Be A Thoughtful Neighbour And Cut Out The Noise With Acoustic Supplies

How to Reduce Noise from TVs, Gaming Systems and Home Cinemas

Televisions, gaming systems, soundbars, surround-sound speakers and subwoofers can make films, music and games more enjoyable. However, they can also produce noise that travels into adjoining rooms or neighbouring properties.

This is particularly relevant in terraced and semi-detached homes, flats and other buildings where walls, floors and ceilings are shared.

Home soundproofing can help reduce entertainment noise, but the correct treatment depends on the type of sound, the room construction and the route through which it is travelling.

Soundproofing should also be combined with considerate volume levels, sensible equipment positioning and awareness of how the room is used at different times of day.

What Type of Noise Does Home Entertainment Equipment Create?

Home entertainment systems can produce airborne noise, low-frequency sound and structure-borne vibration.

Airborne noise

Airborne noise travels through the air before reaching a wall, floor, ceiling, door or window. Typical examples include:

• Dialogue from televisions
• Music and game sound effects
• Online conversations through gaming headsets or speakers
• Surround-sound channels
• General room activity

Reducing airborne noise normally involves adding suitable mass, improving airtightness and introducing separation between structural layers.

Low-frequency bass

Subwoofers and bass-heavy soundtracks can be particularly difficult to control. Lower frequencies may travel through walls, floors and ceilings even when voices and higher-pitched sounds have been reduced.

Bass can also excite parts of the building, causing floors, furniture or wall linings to vibrate.

Structure-borne vibration

Speakers mounted directly to a wall or subwoofers placed on a hard floor can transfer vibration into the structure.

This vibration may then travel through joists, walls and floor slabs before becoming audible elsewhere. Isolation pads, stands or mounts may help reduce this direct contact, although they will not replace a suitable soundproofing system.

Start with the Position of the Equipment

Before carrying out building work, consider whether simple changes can reduce the amount of sound entering the structure.

Useful steps may include:

• Moving televisions and speakers away from party walls
• Avoiding wall-mounted speakers on shared walls
• Keeping subwoofers away from corners
• Using suitable isolation pads beneath speakers and subwoofers
• Placing speakers on isolated stands
• Reducing bass settings during quieter hours
• Using headphones for late-night gaming
• Closing doors and windows when using louder equipment

These measures may not correct a weak wall, floor or ceiling, but they can reduce the amount of energy entering it.

Soundproofing should support considerate use of the room rather than be treated as permission to use entertainment systems at unlimited volume.

Identify the Main Sound Path

Noise does not always travel directly through the wall behind the television. It can leave the room through several routes.

Potential sound paths include:

• Party walls and internal partitions
• Floors and ceilings
• Timber joists and structural beams
• Doors and door frames
• Windows and glazing
• Ventilation openings
• Electrical sockets and cable routes
• Loft spaces and ceiling voids

Sound that travels around the main separating surface is known as flanking transmission.

For example, a party wall may be upgraded while bass continues to travel through the floor joists or ceiling structure. Treating only the visible wall may therefore provide a smaller improvement than expected.

Wall Soundproofing for Entertainment Rooms

Television, music and gaming noise often travel through shared walls.

A suitable wall soundproofing system may combine:

• Acoustic insulation within a cavity
• Resilient bars or isolation clips
• An independent supporting framework
• Dense acoustic boards
• Carefully sealed perimeter joints

The correct design depends on whether the existing wall is masonry, blockwork, timber stud or another construction.

Creating separation between the original wall and the new lining can help reduce direct vibration transfer. However, rigid fixings that bridge the resilient components can weaken the system.

JCW Silent Board Plus may form part of certain wall or ceiling systems, but one board should not be expected to contain a full home cinema system by itself.

Floors and Subwoofer Vibration

Subwoofers, speaker stands, foot movement and furniture can transfer vibration into the floor.

A suitable floor soundproofing system may include an acoustic underlay, resilient deck or floating floor construction.

A floating floor is designed to reduce rigid contact between the finished surface and the structure beneath it. Perimeter isolation is important because direct contact with surrounding walls can create a path for vibration.

Smaller isolation platforms beneath speakers or subwoofers may help reduce vibration at individual sources. Their suitability depends on the equipment weight, frequencies produced and existing floor construction.

Floor treatments can also affect thresholds, doors, skirting boards and fitted furniture, so the finished floor height should be planned carefully.

