Speakers isolation from resonance and angry neighbours — Critical Mass Center, Revopods, EVP.

[Ricco275]

My neighbours from upstairs won’t give me peace… I’m currently using Graphite Audio 35 premium cones. While doing a good job in tightening the sound and lowering the noise, they’re pretty useless in reducing resonance and rumbling.

My room is not treated and WAF doesn’t allow so…
TAD ME1 sitting on wooden flooring. No idea if suspended or not. It creaks when walking if it helps.
Room is 30x15ft with system sitting on the long side close the wall and facing windows. I have heavy curtains which I guess help but that’s it.

The EVP footers, while cheap vs many other options, seem appreciated for resonance.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

I have been told that @Jim Smith is a specialist in the matter.

 

[spiritofmusic]

I can't speak to Revopods benefits for your situation, but on pure SQ grounds I found them wholly superior to Isoacoustics Gaias, Symposium Rollerballs footers, stock spikes and bespoke lead footers.

 

[Ricco275]

I can't speak to Revopods benefits for your situation, but on pure SQ grounds I found them wholly superior to Isoacoustics Gaias, Symposium Rollerballs footers, stock spikes and bespoke lead footers.

Thanks. I think @Stef is happy too with them. Beside SQ, resonance control is my main objective.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...from your brief outline, it seems to me that you need to de-couple your speakers from the floor, as vibrations are transferring to the upstairs flat. Your speakers are on stands?

Personally, I would not buy any expensive footers, as they may do nothing/little to solve the issue, and you're out the cash.

Frankly, the sound transferring to the structure through the air will be tough to solve, but the floor coupling you may be able to diminish.

Do you have anything soft you could place between the speakers and the floor, and still be stable? Folded thick blankets, rubber mats, etc.? Of course, not as a solution, but to test the concept.

If the issue is sound-through-the-air, I think you're stuck if you can't add treatments.

 

[Ricco275]

...from your brief outline, it seems to me that you need to de-couple your speakers from the floor, as vibrations are transferring to the upstairs flat. Your speakers are on stands?

Personally, I would not buy any expensive footers, as they may do nothing/little to solve the issue, and you're out the cash.

Frankly, the sound transferring to the structure through the air will be tough to solve, but the floor coupling you may be able to diminish.

Do you have anything soft you could place between the speakers and the floor, and still be stable? Folded thick blankets, rubber mats, etc.? Of course, not as a solution, but to test the concept.

If the issue is sound-through-the-air, I think you're stuck if you can't add treatments.

Thanks. Speakers on stands. Then Symposium rollers may do to decouple?

 

[hopkins]

This is what you need: https://www.holosonics.com/press-release-august-13-2019

But more seriously, maybe take a look at what people do with pianos? I'm afraid there are not many other solutions, short of building a room in a room, that are really effective.

 

[Ricco275]

This is what you need: https://www.holosonics.com/press-release-august-13-2019

But more seriously, maybe take a look at what people do with pianos? I'm afraid there are not many other solutions, short of building a room in a room, that are really effective.

Thanks. I’m sure my wife is going to love it.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...and I live next door to a DMA piano student. She does something with the top, but it still comes through the walls. Four or five hours a day. I set up a second system so I hear my music, rather than hers.

BTW: I don't think roller devices would help much, although their platforms might.

 

[John T]

Because the situation evolves around an "upstairs neighbor" not sure if decoupling is going to help much?

 

[Robh3606]

You have a dialog with them? If you can might want to turn things on and go upstairs so you can hear exactly what they are talking about.

I have no idea how you can decouple the walls and ceiling from the basic building structure. I doubt your floor is the culprit but trying the blanket idea can't hurt. You have a sound level meter? If the people will cooperate you could do a before and after.

That's a tuff situation with neighbors in the same building!

Good Luck

Rob

 

[Ricco275]

You have a dialog with them? If you can might want to turn things on and go upstairs so you can hear exactly what they are talking about.

I have no idea how you can decouple the walls and ceiling from the basic building structure. I doubt your floor is the culprit but trying the blanket idea can't hurt. You have a sound level meter? If the people will cooperate you could do a before and after.

That's a tuff situation with neighbors in the same building!

Good Luck

Rob

They know I’m trying my best. When they text me to lower the volume I send screenshots of db meter app showing 70db average. The building has bad isolation.

 

[Robh3606]

They know I’m trying my best. When they text me to lower the volume I send screenshots of db meter app showing 70db average. The building has bad isolation.

At 70! I feel for you must be frustrating as hell, Geez you turn on the TV it's an issue at those levels!

Hope you can figure something out.

Rob

 

[stehno]

My neighbours from upstairs won’t give me peace… I’m currently using Graphite Audio 35 premium cones. While doing a good job in tightening the sound and lowering the noise, they’re pretty useless in reducing resonance and rumbling.

My room is not treated and WAF doesn’t allow so…
TAD ME1 sitting on wooden flooring. No idea if suspended or not. It creaks when walking if it helps.
Room is 30x15ft with system sitting on the long side close the wall and facing windows. I have heavy curtains which I guess help but that’s it.

The EVP footers, while cheap vs many other options, seem appreciated for resonance.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

I have been told that @Jim Smith is a specialist in the matter.

Not sure why anybody here would think some isolation product is a possible solution for a situation like this. Could it be because we buy into some preconceived narrataive that "isolation" products actually isolate sound waves?

