Exterior Noise When Wearing H/Phones: Possy OT

[fictitiousemail]

My neighbours in the flat below me and who recently moved in as tenants have ,on a couple of occasions,played music which probably isn't particularly loud but it is clear that the stereo has the bass turned up enough to cause me annoyance . Despite her apologies to me by letter and in person along with her promise it wouldn't happen again it did happen last Saturday afternoon,evening and in to the early hours . I went to my bed around midnight to watch the TV using my corded headphones ( ear defender type) but was surprised to find that the music and singing from the flat below could actually be heard more clearly WITH the headphones on ( and TV sound normal) than without them .

How does that happen?

[JNugent]

They've got it up too loud (without any further explanation really being necessary)?

One possibility is that by isolating yourself from air-borne acoustic reality in your own room, you are allowing your brain to concentrate more fully on the structure-borne noise (which is is what it is - not "music and singing" - it's *noise*) from your anti-social unneighbour.

Have you got your own gun or do you need to borrow one?

[fictitiousemail]

I suppose it is impossible to find a Newgroup without it's resident idiot(s) .

What part of "that the music and singing from the flat below could actually be heard MORE CLEARLY WITH the headphones on ( and TV sound normal) than without them " did you fail to understand? .I have capitalised the important words for you to make it easier .

I was going to ask for a loan of yours but I'd prefer you use it on yourself .

[John]

To try not to be too unpopular try suggesting a change to the BASS setting. They might even find they start to appreciate being able to hear string instruments better.

[JNugent]

Are you unable to read whole pieces?

[dom]

Perceived noise level is highly subjective.

gits are particularly prone to such perceptual distortions.

[fictitiousemail]

In your case, unfortunately, the answer is " yes" :-)

[fictitiousemail]

If you had to listen to it you would be grumpy as well...:-)

[Adrian C]

Your headphone may look like ear defenders but are they really ear defenders?

There are two types of over the ear 'phones - open and closed backs. Your phones probably being open back, are letting sounds in and given that you have the volume of the TV sound set more or less the same as same as you normally have in the room, the whole setup is not really working for you.

The fact that the neighbours disturbance is more prominent than your TV is probably down to the fact that the human voice and bass sounds are very transmissive through the headphone foam inserts while other sounds are masked. The answer is to turn the TV volume way up in your 'phones AND damage your hearing :-(

If you had closed back phones then you wouldn't suffer the disturbance as much as open back phones.

If it gets too much, I can recommend these (Sennheiser HD25-SP II)

or, again ...

Have you got your own gun or do you need to borrow one?

[fictitiousemail]

Ah right .Thank you .That makes sense . I've just experimented by trying on the h/phones with the TV sound on normally and not connecting the h/phones and I can hear the TV almost as well so really the only use they have is to stop my TV /Stereo being heard by MY neighbours rather than masking any noise coming from elsewhere .

Hopefully it won't come to that but I can well understand how neighbour wars break out if the situation isn't resolved early on.I recall reading that Bass Noise Pollution is the main cause of complaints about neighbours.

[JNugent]

So we see.

Even with those who are actually on your side (notionally).

[fictitiousemail]

Can I refer you the answer given by Adrian C .

[BigWallop]

The music is coming through the fabric of the building. You isolate yourself from surrounding noise and lie on a bed that is solid to the building floor. The noise travels better through solid than in air.

Tel the neighbour to move the speakers off the floor, or hang them sprung brackets so they push the sound into their own room, not everyone else's.

You're not being nasty, you're just asking for compromised living. They help you, you help them by not complaining to the environment pollution authorities. Comme Si, Comme Sa.

[Fred X]

It's probably something to do with the fact that bass sounds travel through solid objects much better than sounds at other frequencies and the fact that the cord on the headphones was possibly helping to transfer the sound to your ears.

Fred X

[michael adams]

If they're in the flat below then you've got the whip hand. Its far easier to make their life hell by dropping heavy objects on the floor than is any amount of banging on the ceiling (nuisance from above) or on walls (nuisance from the sides). In such cases this is the only language such people understand. i.e how thin the floor/ceiling interface actually is. Treacly apologies aren't worth sh*t. Do so at random times as well - not just when they play their music as otherwise it looks as though they're calling] the shots. Until such times as they get the message.

This is on the assumption that you're not already making their lives hell by thumping about and are simply to thick to take a hint. Which judging by your response to other posts in this thread doesn't seem beyond the bounds of possibility.

michael adams

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[midlant]

[e-mail]...

One Saturday, I found the noise from the flat below unbearable, so placed the speakers from my sound sysetm, cone down, on the floor and tuirned up the volume. ( We both have no neighbours to either side) This did no good. I called the manager, after returning my system to its usuual site and volume. He checked below and found the flat empty - they had merely left the wireless on to scare off housebresakers.

[fictitiousemail]

Well I have no wish to create an all out war between them and me. That does no-one any good . If it happens again ( and I guess it will with Christmas coming up) then I'll speak to her again and if that doesn't work complain (again) to the letting agent and see what happens after that .There is a family with a small child living below them but because of water damage to their flat they have been away on the occasions the music has been getting played loudly so if they come back then they'll be affected as well .

[michael adams]

messagenews: [e-mail]...

- One Saturday, I found the noise from the flat below unbearable, so

- placed the speakers from my sound sysetm, cone down, on the floor and

- tuirned up the volume. ( We both have no neighbours to either side)

- This did no good.

- I called the manager, after returning my system to its usuual site and

- volume.

- He checked below and found the flat empty - they had merely left the

- wireless on to scare off housebresakers.

It looks like they're right idiots then. Nevertheless they may still be amenable to reason. " i.e if we stop making his life hell he may stop dropping things.

Don't ruin your speakers. Quite small objects - cast iron saucepans etc. dropped onto a hard surface i.e floorboards will resonate quite satisfactorily. Do this whenever you think they may be enjoying a "quiet period". Sliding heavy furniture around without lifting the legs off the floor can also be quite effective.

You could explain that what with all the missed sleep your nerves are shot and it's then that you sometimes start dropping things.

At least they don't sound like alcoholics or drug users as then you're really f*cked. As they're often all sweet reason when sober and then it all goes straight out of the window as soon as their chemical of choice starts taking effect.

michael adams

...

[Mortimer]

One Saturday, I found the noise from the flat below unbearable, so placed the speakers from my sound sysetm, cone down, on the floor and tuirned up the volume. ( We both have no neighbours to either side) This did no good. I called the manager, after returning my system to its usuual site and volume. He checked below and found the flat empty - they had merely left the wireless on to scare off housebreakers.

===

I remember when I was at university one of the lads in the room below my friend was a hippy rather like Nigel in The Young Ones. He used to sing along tunelessly and very loud to his records at all times of day and night. There was also an overpowering smell of joss sticks and cannabis smoke emanating from the doors and windows.

Polite requests and even shouts of "for f*ck's sake SHUT UP" had no effect so my mate, who worked in the bar and knew how to get his hands on the disco equipment, borrowed the huge speakers and 250W amplifier. Having warned the rest of the building what he was planning to do, he turned the speakers face down on his floor, wound the amplifier up to 11 and played Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax" (which has a very good rhythmic bass!!!!) at full blast. Within a very short time the hippy emerged from his room with his hands over his ears, looking very ill. It's probably just a scurrilous rumour that he was covered in plaster that had fallen from the ceiling ;-)

He got the message after that!

[John Rowland]

Maybe you mean "Two Tribes".