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July 28, 2009
TV Noise Through Wall
For a long time I was searching for a new apartment and my biggest prerequisite was that it had to be super quiet. And I really think I did a great job with that (top floor, back of building overlooking quiet street, corner unit etc) however, upon actually moving in and spending a few nights there I have realized that I hear all of my neighbors TV's and they are on ALL the time. I share a LR wall with my adjacent neighbor and her TV is right up against it. Also I hear the TV from the LR directly below me. This isn't shoddy construction - it is a prewar elevator building. And their TV's aren't obnoxiously loud (I can't hear them from the hallway) so I would feel a little out of line knocking on their door to complain. But they are both on ALL THE TIME and the low murmor of them is driving me crazy and making me feel like i made a bad apartment choice.
To be fair, I am in the process of furnishing the new place: my living room has no sofa/chair/ bookshelves yet, but it does have area rugs w/ pads and that is not helping at all. I am hoping the arrival of a sofa and big poofy chair will help absorb sound but does anyone have any other brilliant ideas? The woman next door seems to have the same daily routine as me which means the moment i wake up, she turns on her TV. ACKKKK!
Comments
I'd ask her to move the t.v. away from the wall - even an inch or 2 would help. If it hangs on the wall, give her a piece of felt to place behind it. You might ask her also to put the stand on a piece of carpet. On your side, I'd put some kind of tapestry or wall hanging on that wall.
Posted by: Arkady at July 28, 2009 9:32 AM
definitely ask to move the tv. i had a neighbor once who always heard my tv and he came to the door and mentioned the problem and i was like oh man im sorry, and moved the tv. (and i always lowered the volume and used headphones if it was after 11 pm) hopefully your neighbor is friendly and it will work out. good luck if the neighbor is over 65 cuz most of the time old people blast their tv.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at July 28, 2009 9:56 AM
In my understanding, adding upholstery etc, on your side will only have a marginal effect - probably won't perceptibly reduce the sound. You really have to either reduce the sound at the source or add mass to the wall/floor between the apartments. If their TV is mounted to the wall that could definitely be part of the problem as drilling into the wall would compromise the sound reduction. Agreed that talking to them diplomatically is probably your first step -
Posted by: squaredrive at July 28, 2009 10:09 AM
also, they have these little speakers that you can place in random parts of the room. and the tv can stay in the same place (maybe they dont want to move it). it attaches into the plug on the tv and then sound doesnt come from the tv, but from whereever you place the speakers. depending on your relationship with your neighbor you could buy them a set of these (i dont think they are more than 50 bux at best buy). could be a nice gesture. i dont know, it's a tricky issue. normally, im of the set that tells people if they dont like noise move out of nyc, but random background tv and music noise really IS mad annoying.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at July 28, 2009 10:26 AM
ahh this is exactly why renting sucks! if you had a condo, you could insulate/sound proof your walls and carry on.
when people say that renting is somehow the same as owning, i say, "that's crap."
Posted by: wine lover at July 28, 2009 10:44 AM
^ :-/
yeah okay. considering that most new construction has paper thin walls. okay so overpay all you want, and then have to add in insulation.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at July 28, 2009 10:57 AM
I have the same problem, but I think it is due to shoddy construction. It's a pre-war elevator back of the building second to top floor on Ocean Parkway. I can hear every step my upstairs neighbor takes - and not just the floorboard squeeks, but the low frequency thud of every footstep. So, the construction of the building basically allows sound to travel through the floors and ceilings (I can hear my downstairs neighbors tv, converstations, and kids running).
In contrast, I have a brother who lives in the Hillman buildings in the LES, and a friend who lives in the Clinton Hill Co-Ops. Both of their floors are solid as a rock. If I jump up and down in their apt there is no thudding sound at all just the light tapping sound of my shoe contacting the floor. Whereas in my apt you'll hear the booming thud and the echo (and the floorboards squeek).
Posted by: taotao at July 28, 2009 11:22 AM
Yes-i want to buy a coop/condo for big bucks and then have to spend even more money soundproofing because the building is shoddy and poorly designed. Yes- excellent comparison, whinelover.
