described in previous posts will help more, however to be effective you must do walls, ceiling and if insufficiently rigid, the floor as well..