Speaker placement in townhouse

[goe2112]

Ok guys and gals here is a question concerning speaker placement in a townhouse duplex . Where should I place my speakers in the living room to minimize the sound going to the nieghbors in the next townhouse. The garages will be next to eachother. Should I place them on the left wall ( garage ) or the right side of the living room.

I don't play my system very loud but I still want to hear it without bothering the nieghbors. Currently I don't have a subwoofer but that will come soon and needs to be taken into account. The townhouse is a rental and I believe it will have the minimum barrier requirements between the units. Another thing furniture will be minimal, starting new from scratch ( divorce ) but I kept my B&W's and socks.

I just moved back to the states from Switzerland and looking for a rental property. I would prefer a house but in this area there are more duplexes than houses to choose from. Plus this place is only a 4-5 minute commute to work.

Any inputs would be appreciated.
Thanks for your time.
Joe

[John Holmes]

Welcome to the Guide, goe2112!

Sadly, there isn't much that can be done. There just isn't much to work with. At a certain sound level, it will leak to the to the next property.

Maybe best to try to work something out with your new neighbor. If you're real lucky, he/she will be an HT nut too. :T

[David Meek]

Hi Joe, welcome back to the 'States.

Like John says, above a certain volume you're in trouble.

Still there are a few things you could do. I suggest putting the speakers on the left wall and facing them away from the neighbor's. That will at least keep the sound they hear reflected and not pointed directly at them - as there are rooms between your listening area and the neighbors, it may not be as bad as you think. Hang heavy carpets from curtain rods (don't attach the carpets directly to the wall) on the left wall of the garage, or you could also stack all (if any?) your packed boxes along that left wall which will help, or put storage cabinets there, etc. Ditto if you keep the kitchen cabinets full of things. To be simplistic, anything with mass between you and the neighbors will help by acting as a damper/deflector, to some extent.