Surround Sound Systems for Home Entertainment Systems and Stereos

Contrary to popular belief music can be considered to be a nuisance at any time of the day or night. We receive more complaints about music with loud or persistent bass beats; typically dance music and R&B, than any other type.

Surround systems are often used on stereos and also on TV/home cinema systems as more of us strive for the full cinematic or concert experience in our own homes. The use of such systems can increase the sound your neighbours can hear from your entertainment, which can amount to a nuisance as, in most cases, our homes are not designed to offer a level of sound insulation that would prevent our neighbours being affected. Therefore we need to proceed with caution particularly those of us living in a flat, semi-detached or terraced house.

Common causes of complaint

Environmental Health & Licensing receive many complaints from residents about their neighbours entertainment noise, commonly:

• I can hear every word of my neighbours music/TV
• I can hear a muffled sound from next doors music
• My wall shakes, I think their TV is attached to the joining wall
• Music with loud bass is the worst
• It happens on a frequent basis often for long periods
• They always have it loud just when I sit down to relax.

What is a 'Surround Sound System'?

A 'surround sound system' is aptly named for surrounding the listener with an acoustic environment that goes beyond the two-channel stereo experience. It is designed to put you in the centre of the entertainment so you can hear the sounds around you as you would in a real life scenario. A surround sound system can be used for all types of media, from computer games to movies and music.

The first design of surround sound was 5-1, which had five speakers and one sub-woofer (to deliver the bass sound). This is also referred to as Dolby Digital and Digital Theatre Systems (DTS) sound.

This system was followed with 6-1, known as DTS-ES (extended sound). This system has six speakers and one sub-woofer so allowing a more three dimensional sound.

The latest systems 7-1, have seven speakers and one sub-woofer, dividing the rear speaker into two and fully enclosing the listener.

What can I do to reduce noise from my 'surround sound system'?

There are many ways to reduce the noise and here are a few to consider:

• Sub-woofers provide a non-directional bass, so wherever you place them it will produce a lot of bass. It is often the vibrations of the speakers that cause complaints; think about where you place them.
• You may not need to wire in the sub-woofer.
• Place speakers on rubber sound insulation matting and, if possible, off the floor.
• If you live in a flat, ceiling hung speakers may not be a good idea.
• When you install a new system, turn it on to a volume that suits you, and then check with your neighbour whether this volume disturbs them.
• Don't mount a TV on a wall adjoining your neighbours property, the sound will travel through the wall.
• Be careful to keep music volumes as low as possible especially at night (between 11.00pm and 8.00am). These are considered to be noise sensitive times when even low noise can cause problems.
• Avoid the use of laminate/wooden flooring, particularly if you live in a flat. If you do install it make sure it has adequate underlay insulation.
• The bass beat is often most audible to complainants. Try to minimise the volume of bass using the settings/graphic equalizer on your TV or stereo (refer to the manufacturer manual for more advice). A lower bass frequency (particularly from sub woofers) can travel further and can easily penetrate through walls and ceilings.
• Adverts are often louder than the main feature you are viewing - you may need to reduce the volume during breaks of this kind.
• If you tend to fall asleep whilst listening to music or watching a movie try setting a sleep timer.
• Use headphones if you like your music loud or wish to play it late at night. Many types of excellent headphones are now available which are comfortable to wear and some operate by wireless or Bluetooth technology - so no trailing wires. Headphones are not expensive and prices range from around £25 upwards.
• The advantage of headphones is to enjoy whatever volume you like, but be aware that permanent hearing damage can be caused by high volumes of sound.

I have received a complaint about noise from my neighbour, what should I do?

• Listen calmly to their complaint, try to understand what they are saying and ask yourself "is the volume I use acceptable?"
• Put yourself in their shoes, would the volume and frequency annoy you if they were producing the sound? If so, consider whether you are being unreasonable.
• Try to reach an agreement with your neighbour. Ask whether you could listen to the volume from their home to hear how loud it is for them.
• You may be contacted by the Environmental Health & Licensing Division by letter, phone or in person to discuss the compliant. We will always try to advise you before we consider taking any formal action.

Consider the advice given above and see if there is anything you can change to reduce the volume.