A wee dilemma at C_G Towers …

I live in a Victorian terraced house. My neighbours on one side are partial to getting pissed and playing godawful music way too loud at 2am. SO far, reason, polite requests, banging on the wall and shouting have had no effect. We have decided that producing a child will probbaly be the best way to get our own back…. 😀

OK, serious answer:

It will be *slightly* better for next door if you move the speakers to the opposite wall (mainly because of the dissipation of some of the bass).

Best, however, is to accept that, at certain times of the day, headphones are king.

Go to a hifi shop and listen to a decent pair. I mean something that costs a minimum of £100, preferably £250, and if you're serious, some Stax (the cheapest Stax come in at around £400 IIRC). Then, to go with your phones, buy a decent headphone amplifier.

You'll have sound so good, you'll wonder why you bother with loudspeakers at all.

Mark – it says DM600 on the back of the speaker. Mean anything? So … did you receive any complaints then?

Yeah, nice little speaker those DM600's. Basically a mini stand mount version of my lumbering great DM603 Floorstanders. Capable of driving music at a decent volume, but at least you won't have to contest with the levels of bass that I had to…

Did I get any complaints? Only one, and to be fair that was when I hadn't realised the time… I lived with and next to other students pretty much my whole time at uni, as long as I wasn't making noise after about 10pm nobody seemed too bothered.

Cordless Phones are bloomin expensive indeed, why not just buy a decent pair of corded ones with a long cord?

Wooden floors ? If they have builders in they may have carpets out which makes it worse. If you have wooden / stripped floors – even worse again!

If you want some headphones then some SENNHEISER ORPHEUS at £10K may help the neighbours (but prob not your hearing long term).

pop round to MrNutts, borrow his sheeps head thingy and go introduce yourself as the local witches coven and invite them to next meet……(not for one minute suggesting you are witchy in any way shape or form)….but if they are renting they may not stop that long especially if you pop on some maiden and wander round garden late at night with flowng gowns holding sheep thing to the skys……get one of them blood capsules from that rugby team, that'll do the job.

I've probably had too much to drink this evening and you may wish to consider this option in the cold light of day. I will, before offering anymore advice.

Line your walls with egg boxes. Sorted.

CG Towers does not have a 'floating floor' already? Where do you hold balls?

edit/ Oops! 😳

Play some death/grind/whatever metal too loud for a while and then change to your usual stuff. They WILL be very happy (if not, repeat the metal bit till they learn).

CG – Do what I do – Wait until you know the neighbours are out, then REALLY get them speakers bouncing. Not just loud, but LOUD!! 😀

Think QUALITY, not QUANTITY!

I take it you've noticed my Mission floorstanders? 😉

CG Im not going to read any of the advice above as it will probably be inane/childish.

Play your guitar in their front garden in just your Bikini. Sorted. I'd be your best neighbour if you did that to me. 8)

If they come round and say anything about loud music, claim that you can't hear anything at all (you were quietly reading). Also mention that the 'lovely chap who was tragically murdered and dismembered in the new tenant's house 2 years ago was into rock music and often played it loud when he was alive. Also mention that a strange red patch appears and dissapears on your wall occasionally and that it only started after the murder.

I think most reasonable people realise there will be some sound spillage when you live in any form of attached housing. The crux of the matter usually would be when and for how long you play your music.

I used to get all sorts of complaints from my old neighbours when I, or the band, used to practice in my cellar. In the end they got the police involved. However, when the police turned up, just as we were packing up (at 9pm), they considered that we were being reasonable and were not causing a nuisance. I know the police no longer get involved in this kind of stuff and that it is, I think, now an enviromnmental health matter I am pretty sure 'reasonableness' is still relevant.

With regard to using headphones as an alternative I would advise against doing so on a regular basis, especially if you like your music loud. As someone who has suffered 'noise induced hearing loss' as a result of playing, and listening to, loud music they only make matters worse. Too much pressure too close to the eardrum!

Wireless headphones, but as souldrummer says, keep an eye on the volume. I have a little wireless headphone gizmo I got in the US, so can use any headphones wireless. Conected up to some Grado SR60s (cheap in the US, a bit more pricey over here) and sounds pretty decent. Better than any of the wireless phones that were around when I got them (maybe 8 years ago). Good luck whatever you decide – been on the receiving end of neighbourly music abuse and if you NEED to sleep (inflexible work hours that preclude too many late nights) it's pretty miserable. Impressed you are being considerate – kudos.

air space is the best noise killer…ie be detached.if you are attached you just cant be noisy.so.. big thick walled shed.gargae to have bikes and speakers in or ..headphones

What Fopster said. Just remember their quality of life too and try to be reasonable. We moved house to get rid of the noise from a neighbour (he couldn't help the idiot property developer he bought from had stripped all sound insulation). Luckily we didn't own the place so could just sod off but I have a feeling if I owned it we'd have come to blows or had the police/council/solicitors involved. As it was he avoided me like the plague after one too many 5am visits in my night wear (i.e. just undies) to tell him to keep the bloody noise down.

Thanks for all the replies, both sensible and not!

In all seriousness, I have no intention of being the neighbour from hell and will lower the volume once they move in. Will try moving speakers as well but both my floor and next door's are laminate so that will not help.

Trouble is I've been spoiled from spending decades living in a detached house but life changes …

As for you hora suggesting I play guitar in a bikini 😯 Now there's an idea 😉

You can try hanging a throw on the adjoining wall in your listening room that always helps especially if you leave an inch or so between the throw and the wall as they are surprisingly absorbent.

Facing the speakers the other way won't do very much I'm afraid as sound propogates in all directions.

Bass sounds tend to propogate more than mid and treble but it sounds like your floor may be concrete under the laminte so it should be less of an issue.

Basically you have to absorb the sound in some way, soft furnishings, rugs, book shelves and wall hangings all help but really there is very little you can do.

Headphones are most likely the best option but you might get lucky the tenants might be hard of hearing!

As for you hora suggesting I play guitar in a bikini Now there's an idea

Something tells me you playing the guitar like that would sell millions of records 😀

but you might get lucky the tenants might be hard of hearing!

you mean harder of hearing than c-g ? THAT is the question, whether tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of offensive music… etc

Perhaps CG could offer her neighbours fifteen minutes of her sounds of passion in exchange for an hour of music at a volume of her choice.

I am assuming a lot here aren't I.

Oh well.