Ceiling Soundproofing

Entertainment noise can travel upwards into bedrooms or flats above, while sound from another storey may also enter the room through the ceiling.

A ceiling soundproofing system may use acoustic insulation between joists, resiliently mounted boards or an independent ceiling.

An independent ceiling can provide greater separation from the structure above but will reduce the available room height.

Recessed lighting, smoke alarms, ventilation grilles and cable routes must be detailed carefully. Each penetration can weaken acoustic performance and may also require appropriate fire-rated treatment.

Doors and Door Frames

A lightweight internal door can allow sound to escape into a hallway and travel into other rooms.

A soundproof door may be appropriate where the doorway is a significant weak point.

The performance of the complete doorset depends on:

• The mass and construction of the door leaf
• The frame
• Perimeter seals
• The threshold or drop seal
• Accurate alignment
• The quality of installation

A gap beneath the door can allow a noticeable amount of airborne noise to escape. However, a specialist door will offer limited benefit if most of the sound is travelling through the walls, floor or ceiling.

Windows and Ventilation

Windows can allow entertainment noise to leave the property, particularly where glazing is lightweight or opening sections do not seal properly.

Window performance depends on the glass specification, spacing between panes, frame construction and condition of the seals.

Ventilation openings can also provide a direct route for sound. However, trickle vents, air bricks and mechanical ventilation systems should not simply be blocked.

Rooms containing televisions, computers, games consoles and amplifiers may generate heat, so suitable airflow is still needed. Acoustic vents, attenuators or indirect ventilation routes may be required where openings are an important sound path.

Seal Gaps and Cable Openings

Home entertainment rooms often contain numerous cables, sockets and wall penetrations. These can weaken a separating wall or ceiling.

Areas to inspect include:

• Television and speaker cable openings
• Electrical sockets
• Board edges
• Gaps beneath skirting boards
• Pipe and ventilation openings
• Junctions between walls and ceilings

A flexible acoustic sealant can help close appropriate perimeter joints as part of a complete system.

Sealant alone will not soundproof a weak wall. Its purpose is to close small air paths that could otherwise reduce the performance of the wider construction.

Service openings may also require suitable fire-stopping products.

Home Entertainment in Flats and Shared Buildings

Noise from televisions, gaming systems and subwoofers can be especially difficult to control in flats and converted properties.

Several homes may share floor slabs, ceiling voids, beams and service routes. Low-frequency sound may therefore travel into more than one adjoining property.

Our guidance on flat and HMO soundproofing covers some of the additional considerations affecting multi-occupancy buildings.

Lease conditions, landlord permission, fire compartmentation and restrictions on floor alterations may also need to be checked before work begins.

Soundproofing and Sound Absorption Are Different

Soundproofing helps reduce noise passing into or out of the entertainment room. Sound absorption controls reflections and reverberation within the room itself.

Absorption panels, bass traps and other internal acoustic treatments can improve dialogue clarity and make the room sound more controlled.

Acoustic foam and absorption panels should not be relied upon to block television, gaming or bass noise through walls, floors or ceilings.

A home cinema may benefit from both soundproofing and internal acoustic treatment, but each performs a different role.

Installation Quality Matters

Even suitable products can underperform when installed incorrectly.

Common problems include:

• Rigid fixings bridging resilient components
• Unsealed board edges
• Compressed acoustic insulation
• Poorly adjusted door seals
• Untreated cable and ventilation openings
• Floating floors touching surrounding walls

Some straightforward systems may be suitable for a competent and experienced DIY installer. Independent walls, floating floors, isolated ceilings and acoustic ventilation systems may require an experienced tradesperson.

Set Realistic Expectations

Home entertainment soundproofing can reduce noise transmission, but it cannot guarantee that a television, gaming system or subwoofer will become completely inaudible elsewhere.

The result will depend on:

• The volume and equipment used
• The amount of low-frequency sound produced
• The existing building construction
• The number and severity of weak points
• Flanking transmission
• The products and system selected
• The quality of installation
• How the room is used afterwards

Bass and structural vibration can be particularly difficult to control. The practical goal is usually to achieve a meaningful reduction while continuing to use the equipment considerately.

Plan the Complete Entertainment Room

Before ordering soundproofing products, consider every wall, floor, ceiling, opening and service route connected to the room.

A complete plan should address airborne sound, bass vibration, doors, windows, ventilation, cables and internal acoustic treatment.

Call Acoustic Supplies on 01204 548400 or contact the team online to discuss your soundproofing project.