Ideas for sound dampening

Hi, guys. I'm not really sure where in the hell I would post this but I thought I'd start here since it's one of the few places I go to every day.

I am currently living in a shitty little apartment and while I love have a subwoofer for my gaming, I was made aware that my neighbors can hear the thumps and pounds more than I'd like. I'm not sure what I can do to help curb a lot of the noise (and before you suggest it, turtle beaches and stuff like that are both hard for me financially right now and it doesn't take long before headphones get uncomfortable for me). Any ideas what to do?

If you know of a better place to ask, please let me know!

Darkpaul said:

Hi, guys. I'm not really sure where in the hell I would post this but I thought I'd start here since it's one of the few places I go to every day.

I am currently living in a shitty little apartment and while I love have a subwoofer for my gaming, I was made aware that my neighbors can hear the thumps and pounds more than I'd like. I'm not sure what I can do to help curb a lot of the noise (and before you suggest it, turtle beaches and stuff like that are both hard for me financially right now and it doesn't take long before headphones get uncomfortable for me). Any ideas what to do?

If you know of a better place to ask, please let me know!

Click to expand...

as long as you're not overly loud and not doing at times when people may be sleeping, you might be within your rights. Id check with landlord and your renters legal rights. You don't want to be ass but you should not have to live like a mouse due to someone else wants you to. Don't go in looking fir a fight. Find out your rights, check you lease etc. information like that is free. Good luck!

However, you may try some audio soundproofing. Check diyaudio.com.

I turn down the subwoofer volume and bass on my receiver and have the speakers on tables or stands.  Seems to work well enough in the apartment I've been in for the past 4 years as I haven't had a complaint when gaming or watching a movie.  If I feel a vibration on the floor, then I'll also turn down the volume.  

I also bought one of those dds 7.1 boxes made by Turtle Beach off of Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Force-Channel-Surround-Processor-Xbox-360/dp/B003O0KICS

And a cheap but good pair of headphones off of Monoprice.  http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=8323 I find them to be very comfortable and I have a XL sized head.  If you need a pair with a built in mic, they have these which are more expensive but also have great reviews.  http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=12230

You'll also need a digital audio cable to output sound to the dds box from whatever you're using.  

ChiefBrody1027 said:

as long as you're not overly loud and not doing at times when people may be sleeping, you might be within your rights. Id check with landlord and your renters legal rights. You don't want to be ass but you should not have to live like a mouse due to someone else wants you to. Don't go in looking fir a fight. Find out your rights, check you lease etc. information like that is free. Good luck!

However, you may try some audio soundproofing. Check diyaudio.com.

Click to expand...

It's not a rights issue. I'm cool with my neighbors and it actually is during those early morning sleeping hours (I have a different schedule than regular folks) so out of respect for them and trying not to be an annoying neighbor. I've tried putting it on a small box or something just to help absorb some of the thumping but it didn't work out too well. I will try out the website for sure, thank you

mitch079 said:

I turn down the subwoofer volume and bass on my receiver and have the speakers on tables or stands. Seems to work well enough in the apartment I've been in for the past 4 years as I haven't had a complaint when gaming or watching a movie. If I feel a vibration on the floor, then I'll also turn down the volume.

I also bought one of those dds 7.1 boxes made by Turtle Beach off of Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Force-Channel-Surround-Processor-Xbox-360/dp/B003O0KICS

And a cheap but good pair of headphones off of Monoprice. http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=8323 I find them to be very comfortable and I have a XL sized head. If you need a pair with a built in mic, they have these which are more expensive but also have great reviews. http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=12230

You'll also need a digital audio cable to output sound to the dds box from whatever you're using.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I try to turn it down, too, but some games (like halo master chief collection) don't have volume control so I have to turn tv itself down and for whatever reason they could still hear some thumping. I'm cool with my downstairs neighbors so I don't want to annoy them. I will look at those options but longer-term headphone use is hard for me to do.

I feel your pain man, I went from living in my parent's basement to an upstairs apartment with an actual landlord, and subwoofer usage quickly became a problem.  I tried to keep it at a reasonable level, but even things that I'd expect to be "safe" didn't work out.  Like, between turns in XCOM I got a text about the sound, just because of that quiet ambient rumbling in the background (not even loud but it vibrated the guy's ceiling).  Now I just keep it off most of the time. (

I did invest in some very nice headphones though.  Philips Fidelio X2 is great for single-player gaming (no mic).  It works with Dolby Headphone if the receiver supports it, has great bass, and offers a very wide soundstage for an open, airy feel.  Good luck figuring your situation out!