This. The only real solution for apartments is headphones. There are some great options so don't be that guy.Only difference is that low frequencies penetrate walls much easier. Unless OP has a subwoofer, there’s going to be much more low end energy coming out of the speaker cab than the TV.
I came to say this. I live in a townhouse and can play in the high 60's dB range all day and night without bothering anyone. I'll push it to mid 70's dB during the day without a problem. The 60's dB range is TV loud noise. You hit the mid 80's dB - this is too loud.
Between laughs and arguments, we would need a subscription agreement with the cops…Anything louder than typical speech will get the cops called on you here in my apartment. One time my girlfriend and I were laughing really loud watching Dave Chapelle and the cops showed up because the neighbors thought were were in a domestic dispute.
Couple funny things to update...
My neighbor on the other side (let's call her neighbor B) didn't even know I played guitar. And it turns out neighbor A actually complained to management about the noise. But get this--management called neighbor B about it! So I ran into neighbor B (who's lived in this building for like 25 years and is always friendly to me) and she was asking me about noise and why the management called her. She's Sri Lankan with a heavy accent so I can't always make out what she's saying. It took me a second to realize what she was talking about, but then it hit me and I told her, "no, that was me making the noise. I play guitar a lot. The other neighbor was banging on my wall so she must have called about it" She was like, "oh, you play guitar?"
I thought that was pretty funny. Maybe she thought I was playing music on my stereo, or maybe she can't hear anything....
Also....
My wife's pregnant and our baby is due in 4 months. So pretty soon there's gonna be an infant crying at all times of the day and night. Neighbor A will probably wish that she only had some funky guitar licks to deal with.
4 meters away 90 dB is going to be pretty loud. Distance matters when measuring and people should state it. I recommend just using the somewhat standard 1m distance so it’s easy to compare.
OK, so I did a little test this morningI'm measuring at my listening position, hence somewhere between 3 and 4 meters...
literally nothing is at 1 meter...just air
I have 4 cabs blaring in a triangle, essentially.
I have no loudness restrictions
I can, however, measure at 1 meter for comparison purposes;
I won't move my cabs, tho, so 1 meter doesn't really work as the cabs are around 4 meters apart.
I think the only location which makes sense to measure loudness is at the listening position.
Now, we know how this story ends. There's actually no neighbor A...Couple funny things to update...
My neighbor on the other side (let's call her neighbor B) didn't even know I played guitar. And it turns out neighbor A actually complained to management about the noise. But get this--management called neighbor B about it! So I ran into neighbor B (who's lived in this building for like 25 years and is always friendly to me) and she was asking me about noise and why the management called her. She's Sri Lankan with a heavy accent so I can't always make out what she's saying. It took me a second to realize what she was talking about, but then it hit me and I told her, "no, that was me making the noise. I play guitar a lot. The other neighbor was banging on my wall so she must have called about it" She was like, "oh, you play guitar?"
I thought that was pretty funny. Maybe she thought I was playing music on my stereo, or maybe she can't hear anything....
Also....
My wife's pregnant and our baby is due in 4 months. So pretty soon there's gonna be an infant crying at all times of the day and night. Neighbor A will probably wish that she only had some funky guitar licks to deal with.
I just measured me talking normally while setting up the above scenario; hitting 75dB A-Weighted with SPLnFFT just out of reach60db is me talking quietly - that seems reallllll quiet.
…That being said I totally agree with you. 80db is too loud for an apartment, full stop. I mean, I live in a house and I never go over 75db or so because I don’t want to bother my neighbours
Also to be fair maybe nobody wants to hear it. It would drive me nuts listening to someone play.
Shes probably a b. But heres a new idea: approach her kindly and respectfully, and work out a time in the day when you can play that she can live with. She probably hates your music. Have you tried switching to Garth Brooks?I use an attenuator for my tube amp when I play at home (in an apartment). One of my new-ish neighbors keeps pounding on the walls when I’m playing. Since she doesn’t have the decency to actually come over and talk to me, I’m just assuming she’s killing spiders on the wall. A lot of them.
Anyway, I have a dB meter on my phone and it generally shows about 80-85 dB when I’m playing. Sometimes a lil louder when I kick on the fuzzes.
I’m usually playing in the afternoon around 4 when I have a free hour before I have to pick the kid up, so it’s not like I’m keeping her up at night.
Just curious what everyone thinks is an acceptable level for playing with neighbors. I feel like I can’t tell because with the band it’s generally really loud and so 85 dB feels pretty mellow to me.
I’m thinking the neighbor is just a bit neurotic but I don’t want to be the a-hole that’s playing too loud.