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sandbags as soundproofing

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damonster
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Hi,I live in a semi detatched house ,with neighbours who are semi retired.I like my music quite loud ,normally about 11 oclock on the dial .but if I turn it up above the 9 oclock mark the neighbours complain about the bass noise going through their living room wall .my speakers sit near both corners of the room .about 2 foot away from the side walls and 1 foot from the rear wall ,toed in slightly.I am seriously considering building. Sandbags in an L shape around my speakers to the same height as them and coming out level to the side of them .would this dampen the sound reverberating through next doors walls or would I have to do the whole wall.(which is obviously a no go with the missus ) .any advise would be welcome.thanks!

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Overdose
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

How about soundproofing your wall with some panels or sheeting? Try soundproofing specialists.

Also try to have a chat with your neighbours to determine what they can actually hear and at what listening level. You could then work out an approximate volume level that you know will be safe until you can soundproof your room.

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Sizzers
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

hahaha Not laughing at you but just love the sheer ingenuity!!!

I may very well be proved wrong but I have never heard/read of that as a solution, but hey, sand and bags are cheap so why not give it a go? Logic suggests it would be a good solution, but not so sure I would want my living room looking like a World War I trench!

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Hi-FiOutlaw
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

and when floods occur you'll be safe

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plastic penguin
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

damonster wrote:

Hi,I live in a semi detatched house ,with neighbours who are semi retired.I like my music quite loud ,normally about 11 oclock on the dial .but if I turn it up above the 9 oclock mark the neighbours complain about the bass noise going through their living room wall .my speakers sit near both corners of the room .about 2 foot away from the side walls and 1 foot from the rear wall ,toed in slightly.I am seriously considering building. Sandbags in an L shape around my speakers to the same height as them and coming out level to the side of them .would this dampen the sound reverberating through next doors walls or would I have to do the whole wall.(which is obviously a no go with the missus ) .any advise would be welcome.thanks!

LOL. I don't know...rolling on the floor laughing Sorry not taking the 'rise' - one of the funniest posts I've read in ages.

BTW, how are the speakers settling in?

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damonster
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

A bit of low lighting ,I think it could be quite a nice feature .you can get some white heavy duty poly ones rather than hessian. Smile .would it be worth while doing ? Always come in handy for rising sea levels also . help, I`m sinking

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Alears
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

Tried headphones?

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the record spot
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

I assume you're single...   Smile

 

As someone who enjoyed a detached property for three years and made full use of it, I'd suggest finding somewhere with thick concrete walls as a preference.  

 

And do consider your neighbours feelings too; I've had the misfortune of noisy neighbours over the years and its no fun.  When you want to crank it, get some headphones.

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damonster
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

You will all be trying it next .ha ha .

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Sizzers
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

damonster wrote:
You will all be trying it next .ha ha .

Believe me, if mine wasn't a bedroom set-up I would. Just don't fancy ripping up the floorboards to bag them up too!

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damonster
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

Hi Pp .I love them ,its taken me a while to get there.But i think I have finally found what I was after. On reading up i thought these would be quite bass light .I find them to have a nice solid punchy bass and are fast and musical with plenty of detail .very clean sounding not dominated by bass as I was getting with my floorstanders.what more could I ask for ,apart from sandbags .

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Hi-FiOutlaw
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing
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Gazzip
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RE: sandbags as soundproofing

I deal with these situations all the time in my day job, (director of pow architects).

The problem you need to overcome is two fold. The first is airbourne sound transfer. This is best dealt with by building a false wall in front of, (and not attached to. You need to leave a gap), your existing wall. I studs with two layers of acoustic Soundbloc board on your side should do.

Your second issue is impact sound transferring through the floor/ceiling joists in to your neighbours property. If your joists run parallel to the wall in question, (floor boards at 90 degrees to the wall), then you don't really have a major problem. If your joists are bearing on to the Party Wall then you need to deal with the flanking.

Do a google search for "Robust Details" for more detailed info. These are construction details specifically designed to deal with your problem. There are also Robust Details to help reduce vertical, (through the floor/ceiling), sound transference.

As for the sand bags? You would need to go floor to ceiling and make sure there is a gap between them and the offending wall.

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