mum always complains about my music... too loud, too bassy, bla bla bla... I'm making new speakers, almost done, that will be quite an improvement on my current ones... louder, and much warmer low end bass... anyway, what am I supposed to do? lol.. its a solid brick house, but with the door and windows closed you can clearly hear the music from the backyard (my room is at the FRONT of the house) I think that replacing the door with something thicker and "sealing" around it would be a good start.... all I want is to be able to listen to my music at the level I want, without the rest of the house having to listen too.. lol hehe
any ideas?
any ideas?
some suggestions from an architect:
add mass to the walls and ceiling by putting on another layer of gypsum board. seal all joints.
adding gasketing to the door should help (make sure you do the threshold as well as the head and jambs), but you need to go further: make sure there is NO air infiltration at all. (temporarily) remove all the base molding and trim around doors and windows, and caulk all the joints in the room. (re-install the molding, unless you really want to make your folks mad.)
also caulk around all wall penetrations such as power outlets, switches, and heating vents. if you have vents you might think about intalling a damper if there isn't already one.
if your windows are single-pane, replace them with double-pane glass. if that's not feasible, maybe adding a 'storm window' would help - just be sure it's installed with caulking or gasketing.
if you're really fanatical you can blow insulation into all your wall, ceiling, and floor spaces. (assuming there is something below the floor to hold the insulation.)
put down thick heavy carpet or a rug on the floor, to add mass.
if adding gyp board to the walls is too extreme for you, consider just hanging heavy wall tapestries on all 4 walls. serves dual purpose: adds mass for lowered sound transmission, and absorbs sound for lowered room reflectivity. (may or may not be totally desirable.)
/andrew - lives across the country from his folks
add mass to the walls and ceiling by putting on another layer of gypsum board. seal all joints.
adding gasketing to the door should help (make sure you do the threshold as well as the head and jambs), but you need to go further: make sure there is NO air infiltration at all. (temporarily) remove all the base molding and trim around doors and windows, and caulk all the joints in the room. (re-install the molding, unless you really want to make your folks mad.)
also caulk around all wall penetrations such as power outlets, switches, and heating vents. if you have vents you might think about intalling a damper if there isn't already one.
if your windows are single-pane, replace them with double-pane glass. if that's not feasible, maybe adding a 'storm window' would help - just be sure it's installed with caulking or gasketing.
if you're really fanatical you can blow insulation into all your wall, ceiling, and floor spaces. (assuming there is something below the floor to hold the insulation.)
put down thick heavy carpet or a rug on the floor, to add mass.
if adding gyp board to the walls is too extreme for you, consider just hanging heavy wall tapestries on all 4 walls. serves dual purpose: adds mass for lowered sound transmission, and absorbs sound for lowered room reflectivity. (may or may not be totally desirable.)
/andrew - lives across the country from his folks
Well, first of all (I'm sure you've heard this many times before), if it's loud enough for people in your back yard to hear it, it's loud enough to damage your hearing irreversably. That said, the volume levels you expose your ears to are your own business, not mine. First, rip out the crappy, paper-thin door that all bedrooms have, and replace it with a proper exterior door of either exterior wood or insulated steel/vinyl. Then add some weatherstripping around it. As for the windows, really heavy curtains should work pretty well (the type that block out the sunlight completely), and be less trouble than replacing the windows or adding storm windows. Next, you'll need to decouple your speakers from your floor (maybe sacrificing some bass response in the process, but it's a necessary evil sometimes). There are all sorts of ways to do that, so I'll leave that up to your imagination.
As for the walls, the low frequencies are going to get through almost anything, so unless you want to resort to drastic and expensive measures, you'll just have to hope the smaller fixes will do.
As for the walls, the low frequencies are going to get through almost anything, so unless you want to resort to drastic and expensive measures, you'll just have to hope the smaller fixes will do.
yeah, i realised the title was abit "misleading" after I had posted it.. 
lol
my walls are brick... I thought I had said that, but I musta forgotten.. lol and floor is wood, and there is a .5 - 1 metre gap under it with "dirt" below that.... the door really does need replacing.. lol the window is big... I really don't know what to do with it.. lol I think I heard my neighbours complaing about my music today.. heh
thanx for the suggestions
lolmy walls are brick... I thought I had said that, but I musta forgotten..
lol and floor is wood, and there is a .5 - 1 metre gap under it with "dirt" below that.... the door really does need replacing.. lol the window is big... I really don't know what to do with it.. lol I think I heard my neighbours complaing about my music today.. hehthanx for the suggestions
Another brick in the wall?! The reflections might be why you need to turn it up just to get some clarity on the direct sound. Considering the cost of fixes for such a live room, it might be cheaper to get your own place. Besides many potential GFs would rather be the only woman in your home at any given time.
ensen.
ensen.
