emdeebee Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Greetings, I'm facing a near future move, most likely into a condo. I'm interested in anyone's experiences in condo living, regarding our favorite pastime of two channel music listening. What kind of noise mitigation or isolation treatments has anyone used. More specifically, I'm curious if anyone has gone to the extent of creating a "room within a room" listening room. Any experiences or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 ( Insert a Fred Flintstone style "Uhhhhhhh, boyeeeeeeeeee" here.....[+o(] ) Klipsch and condos/apartments don't mix. Avoid common walls with other condo owners (tough to do in most layouts). Usually Klipsch in such dwellings end up in a bad way, because if you really "use them", they are hard to hide. If you are of an easier listening habit, you can have Klipsch fulfill your needs in many condo situations, but I don't recommend anyone with large Klipsch dwelling in a condo ar apartment. Bass travels!!! What kind of Klipsch are we talking about here? How do you use them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 If the condo has a basement....A special room can be made with enough isolation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshnich Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I bought my first Klipsch (1979 cornwalls) when I lived in an apartment. I was driving them with a pair of MC 30s and using the preamp of a marantz 2235. I could make those speakers sing! At the same time I could also make the neighbors bang the walls - even at set levels! You would have thought that the paint was peeling! Because of the speakers I had to move in with fellow forum member Chris King in the santa cruz mountains. Interesting enough Chris now owns those very speakers! Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emdeebee Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 Thanks for the feedback guys. About 90% of my listening is not a problem, very moderate levels. The problem is that it's the 10%, at levels of about 90db +/- peaks (Radio Shack sound meter) that I live for! I use Belles and Forte II's, in two separate setups. My listening, at volume, is rock. Definitely not condo friendly! I guess I was hoping for a "magical" solution, as I know that condo living isn't conducive to any energetic music listening. Unfortunately I'm probably looking at a one level flat, which likely would have a common floor/ceiling above, and would have a floor over the parking garage. It's a 3-4 year old, stick framed building. It should have pretty good acoustic isolation for day to day living, but not for my purposes! Still, any suggestions that might allow for some raised level listening, while still allowing me to be a good neighbor, would be greatly appreciated. Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 The decorators? Man, those are a nice pair. One can go to extreme lengths, floating floors and walls. Even with our taxes here, it's still cheaper to just buy a house. Of course, I have to drive 10 minutes to get a quart of milk. It's like 8 miles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emdeebee Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 Yeah, I know that the house route is the way to go. Unfortunately, I've lived in (not as an owner) the same suburban community since 1968, and it's not only home, it's logistically great for me. While it was a slightly upscale suburb when we moved here in 1968, it has taken off and greatly outpaced the overall price increases in the puget sound area. So I'm not in a position to buy a house here, and I have to weigh the logistics of moving to a more remote location to buy a house versus staying "home" in a condo. Decision time is coming in the very near future. Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted January 5, 2007 Moderators Share Posted January 5, 2007 Look for a condo next to a deaf person, now that would take some luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Buy a house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 It depends. For a year I lived in a newer high rise in Chicago of concrete construction, I was on the top floor and in a corner. The floors were concrete several inches thick and with nobody above me and nobody next to my living room I didn't have to worry about sound. Then I married and moved into my wife's condo in a 1904 12-flat. Had to listen at lower volumes in that building----wooden floors being the main reason. On the other hand there were huge living and dining rooms with wonderful acoustics and the hi-fis sounded very nice. Then I bought another house but I'm out of the habit of cranking it and don't do so very often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Don't do it. I live in a house made of 4" stone on two acres. For the neighbor's own good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Just figure out when the neighbors aren't home and save those times for that 10% of rocking out. Maybe even try to get friendly with the neighbors and take music requests...get the whole apartment rocking out [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Condo Dwellers............................this is BOSE territory, this is exactly why Bose is so popular..............Condo's and Apartments the number one home of Bose.........................but, fear not, Klipsch speakers sound great at LOW volumes too, REAL GOOD at low volume..............So much time is spent on this forum writing about playing speakers LOUD, I think you all forget how good they sound LOW VOLUME...............try it sometime, you'll be amazed at what you hear..............................EH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Aside from sound issues, the legal concept of condo living is akin to the social concept of communism. It is doomed to fail. Your roof leaks, but the association is not ready to spend association money on a roof. This is just one of but many, many examples of the conflict of interest that you confront when giving YOUR maintenance money to someone else ALONG WITH the power to decide how and when it should be spent. Bad news! Condos are good for lawyers, though! The periodic lawsuit helps pay our bills. So, there is a bright side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrios212 Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 similiar to dr. who's advise. i'd get them to maybe learn to appreciate your stuff. go say hi to your neighbors, get to know them and figure out what music they like. by some of their favorite cds and invite them over to listen to some music. in other words make them fall in love with your klipsch speakers and discover for themselves where you're coming from. if you can connect with them at a more personal level other than just the guy next door who blares music, they're more likely to be understanding. you can also learn when they're not around. it's like anything in life, you have to give yourself a personality before become understanding. (that's why people who are kidnapped repeat their name over and over again so that the person associates them as more than an object. don't be an object. be a person to them.) sorry to compare you to someone who has been kidnapped. in my situation, i have neighbors who love to blair their music more than me and are young just like me. every now and then i crank up my volume and show them just how loud klipsch speakers can get ... no contest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsear Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Try and learn what your neighbors home hours are and do try and befriend them all. My experience was wonderful except for one person who completely ruined the whole deal. I had neighbors on 3 sides, she was the one above me. She was a homebody, never went anywhere, rarely worked. My system never bothered anyone but her. She expected the complex to be like a library. She made my life miserable.[:'(] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Moderate sound levels in condos are not going to make it. I lived in an 8 plex in the country, a trumpet player on the other side of me. When he would start to practice you could hear all the doors slamming and then car doors slamming as the other condo residents vacated to other parts of the city. Saturday morning I would crank up the K-horns and the same things would happen. Nobody ever threatened me though, not even said a word. I did hear about the trash barrels being full of beer cans however. They rattle a lot. Condo walls are basically sound amplifiers. (1969) JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Rule #1: Do not think your neighbors have your taste for music volume. Rule #2: Do not think your neighbors will ever have your taste for music volume. Rule #3: Your neighbors' taste for music volume may become much more different than yours than it is now - i.e. just when you thought they were cool...... Rule #4: Even the perfect neighbor might sell, and the buyer could be a complete jerk. Rule #5: Do not count on reason ever prevailing. Just look at all the headroom/amp debates if you're not so sure about that. Man, I'd live in a shack before I went back to an environment where I had to stifle my lifestyle just to accommodate a neighbor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painful Reality Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Aside from sound issues, the legal concept of condo living is akin to the social concept of communism. It is doomed to fail. You got to love those texans... Do you have a "better be dead than be red" bumper sticker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emdeebee Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 Man, I'd live in a shack before I went back to an environment where I had to stifle my lifestyle just to accommodate a neighbor. Jeff, you're totally on the money! I've known it all along, but seeing it in black and white, it rings true! I have in fact talked to my real estate agent this evening, and am now going to look at houses.....with perfect corners of course, I still aspire to K-horns someday! I know I'll only regret it in all those extra hours of commuting! But, when I finally do make it home, I'll be able to listen at the volume of my choice....at least as long as I can stay single! Thanks for the help. Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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