home cinema

[ohmygodwhathaveyoudone]

have got a home cinema set up but have not listened to it since xmas as the neighbour decided to bang on the wall
i spent a lot of money on it and sounds awesome in 6.1 dts with centre rear channel & all the other things.
i have seen a pair of 5.1 headphones on ebay that actually have about 3 speakers on either side of your head + subwoofer
has anyone tried these or even heard about them.
p.s. does anyone want my now not used home cinema set-up

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

Before you sell, how about reducing the volume of the subwoofer? It's the low frequency sound waves that permeate through your house. If you turned this down, you would still have the benefits of being encapsulated in sound, but without annoying your selfish neighbours!

A comprimise, but better than going back to dreary old stereo!

 

[ohmygodwhathaveyoudone]

have tried that but the level is low,the whole movie experience is lost when turned down

 

[AdamW]

Think outside the box: try stabbing your neighbour in both ears with a long screwdriver. Then it won't bother them.

One of the reasons a home cinema system will upset a neighbour who wasn't bothered by a music system is the large dynamic range of DVD. This means that the quiet bits can be quieter, and the loud bits can be a heck of a lot louder. So, you have it turned up to hear the dialogue, then an explosion happens and you get added sound effects from wall banging. So, have a read of the manual. Some home cinema systems include a "night viewing mode". This decreases the dynamic range of the system, thus means you don't get unexpected loud bits. You can also set it to run without sub, it mixes the bass in with your main stereo pair. Either way means you lose some of the experience, but it saves on replastering over-banged walls.

There is another option. I had a problem with a neighbour who came round and shouted (yes, shouted) at me for having the audacity to listen to music at what most would regard a normal volume, at 10pm. Even though I immediately apologised and promised to turn it off (not down, OFF) she carried on shouting. As I later found out, she was just having a bad day and was taking it out on me (she apologised when I went round to hers on an unrelated matter).

So, it could be that your neighbour banging was a one off. So try it again, see what happens.

Of course if you live in a modern "cluster" home, they have absolutely no soundproofing abilities at all.

 

[ohmygodwhathaveyoudone]

the thing is we get on really well with the neighbour & it was only once that she banged on the wall (very bad manners i think,why did'nt she come round & could have arranged a set night when they won't be in)
the yamaha amp cost more than her car but it just winds me up not being able to use even 10% of the power available

 

[AdamW]

Oooh, I am guessing a 640, 650, or 750? Saving up for an RXV-750 at the moment myself (Yamaha man through and through!)

There is another possibility. Perhaps she was putting up a picture at the time? I had a neighbour come round and apologise because I happened to bang a nail in whilst they had music on REALLY loud! Wasn't really bothering me, but they heard the banging and assumed it was because of the music.

If you get on with her really well, go round and say "I've just bought a new home cinema system. I'm not sure how the sound carries so if it is on too loud then just tell me and I will turn it down". Or even better, try different levels and ask her to say if it is OK or too loud, then you know how high you can have the volume up to.

I have said something similar to every neighbour I have ever had (apart from the irate one ) and they always just smile and say "I'm sure it won't be a problem, but OK, I will!". People don't mind so much if they know that they can have the sound turned off whenever they want.

 

[securespark]

Think outside the box: try stabbing your neighbour in both ears with a long screwdriver. Then it won't bother them.

Save energy and fuss: if you use a long enough driver, you only need insert it into one aural orifice....

 

[pipme]

Noise pollution is very annoying ... selfish .... un-neighbourly behaviour.
Not a million miles from the street behaviour at night in city centres across the kingdom ....
Thank god for my quiet neighbours .. (2 teenagers), I ensure we reciprocate, that is how it should be.

P

 

[kendor]

I wouldn't mind if you had the volume turned right up.............that's just as long as you were watching the film "Silent Movie"

 

[AdamW]

Noise pollution is very annoying, I agree. My weekend routine has been permanently changed by my neighbour who likes to get up at 8am and start doing VERY noisy DIY in the morning. Now I can't help but wake up early on Saturdays. Means I get more done, but I don't have so much sleep and end up sleeping way too late on Sundays to do anything! I'm not going to complain, he's a nice guy and would be mortified if he found out. Plus it means I don't have to feel bad about late-night DIY (was boxing pipes until 11pm tonight!)

Here is a question, what is worse: noise pollution caused by the guy in the flat above you running his washing machine, or the noise caused by his stereo? At least with the stereo you can ask him to turn it down, but with the washing machine, is he really going to stop it mid-cycle just for you? However, the washing machine is fulfilling a tangible need, the stereo is merely for entertainment... All depends on your perspective I suppose.

I prefer to think of my noise not so much as pollution, but as an aural perfume, gently fragrancing the air with surround sound and deep explosive bass.