Subs And The Downstairs Neighbors


I live in a brownstone in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The building has the usual suspended hardwood floors but there must be magic insulation because I can listen at 90-plus decibels and remain quite friendly with the couple downstairs. Nor do I hear anything from upstairs.

I have an Arcam A19 and a pair of LS50s. The system sounds great but one wouldn’t call it chest-thumping. So I’m thinking about a subwoofer.

In traditional New York style, my apartment is both small and expensive. So I’m looking for a cheap, low profile, downfiring sub that will fit under the couch. Monoprice? I’d rather get something used but the only other low profile model I can find is a $1200 Focal.

The secondary question is whether I’ll be defiling the sound of the LS50s by using a cheap sub. I haven’t heard the Monoprice but it’s probably doesn’t sound REL-like. Supposedly it reaches 30 db. Is that low enough? The sound doesn’t have to be great, it just has to be better than it is now.

The primary question is whether the sound will break into the downstairs apartment. Just a gut reaction but it seems like I’d be asking for trouble.

There’s an similar thread from 2008. The poster only got two responses from people with actual experience. One nearly got evicted, the other had two subs and reports that all went well. I thought I would check to see if anyone in a similar position has joined since then. Anyone?
paul6001
a pair self-powered, front firing: two 8", locate with the pair of mains.

Rockville’s are inexpensive, you can upgrade later

https://www.rockvilleaudio.com/rock-shaker-8-wood/

I just bought a Rockville single 12" for my office, blends with my bookshelf speakers very well.

IF you can’t set them up to give bass directionality with the mains, a single, perhaps this 12" Klipsch

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254917585179?epid=7037012869&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item3b5a45a91b...

if properly balanced at normal listening levels, at low volumes, you will need to boost ANY bass due to properties of our hearing, so don’t think 8" is too small, just boost the bass as per fletcher-munson curve

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

this has auto correction when you listen at low-levels, and gives you remote volume, remote balance, I wouldn’t want to be without one

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274870895426?hash=item3fff950342:g:iiEAAOSw0tJg8tiE


Subwoofers are all about placement. I have 4 SB-1000’s in the living room which is open to the dinning room. 130db in the living room 70db in the dining, it’s a dead spot. The kids room shares the front wall of the main speakers and is about 120db.
I would get an sub with dsp and play with placement and different heights.
The new SVS 3000 Micro is $800 and will get you down to 23Hz (-3dB), and at only about 11” square I don’t care how small your NYC apartment is (I used to live on the upper East side) — it’ll fit.  For $50 they also sell their SoundPath subwoofer isolation footers that will not only minimize transmission to the floor but will improve the quality of bass you hear as well.  SVS offers a truly risk-free and generous in-home trial (including shipping both ways) so if for some reason it doesn’t work out you’re out nothing except a little time.  Hope this helps, and best of luck.