If your really gonna replace the door, use a solid core door. Weather stripping helps. Enhancing the jam works better, you want a big heavy surface for the weather seal to but up against.
Ive used a lot of this stuff with OK results, but its expensive:
http://www.zeroplus.co.uk/intro.html
These work better, but cast as much as a Bryston 4B:
http://www.industrialacoustics.com/DOORS2.htm
Tough buggers to install correctly too.
Is any of the sound leaking under the floor? You might want to pack some insulation in the crawl space of this is the case.
If it can be done without cutting the support joists, a 1/4 “ slot in the floor back filled with neoprene can help the floor itself from transmitting sound out of the room.
You might also find some interesting thoughts in these threads:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23631&highlight=
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?
Ive used a lot of this stuff with OK results, but its expensive:
http://www.zeroplus.co.uk/intro.html
These work better, but cast as much as a Bryston 4B:
http://www.industrialacoustics.com/DOORS2.htm
Tough buggers to install correctly too.
Is any of the sound leaking under the floor? You might want to pack some insulation in the crawl space of this is the case.
If it can be done without cutting the support joists, a 1/4 “ slot in the floor back filled with neoprene can help the floor itself from transmitting sound out of the room.
You might also find some interesting thoughts in these threads:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23631&highlight=
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?
Da5id4Vz said:
Hmmm...Those blast doors should be adequate
. I looked at your room layout diagram, skinny, and I think that unless you want to get a door like that, you need to move that speaker away from the door. That would significantly cut down on the sound escaping through there. Also, having the speakers on oposing walls facing each other can lead to all sorts of interference, both destructive and constructive (probably both why you need high volume and why it's so audible elsewhere). To me, it looks like your best bet is to rearange your room so that your speakers are along the wall that is at the bottom of your picture, near the corners and with a slight toe-in. Doing this will cut down on the interference, especially if you add some heavy curtains over the windows. Replacing your door with a solid wood exterior door, and replacing the door frame, installing a threshold and weather stripping will keep the noise leakage to a minimum. Just be sure to leave your door open for a while from time to time to let the CO2 circulate out. If a whole new door and frame is too expensive, then just do the speaker relocation (free), and make a large canvas-covered panel of a few layers of nice, thick carpet padding (cheap), and cover your entire door with it, leaving just a hole for the knob, and then add some stick-on weatherstripping around the edge, and put in some sort of threshold (also cheap). If you find that you still get too much reflection from your brick walls, you may find some strategically placed wall-hangings or carpet squares helpful. If that doesn't work, you can either get full (fire retardant) recording studio grade acoustic isolation for your room, or use headphones.
Neighbourly Love...........
The ceiling is a big source of sound leakage.
Also pointing the speakers across the room as you have is asking for nodal troubles - much better to have both speakers against the same wall and pointing away from your mum and your neighbours.
Choice of music is important as regards neighbour and household complaints.
I used to have 500W+500W in my loungeroom, but I did choose what I played loud and when I played it loud.
Further if the system is sounding bad or boomy you will generate complaints.
In my case I even had a few people (neighbours) knocking on my door and asking if they could come in a have an inside listen !!!.
My criterion has always been to go to the footpath or back corner of the yard and take a listen to what sound is going over the fence - if it sounds good to the neighbours then you can usually get away with it, but if at all boomy or bad then you will get complaints quick smart.
Your alternative is of course headphones, but use good quality ones or you risk your hearing.
Eric.
The ceiling is a big source of sound leakage.
Also pointing the speakers across the room as you have is asking for nodal troubles - much better to have both speakers against the same wall and pointing away from your mum and your neighbours.
Choice of music is important as regards neighbour and household complaints.
I used to have 500W+500W in my loungeroom, but I did choose what I played loud and when I played it loud.
Further if the system is sounding bad or boomy you will generate complaints.
In my case I even had a few people (neighbours) knocking on my door and asking if they could come in a have an inside listen !!!.
My criterion has always been to go to the footpath or back corner of the yard and take a listen to what sound is going over the fence - if it sounds good to the neighbours then you can usually get away with it, but if at all boomy or bad then you will get complaints quick smart.
Your alternative is of course headphones, but use good quality ones or you risk your hearing.
Eric.
I rearranged my room, and am now quite disappointed with the lack of bass present at the point where I sit.. it was better before... yes... there does seem to be less noise escaping my room, but I want my bass back.. I discovered my other drawing wasn't too accurate, so some pieces of furniture had to be shrunk.. lol
edit: the speakers ARE angled.... just that I didn't draw it..
it was better before... yes... there does seem to be less noise escaping my room, but I want my bass back.. I discovered my other drawing wasn't too accurate, so some pieces of furniture had to be shrunk.. loledit: the speakers ARE angled.... just that I didn't draw it..
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