padding a back wall

[monkeyboy69]

I'm just trying to get some feedback before I start spending some hard earned cash.

I've recently got my lovely 805's , which due to room constraints are situated on wall brackets on the front wall with about 8 feet between them and 30 cm from the side walls on either side . Unfortunately these can't be moved.

Now this wall is a party wall which has a dog and a washing machine on the other side which leaks sound through it. So my idea was to put some absorbant sound boards up on that wall to
a) stop sound coming through from next door
b) reduce sound from my speakers annoying the neighbours
c) reduce potential bass boom and give a cleaner sound due to less reverb off the walls.

Ideally I want to keep harmony between us and the neighbours but dont' want to do it at the cost of making my system sound worse.

Anyone have any ideas on whether this would be beneficial on sound or detrimental and before anyone asks its not something I can try first due to the cost outlay

[LikeCoiledSteel]

Hi monkeyboy69,
Absorbant sound boards will only effect the sound in your apartment, making it less reflective. It will not reduce the sound leak to your neighbors. Only mass, decoupling and diffusing will reduce the sound leak. Bass is the hardest to control. Some wall constructions actually increase the bass SPL to other side, making the bass in your neighbors place louder than in yours.

Sound proofing is rated by STC-Sound Transmission Class. The higher the number, the more it reduces sound. Whn I lived in my condo, I had to build walls on top of walls using different types of materials and different techniques. It was costly and took a long time, but we did much of the work ourselves. It helped a lot, but strong bass still got thru. Check out www.soundproofing.org for some more information. Sound is like poison gas, it will enter thru any hole.
Steel

[monkeyboy69]

ok thanks so lets take what difference it would make to the neighbours side of things out of the equation, it should dampen their dog woofs on my side but would it effect the overall sound of the speaker is bascially what i'm trying to get at and for the better or worse?

thanks

[LikeCoiledSteel]

"Padding" the back wall will help dampen the room, help with reflections, If a room has too many hard surfaces, there will be a lot of reflections and echos, making the room too "live". If there are too many sound deadeners (carpet, drapes, thick cloth furniture...) the room will have very little reflections and sound dead. Every room is different, it is hard to say what the overall effect on your room will be with the padding. If done right, room treatments can make a system sound great.
Steel