How to Deal With Neighbors With Subwoofers? - Turning Down the Noise

Having loud neighbors is just one of the things you will likely deal with at some point in your life. Moving away is always an option if you are renting, but if you own your apartment, you will have to think of ways to reduce noise.

Sound waves travel far, especially in empty spaces. As soon as you move in, for example, you notice that every piece of furniture dampens sound and makes your apartment quieter. 

So chances are your apartment will seem quieter once you’re all settled in. However, if your neighbors invested in a good sound system with a subwoofer or a good soundbar, that noise will still travel to your apartment. That is because subwoofers make vibrations, not only sound. 

If your neighbor’s subwoofer is bothering you - that’s not the end of the world. You can do some things to reduce vibrations and regain quiet in your home!

How to Deal With Neighbors With Subwoofers?

Since the issue with subwoofers isn’t the sound but vibrations, soundproofing won’t take you far enough. Even if you have soundproof walls and windows, the vibrations can still travel to your apartment and annoy you.

To reduce the vibrations, you might need thick fabric insulation. This section will find all the best (and inexpensive) ways to turn down the sound and vibrations, so keep scrolling!

Soundproofing Walls

Soundproofing walls used to be a very expensive renovation for apartments and houses, but not anymore. If you have brick walls, low-frequency sounds and vibrations can make their way to your bedroom.

However, drywall greatly reduces vibrations and can block out the bass completely. But, before you look into installing drywall, consider the furniture in the rooms that have become noisy. 

Rearranging furniture can block out enough bass to make your home bass-free. What’s best of all, it costs nothing except a couple of minutes of your time - just put more furniture on the walls you share with your neighbors, and you will feel some relief instantly. 

Then, check the walls you share with neighbors for holes - you might have some that allow for more vibrations. You can close these holes with plaster or put a bookshelf on top to block the sound.

If that doesn’t work well enough, invest in soundproofing panels. Many of them are fairly easy to install and are usually pretty cheap, too!

Soundproof Doors & Windows

Soundproofing doors and windows are usually the keys to success when your neighbor’s surround system is bothering you. There are plenty of decent soundproof materials, but we advise you to look at tempered and laminated glass options. 

Laminated glass is typically reserved for office buildings as they block out the noise from the outside the best. Tempered glass is not that good at blocking out noise, but it can decently block out the vibrations of a subwoofer.

As for the windows, you can also try soundproof curtains made of thick material. The thickness of the material can absorb vibration and prevent noise from entering your apartment. What’s even better, you can add these curtains to your doors to absorb noise better.

As for the doors, we advise you to use a door sweep or a thick mat at your front door. The rug or sweep can absorb the shocks from the subwoofer and make your apartment much quieter.

Soundproof the Floor

If your next-door neighbors are not the problem, you might not need to soundproof the walls or the windows. If your downstairs neighbors make a lot of noise, you will feel it through the floor, not the walls.

So, you might need to soundproof it to absorb the vibrations and finally get some peace. You can add a layer of cushions made of rubber or foam - but there are other options, too.

The thick material will absorb the vibrations and prevent them from bothering you when trying to relax. You can also add a rubber layer underneath your carpets - the carpets will hide the insulation while maintaining the same aesthetic in the apartment. We advise you to stick to thick and fluffy carpets as they absorb shocks better.

Talk to Your Neighbors

Many of us don’t like to go to our neighbors to complain - but sometimes, that’s all we can do. If you have tried our methods and the nose is still too much for you to relax in your own home - it’s time to talk to your neighbors.

Invite them over for coffee and talk to them. Ask to keep the volume low at certain hours - or all the time, if it’s even too loud for you during the day. 

We are convinced this will be effective - but remember to be civil. If you act hostile, they will likely increase the volume out of spite.

Invest in Earmuffs

If you talked to your neighbors and that didn’t work - invest in a pair of earmuffs. It can block out noise better than anything else and help you catch some Zs. When you need quiet, and some time to yourself, ear muffs might be the only way to get it.

Final Thoughts

Luckily, you can do a few things to reduce noise from your neighbors. Subwoofers can make a lot of noise and vibrations in your home, but there are inexpensive ways to make them less annoying.

If none of these methods work well enough to make a living in your apartment bearable - talk to your neighbors about it. Chances are, they have no clue that their subwoofer is making so much noise!