5.1 surround setup help
 

So i live in a 1 bedroom condo in downtown and ive been itching to use my 5.1 system instead of the sound bar and woofer that came with the purchase of my TV. The only reason i havent done so is because im worried about possible neighbor complaints with loud sounds and vibration. Im no expert in surround sound calibration so ive always gone the same route of just wiring everything then making a few volume adjustments on each speaker and subwoofer and off it goes. Normally if i really wanted to feel the surround sound id have to pump up the volume higher but of course that isnt an option anymore. Is there any way you can still get the surround sound feel of a 5.1 without having to crank up the volume as loud as how movie theaters usually have it?


For those wondering what my system is:

Martin Logan motion 4 front and rear speakers
Martin Logan motino 8 center speaker
Martin Logan Dynamo 1000 subwoofer
Pioneer VSX 520 receiver

Any sound experts here please chime in on your opinions.

set bass or sub to negative one billion

listen at normal volume

I've had no sound complaints in a condo.

+1, assuming it's a standard downtown concrete condo, it's the bass from the sub that causes issues. If you can stand without having room-rattling bass, the sound from the other 5 speakers shouldn't be too much of an issue for your neighbours even when played loudly in my experience.

Yea im not really the type that likes the whole room to shake. Bass does give a more pure experience when watching movies but i think i can live without it. Ill give that a try and see how it goes.

thanks guys!

My subwoofer has been off for most of the time I've been living in a condo. I just set my front towers to full range to get a bit of that .1 :)

Try one of these: Auralex Acoustics - SubDude

in a wooden complex you're fucked no matter what. your neighbors can hear you fart.

in a concrete complex, my rule is, if no one complains you're ok.

if they complain, turn it down a bit... if they complain again, turn it down a bit more.

keep doing it till no one complains. then remember that setting, that is the "night" setting.

in the day, do as you please. bass 100%.

What if you elevate the sub on longer legs?

Sub frequencies are more of a physical vibration and movement than sound, so I am doubtful either of these ideas will make much of a difference, as the vibrations will penetrate concrete walls no matter how far the sub itself is from the physical surface.

i turned down my bass and upped the front speakers as suggested here. gotta say, worked pretty well. there's still that "oomph" factor missing but i would take that than a complaining neighbour any day.

turn the sub down, move it closer to you (under the coffee table, as an end table)

set your amp up for "Night Mode" or similar

An alternative to having a sub in a condo but still having the effects of a bass are tactile transducers, motors that you mount on your seating that physically vibrate.
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^^^
Pretty much said what I was about to say. Move the sub closer to your seating area. If your amp has calibration settings you can set the position of the sub in relation to the surround setup. It will give you the same effect. If you are friends/acquainted with your neighbour you can ask them to help you set a level that works by going back and forth from your apartment to yours to set it so it doesn't disturb them.

headphones.


or maybe put foam pads under the Subwoofer feet.

yeah, don't be "that" neighbor that cant tell from rattling picture frames that the bass is too high. sub at night is a nono.

OP wants to replace his soundbar with a 5.1, not headphones.

Raising a sub or putting it on a platform of different materials won't do much.

My last two homes were walk-in basement suites so I imagine noise is more of a problem for me than it is in a condo building, especially if it is concrete. Like others have said, turn the sub down at night. The subdude thing seems to have good reviews but neither of my landlords had complained about my 5.1 setup after I put some printer paper under it (around 400-500 sheets so almost a full stack) and moved the sub further from the wall. It is now under a corner table which seems like it helps to amplify the sound. I can still enjoy the bass from the sub but the floor and walls no longer shake or rattle.
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