[EJcal]

Could use some help on this one. I have a Hsu VTF-15H that I simply love...it rocks my living room. I currently live in a condo, but there are only garages below me and no nearby common walls to my theater setup and my neighbors have never complained of the sound or vibration.


I'm considering a move to a different condo that has neighbors downstairs....can anyone shed light on whether the VTF will be useable with someone living below?


Thanks,

 

[shadyJ]

You certainly won't be able to crank it up when there are people below you. It may still be useful, but only at moderate output. If you wanted to keep using it, I would place it very close to the listening position, that way it doesn't have to be turned up as loud for you to hear it as well. I would keep it around so you have some bass. Since deep bass is what penetrates walls the easiest, turn the Q control to .3 to tone the deep bass down a bit. You might also just use it in sealed mode, that will shave off a lot of deep bass, especially if you set the operating mode to EQ 2 in sealed mode.

 

[Bill Fitzmaurice]



Quote:
Originally Posted by EJcal  /t/1522913/condo-subwoofer#post_24492269


I'm considering a move to a different condo that has neighbors downstairs....can anyone shed light on whether the VTF will be useable with someone living below?

In the same complex? Play a movie at normal volume and go listen in the garage to gauge how much bleed through you can expect.

 

[EJcal]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Fitzmaurice  /t/1522913/condo-subwoofer#post_24492569


In the same complex? Play a movie at normal volume and go listen in the garage to gauge how much bleed through you can expect.

No, it is not the same complex, but I can hear mine in the garage downstairs...

 

[EJcal]



Quote:
Originally Posted by shadyJ  /t/1522913/condo-subwoofer#post_24492364


You certainly won't be able to crank it up when there are people below you. It may still be useful, but only at moderate output. If you wanted to keep using it, I would place it very close to the listening position, that way it doesn't have to be turned up as loud for you to hear it as well. I would keep it around so you have some bass. Since deep bass is what penetrates walls the easiest, turn the Q control to .3 to tone the deep bass down a bit. You might also just use it in sealed mode, that will shave off a lot of deep bass, especially if you set the operating mode to EQ 2 in sealed mode.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

If the new condo is in a wood frame building there's going to be significant bass bleed through. The only construction that really holds the bass is concrete.

 

[cbales24]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Fitzmaurice  /t/1522913/condo-subwoofer#post_24494448


If the new condo is in a wood frame building there's going to be significant bass bleed through. The only construction that really holds the bass is concrete.

We live in a 3-unit townhouse where we are attached on one side, home theater is going in the basement. However, their basement is unfinished so they're never down there.


In addition, the walls separating the units are supposedly lined with material that would prevent fire from spreading (don't know the specifics on the material).


Would we be ok or will our neighbors hear the bass? Would we be safer using a sub that only goes down to 32 or 25 Hz?

 

[Bill Fitzmaurice]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cbales24  /t/1522913/condo-subwoofer#post_24495046


Would we be ok or will our neighbors hear the bass?

There's no way to anticipate whether they'll hear it or not. But being in the basement you can easily add sheet rock to the wall; that will significantly reduce transmission. Two additional layers of 5/8" isn't quite the equivalent of a concrete wall, but it would help quite a bit if necessary.

 

[MemX]

If you were willing to lose perhaps a foot on the room dimensions, you could build a concrete block wall spaced away from the wall behind it that adjoins the neighbours, and fill the gap with something like sand or another inert material that absorbs pressure waves.


I have no idea how you'd tie it to the wall behind for safety (so it didn't fall over!) and it would be a considerable undertaking that may well still not eliminate all bass transfer due to transfer through the soil and the rest of the building structure, but I just thought I'd throw the crazy hat in the ring