Acoustic treatment for Apartment HT

[GregoriusM]

Hey!

I posted another thread about my HT room size in an apartment block I'm considering moving in to.

My current apartment block has concrete floors between the storeys, and although I can hear people walking from time to time on the floor above, it is usually quite quiet.

As far as SPL on my HT, the only ones that can really hear it are the people on the same side as my living room. However, I do realize that I can not really ever play my movies and music as loud as I would like.

In the new apartment building, the floors are plywood over wood joists, covered with a pretty decent medium grade carpet.

My HT will hopefully be in a 10' x 10' 2nd bedroom, so I have my Master BR on one side and the LR on the other, so I don't have to worry about the neighbours on each side.

I can either get an apartment on the ground floor, which is concrete - however I really, really would rather not, since the balcony is totally easy to steal items from in seconds.

So, where I will probably be is on the top floor, with only people below me. I don't know if plywood over wood joists or concrete is a better insulator for noise.

My question: Is there any way to insulate the sound, mainly the bass, to reduce the impact on the people below me, who will have a bedroom right below my HT room.

Is there any type of acoustic isolators for the speakers, especially the sub, that doesn't compromise the sound? I know that all speakers should be as firmly planted on the floor or on stands as possible. I have spikes that go through the carpet for my main speakers, and my sub just sits flat on the carpet.

Any help on an acoustic treatment for the floor (or wherver) that would minimize the sound transfer if my 10' x 10' room proves to adequate for my HT room?

Thanks!

Greg

[David Meek]

Grego, that's a tough one. A couple of things you can do that will help are:

1) put your sub on an amplifier isolation stand, thus separating it from the floor/ceiling.

2) put down a moderately weaved,(not too tightly, now) heavy rug on top of the carpet before you put the isolation stand down. This'll add another good absorptive layer between the neighbors and you.

That's about all I can get out of the old grey-matter right now.

[GregoriusM]

Amplifer isolation stand? I've never heard of that.

But that sounds great along with the rug, since the carpet has reasonably dense tufts and is flat, along with corresponding underlay.

Add those all up and it should really help.

I'm going to google amplifer isolation stand and see what that is all about.

Thanks!

G.

Edit: I just check out Audio Advisor's website, and I see what you mean by the amp stand. Perfect! :T

[aud19]

Greg, maybe post the link and a pic if possible so the rest of us can play along

Jason

[ThomasW]

THESE are supposed to be amazing for preventing sub vibrations from transferring to the floor itself. Word on the street is the they make the bass sound quite a bit better as well. They of course can't prevent the bass waves from passing through the floor.