Apartment denizen needs advice

[aussersein]

Folks,

I live on the second floor of a two story apartment built in the fifties. Below me lives an elderly couple who are always home and usually in bed by eight pm. Between my floor and their ceiling is wood, paint, air and carpet - nothing else. The first time I turned my system up to what I would call a medium volume, the gentleman below knocked on my door and asked me to turn it down. Since then, I've had to listen to music at woefully soft levels. My little Montages aren't allowed to sing!

I don't listen to bass-heavy music (The Beta Band, Magnetic Fields or Caribou might be the bassiest I regularly play); can anyone offer a good, non-permanent way to increase the difference between what I hear and what my downstairs neighbors hear (aside from moving out)?

Thanks, and apologies if this topic has been covered in some other thread.

 

[FISH_MAN]

that's a real bummer

I live in a townhouse all be it a very nice one it is still physically connected to my neighbors and that blows! it is the perfect bachelor pad for me but upon moving in after setting up my Martin logans next think you know my neighbor is over complaining.that is what inspired the listening room or home theater it is above my garage and I have done my best to sound proof it and it works great it is very physically separated from the neighbors.I could go on and on about this in detail's of construction and so forth but do not want to bore you.I have done more reading on sound proofing (really sound reduction there is no such thing as sound proofing aside from a vacuum ) I could talk for hours. here is the problem they expect the sound level to be undetectable at all times and that is unreasonable in my opinion there is things that my neighbors do that bother me like let there kids scream at the top of their lungs outside in the morning and wake me up but I would never complain because we all have to live together but for some reason people think they have some God given wright to complain about the smallest amount of music being played for a short period of time and the law always seems to favor these idiots.I can offer a multitude of solutions but each one will only give you couple more ticks on your volume knob.this is like a prison for an audiophile and I will say once again that I feel for you.just remember that low mid range and bass migrates easily and will almost always try to outflank anything you do.the really only thing you could do is rip up the carpet and put down a small thin layer if felt and then on top of that some mass loaded vinyl 1lb per square foot then the best carpet pad money can buy and the the thickest carpet pile just remember mass mass mass. good luck and feel free to pm me if necessary.I really think that the mass loaded vinyl on the floor under the carpet will help a great deal.

 

[jtwrace]

Below me lives an elderly couple

they will be moving out soon...no need for you to move.

 

[Bernard]

Trade apartments with the elderly couple.

 

[FISH_MAN]

offer a hundred bucks a month to play to your hearts content till 10pm.they probably will not go for that though and it would suck to have to pay them to be be quite.

 

[jtwrace]

have your significant other take them to bingo once a week while you sit in ML heaven.

 

[aussersein]

Thanks everyone!