Vibration mgmt products are supposed to have everything to with managing unwanted resonant energy captured at the component or speaker that otherwise remains trapped within and have zero to do with air-borne vibrations which is the perpetrator here.

For example. We should be all too familiar with driving in traffic and stopped at a traffic light while the bass from the vehicle behind us is completely saturating our own vehicle even our own bodies. That vehicle is sitting on air-filled tires as is your own vehicle. "Isolation" doesn't get much better than that, right? IOW, there's not a reasonable vibration mgmt product in existence that's going to suppress or nullify those offending air-borne vibrations / sound waves.

In the case of your impacted neighbors, your apartment is the offending car and their apartment is the victim.

Distance and/or volume are the only reasonable solutions. IOW, either turn the volume down or move.

 

[StreamFidelity]

My neighbours from upstairs won’t give me peace… I

I feel for you. I had a similar situation in an old building. In the end, I opted for high-quality headphones. That time was actually fun because it's a completely different more intimate way of listening.

 

[Alrainbow]

My neighbours from upstairs won’t give me peace… I’m currently using Graphite Audio 35 premium cones. While doing a good job in tightening the sound and lowering the noise, they’re pretty useless in reducing resonance and rumbling.

My room is not treated and WAF doesn’t allow so…
TAD ME1 sitting on wooden flooring. No idea if suspended or not. It creaks when walking if it helps.
Room is 30x15ft with system sitting on the long side close the wall and facing windows. I have heavy curtains which I guess help but that’s it.

The EVP footers, while cheap vs many other options, seem appreciated for resonance.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

I have been told that @Jim Smith is a specialist in the matter.

A few questions
what floor are you on ?
Are there neighbors above or below or both ?
if you places vibration absorbers below speakers
and actually de coupled the low freq is this all you need ? Compared to complete acoustic sounds as the goal ?

 

[Alrainbow]

https://vibrasystems.com/files/products/crmp-cork-neoprene-pads.pdf

This will help to decouple low freq but not eliminate
There cheap and as a start
if you answer a I’ve questions it would help anyone offering help

 

[Alrainbow]

A source you need to consider is the amount of acoustic energy being produced your system
even if you have complete physical isolation
This is only a start

 

[Ricco275]

Not sure why anybody here would think some isolation product is a possible solution for a situation like this. Could it be because we buy into some preconceived narrataive that "isolation" products actually isolate sound waves?

Vibration mgmt products are supposed to have everything to with managing unwanted resonant energy captured at the component or speaker that otherwise remains trapped within and have zero to do with air-borne vibrations which is the perpetrator here.

For example. We should be all too familiar with driving in traffic and stopped at a traffic light while the bass from the vehicle behind us is completely saturating our own vehicle even our own bodies. That vehicle is sitting on air-filled tires as is your own vehicle. "Isolation" doesn't get much better than that, right? IOW, there's not a reasonable vibration mgmt product in existence that's going to suppress or nullify those offending air-borne vibrations / sound waves.

In the case of your impacted neighbors, your apartment is the offending car and their apartment is the victim.

Distance and/or volume are the only reasonable solutions. IOW, either turn the volume down or move.

I think it makes much sense what you say.

 

[mxk116]

My neighbours from upstairs won’t give me peace… I’m currently using Graphite Audio 35 premium cones. While doing a good job in tightening the sound and lowering the noise, they’re pretty useless in reducing resonance and rumbling.

My room is not treated and WAF doesn’t allow so…
TAD ME1 sitting on wooden flooring. No idea if suspended or not. It creaks when walking if it helps.
Room is 30x15ft with system sitting on the long side close the wall and facing windows. I have heavy curtains which I guess help but that’s it.

The EVP footers, while cheap vs many other options, seem appreciated for resonance.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

I have been told that @Jim Smith is a specialist in the matter.

I've tried a variety of cones, dampers, footers, etc (HRS, Nordost, Franc Audio, Finite Elemente, DH Cones, etc, etc...) over the years. The best, most predictable results I have experienced has been with A/V Roomservice EVPs (equipment vibration platforms). Please note I have not used EVPs with speakers, only source equipment and amplifiers. However I know the US Goebel speaker distributor has used EVPs in trade shows under the Divin Marguis speakers on several occasions. My highest recommendation. I do believe A/V Roomservice has European distribution.

 

[Imperial]

It might be that a strukture is resonating and sounds in the floor above you.
Get a cheap accelerometer and test for a node all surfaces in the rom. Wallls ceiling anything. IF you find a point of resonance you must put tension there. Jam a wooden beam or something to raise the resonanse up so High it does not travel.
Test again to see IF it had effect…
Suggestion for cheap Platform.

Two square wooden platters/ boards. Sorbothane feet to the floor and bluetack as layer between them.
Speaker on top. That would very dead and isolate.
No spikes but bluetack also under the speakers..

Accelerometer to find sound pressure component.
Platform for floor borne resonans.
Spikes or solid feet of any kind should not be used.. Call it a test phase. Spilkes must wait for now . WHEN the cause is clear, tons of solutions can be contemplated..,

And I have to Ask : chalk/gipsom or wood panel Walls or ceiling? That you should inform us about. It might be relatable.
Also, please describe Windows. Be detailed about size materials and IF They Are centered on walls or close to corners.

Open doors in the listening room and wack at the posts. Is the a dull thud or a resonance that is deep and reverberates. It might be that the doors Are vibrating and transfering sound to structures.
Check with accelerometer…

Also Wack the wall close to the Windows . Same reason.