I just got my first complaint (1 Viewer)

[Don Peskin]

At about 10:30am,this morning, I put on Titan A.E. because I read it had great bass. I had my Yamaha 2095's receiver's volumn knob at -20, and it's subwoofer output at -13 (it goes from -20 to 0) The volumn knob on my SVS 20-39PCi was set a little over half-way.
A neighbor knocked on the door complaining she was hearing loud noises and her glasses (drinking I suppose) were vibrating.
Keep in mind that I really wasn't playing anywhere near reference level, the sub is on the opposite wall from hers and the apartment walls are concrete.
What really amazed me was that even after I turned to volumn down on the receiver and the sub the base was still awsome.

 

[SVS-Ron]

Don,

Keep in mind that those settings mean nearly nothing unless you have run the calibration routine specified in your manual (using a sound meter and test disk like Avia or Video Essentials). You could well be much louder on the bass than you imagine.

In the end what sounds good to you (complaints notwithstanding) is all that matters, but you might want to check your settings with a SPL meter. It could improve relations with your neighbors, at the expense of lower sub levels.

If setting by ear most folks habitually have the sub much "hotter" (that is, high, relative to your main speakers) than Dolby Labs specify.

With the way long wave bass can travel along boundries and thru walls you might go the extra mile and listen to your sub in her apartment for a few minutes. It could be she's actually hearing bass louder than you are at certain frequencies. If this is the case, try a couple different locations for your sub (make sure you calibrate with the sound meter each time you move the sub) and you could well find a situation where the bass is better for you, and not so intrusive for her.

Ron