Help me set up my speakers!

April 21, 2008 10:31 AM

How can I set up my computer's 2.1 speakers so as to limit the inevitable amount of hate my neighbors will feel for my house music obsession?

I've tried setting the subwoofer on the floor, which enraged my downstairs neighbors. Setting it on the fireplace mantle made the upstairs neighbor grumpy. Is there anything I can do to limit the bass vibration without compromising my enjoyment of the music? Any help would be greatly appreciated... by pretty much everyone in my building.

(Oh, and they're Logitech Z-2300 200 watts RMS 2.1. If that helps anything.)

posted by elizardbits to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

I take it headphones are not an option?
posted by selfnoise at 10:36 AM on April 21, 2008

It's not a fix-all, as my frequent desire to listen to live sets of Daft Punk still tends to leave my wife less than thrilled at me, but placing your sub on a very dense object will help. Many people use cinderblocks. I just happened to have a cardboard box packed tight and full of hardbound books. Prevents floor rumble, but the walls still tend to resonate.

I'll keep an eye on this thread for more suggestions on how to prevent that.
posted by phredgreen at 10:40 AM on April 21, 2008

I vote for headphones. Wireless if necessary. Truth is, if you live in a multiple family dwelling, your first consideration needs to be to not disturb your neighbors at all, not just to minimize it.
posted by HuronBob at 10:42 AM on April 21, 2008

I don't think a subwoofer is appropriate in most multi-unit dwellings, but I seem to be in the minority. Headphones.
posted by kcm at 11:02 AM on April 21, 2008

How about ditching the subwoofer? Its design means it will cause the whole room to vibrate, so anywhere you place it will tend to annoy other people nearby. Consider a setup that has better ranged main speakers, so you won't need a sub to handle the lower frequencies. Also some setups have a volume setting on the subwoofer that you can turn way down, which might give you enough bass to be happy but not enough to annoy your neighbors.

You could also try adjusting the very lowest bass setting of your music player so that anything below, say 50 Hz is de-emphasized.
posted by drmarcj at 11:04 AM on April 21, 2008

Use headphones. It's not about minimization, it'll be annoying to any degree; be courteous and invest in some nice cans.
posted by cgomez at 11:11 AM on April 21, 2008

I have this exact speaker setup. Nothing short of turning the separate sub volume down considerably will make it livable. The subwoofer is loud even when listening to albums without much low end.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 11:23 AM on April 21, 2008

Suggesting headphones isn't really an answer, now is it?

Try placing the subwoofer on a thick felt mat, a piece of dense latext (furniture) foam, or a folded up blanket, to absorb the bass vibrations.
posted by monospace at 11:29 AM on April 21, 2008

I think it's really the only answer. If you are going to be unhappy if it isn't loud, and you can't soundproof the room, then you can't make your neighbors happy unless you wear headphones.

Personally I just turn my music down.
posted by selfnoise at 11:45 AM on April 21, 2008

Best answer: I have a pair of wireless Sennheiser HDR65's - and they are the bomb. I was skeptical I'd get good bass and depth of sound quality out of them, but they truly impress me everytime I wear them. I dont think they make that model anymore, but if you invest in a nice quality pair of wireless headphones, I recommend Sennheisers.
posted by jmnugent at 12:05 PM on April 21, 2008

Best answer: Previously.

I bought the Auralex Gramma, which is basically a piece of soundproofing foam with a cork board on top... seems to help enough with music....still need to keep the volume at a reasonable level when playing things like Half Life 2.
posted by softlord at 5:24 AM on April 22, 2008