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Hi,

I live on the top floor of a Victorian house with no soundproofing between the four flats within. My left speaker currently sits on an outcrop from the fireplace / mantlepiece and I think it is sending sound and vibration through the chimney breast and down the wall. My first question is, if I were to transfer this speaker to a stand on the floor would this help my problem or would I just be transferring it from the wall to the floor? Secondly, if this is an advisable move, can anyone recommend a speaker stand that will assist my quest to lower sound leakage? 

Many thanks! 

Hi Speakersound. Have you visited your neighbour to see (hear) how bad the problem is? I lived in an Edwardian flat, so at least I did have sound proofing (ash) between me and my downstairs neighbour. When I first moved in I had my speakers on two wooden units and they acted like boomboxes. When I did get speaker stands there was an improvement in SQ, particularly with the bass which tightened up and became brighter, which is how I like it.

They were Atacama stands made out of metal, filled with sand in the poly bags provided, spiked on the base and speaker blue tac'd to the top.

When I asked my neighbour she admitted that she rarely heard anything and if anything felt I was being disturbed by her TV, which I was not. After that I cranked up the volume a bit more!

So my advice is to get speaker stands anyway just to improve sound quality and go and have a chat to your neighbour to see how loud you can go.

I now have a headphone system only and if you do find that you have issues with your neighbours, headphones will make them go away.

Hi,

I too live in a 1st floor flat, use speaker stands and don't have any problems with the neighbours. This is probably due to small speakers on heavy stands.

Another forum member suggested to make a sort of isolation platform for speakers. To make, place a granite plinth on bottom, wooden chopping board on top, with a layer of sorbothane in-between. All this isolation sits below the speaker stands with the speaker stand spikes sitting on the wood chopping board. This absorbs any vibrations that may travel to the floor.

I have not tried this though but it sounds like a good idea. Good luck! 

idc:

Hi Speakersound. Have you visited your neighbour to see (hear) how bad the problem is? I lived in an Edwardian flat, so at least I did have sound proofing (ash) between me and my downstairs neighbour. When I first moved in I had my speakers on two wooden units and they acted like boomboxes. When I did get speaker stands there was an improvement in SQ, particularly with the bass which tightened up and became brighter, which is how I like it.

They were Atacama stands made out of metal, filled with sand in the poly bags provided, spiked on the base and speaker blue tac'd to the top.

When I asked my neighbour she admitted that she rarely heard anything and if anything felt I was being disturbed by her TV, which I was not. After that I cranked up the volume a bit more!

So my advice is to get speaker stands anyway just to improve sound quality and go and have a chat to your neighbour to see how loud you can go.

I now have a headphone system only and if you do find that you have issues with your neighbours, headphones will make them go away.

gpi:

........ Are they aggressive then, the headphones, not your neighbours?

Both I and my headphones are lovely and would not hurt a fly......

Hi all,

Many thanks for your advice in this. I am going in for some good stands and take it from there.