Quote:
Originally Posted by
hyperbolian 
i live in a condo with sound proofing problems and i'm trying to move the sound as far away from the wall my tv is on as possible.
i was wondering if it would work to get high quality 2.1 front speakers and place them directly on the left and right side of the sofa pointing towards the listeners, or if this would sound weird somehow?
thanks for any advice you can offer
For typical speakers in typical rooms, the sound level cant drop more than 3dB once you get beyond 2-4' from the speakers. Practically speaking that's not significant.
If you own the condo, reduce your sound transmission problems. While not cheap it'll be a lot less expensive than what you'll spend to move some place without problems if you do the work yourself. Simple things can cause problems, like the drywall guys jacking the drywall up to make a nice seam at the ceiling and leaving a hole at the bottom which gets covered by baseboard. A 1/16" crack at the bottom can increase sound transmission 10dB.
If not, isolation platforms under the sub and speakers (could be a piece of wood on carpet instead of spikes) to reduce structure borne vibrations, dynamic compression (aka midnight mode), and keeping the sub woofer cross-over but turning off the sub will help.
Talk to your neighbors. Find out what the actual laws are about sounds penetrating into other units. Most towns have actual SPL limits at the property line and/or in other units.
Find out when the unit was built and what building codes were in effect at that time. Modern building codes specify allowable sound transmission (ex, party walls designed for STC50, actual measured STC of 45 permissible). If the statutes of limitations haven't expired you might talk to your HOA about suing the builder (I owned a property in a complex where they sued and got a few million dollars in work done to fix drainage problems).