Posted by: bxgrl at July 28, 2009 11:57 AM
i am going to introduce myself to the woman next door to me and then politely inform her about the tv and take it from there....i guess. As for the people downstairs, probably the same thing. The TV below me is actually way more iritating than the one directly on the other side of the wall which I find suprising. I can't even drown out the noise with a white noise machine.
Posted by: bowl of dicks at July 28, 2009 12:19 PM
bring cookies when you go to talk... it goes a long way! :)
We used to joke around that the apartment upstairs from us was either occupied by a herd of elephants or professional movers who were always practicing by dragging their furniture around everyday. Turns out the woman who lived upstairs just wore heels all the time and NEVER took them off, so we would hear her clumping around. Weird because the first thing I like to do when i get home is kick my shoes off, but maybe that's just me.
Anyways, we went up to introduce ourselves, brought cookies, and casually mentioned that whatever they were doing was pretty loud. The noise has stopped and we are all friends now.
Posted by: brooklynstyle at July 28, 2009 1:21 PM
You might want to take a look at the outlets. It's possible that they're the source of the noise. If so you can get some insulation there (there's actually a green putty like product that deadens the area).
Posted by: Loub at July 28, 2009 1:53 PM
You should ask them both nicely. I asked my neighbor to move the sound system to the other side of the room. He moved it. It used to be right up against the wall and drove me crazy.
Posted by: Dora Chica at July 28, 2009 4:23 PM
As a recording engineer (of 25 years) who has enjoyed tackling sound issues outside of my work for the challenge, I can assure you that it basically lies with your neighbors' cooperation, and whatever you as the recipient can do will have only marginal effect. I'm not saying that there's no point in a little acoustically geared construction, but it pretty much only helps to do it on their end.
The suggestions for friendly negotiations are spot on.
Best of luck! : )
Posted by: jland at July 28, 2009 7:22 PM
the LR party wall i share has no outlets or switches. it is just a blank wall. and she is actually pretty conscience of the tv volume and in the evenings it's very low and not bothersome. however, the people below me are not as aware. i have isolated the corner of the room where the tv is below me and i have two elec outlets in that corner. i will try insulating them. ironically that is the spot where i had planned to put the sofa...when it gets purchased so lets hope it can absorb some.
Posted by: CTG at July 28, 2009 10:50 PM
The arrival of new soft furniture will only help if your space is still very reflective with the rugs in place, and even then it helps tame the sound once it has entered your room. Here's a test: clap your hands slowly. Walk around the room clapping, and listen to the sound of the room. If it's a pleasant clapping sound then probably any treatment won't alter the problem. If the claps sound a little clangy, that's the sign of what's called "standing waves", which happens when lively walls are parallel. What might be happening is that once the sound has entered your apartment, the lack of furniture to break up the sound waves from reflecting *might* be causing it to sound a bit more unpleasant than it would otherwise, so it's more noticeable in its annoyingness. Not having bookshelves sounds like a culprit in this kind of thing. I have doubts the added furniture would make it seem lower in volume, though. Just not as harsh, but if it helps, it helps : ) And unless the room is really cavernously big, that's the only kind of sound bouncing you'd get. (If you clap and it sounds like a concert hall, that would be pretty surprising! : ) )
Posted by: jland at July 29, 2009 3:53 PM
jland, great post thank you. I will try the clap test. For the record my LR is pretty big - 18'x11' with 9' ceilings...
I plan on introducing myself to the neighbors tonight and delicately mentioning their TV noise. I'll post the outcome later!
Posted by: CTG at July 29, 2009 4:17 PM
So I spoke to the woman who lives below me last night. she was very friendly when I explained the tv noise (and actually the TV was on in the background when I knocked...) She said the previous tenant used to bang on the floor all the time! yikes. I told her to please please please do not hesitate to come upstairs if i am being too loud. anyway, she said she'd move the tv away from the wall and keep the volume down. Judging by how friendly and sympathetic she was i thought it was resolved, but this AM she was back to her old ways.
only 5 days into my new apartment, and I dread the thought of going home
:-(
Posted by: CTG at July 30, 2009 10:17 AM
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