[Closed] Help Finding a Loud & Affordable Option

A mid-tier home sound system is playing. Could a megaphone or very cheap system disrupt it?

  • No megaphone will be able to disrupt the above

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The right megaphone will, but it will cost you

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Any megaphone will definitely disrupt a mid-tier home sound system

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • You need your own costly sound system to compete, sorry mate

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • A cheap system can compete, but it'll blow/tear the speaker

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

Fanboi

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In greater detail, I am in need of advice/input/knowledge regarding hardware. This is a very technical thing I have to investigate to write about and write a white paper on the intersectional relationship between economics, financial standards of lower incomes, urban and suburban noise polution, and various technologies. So, to help everyone steer me in the right direction, I have put together a totally not-true, hypothetical scenario to simplify it:

If there was a mid-tier sound system (Source) playing music loud enough to make it hard for the neighbour (Target) to hear people on the phone...
a) Would a megaphone from Target be able to disrupt Source's ability to hear the music (not necessarily overpower it, just disrupt it)?
b) If a megaphone would not be sufficient, would a really cheap <= $50USD system be able to make enough noise to disrupt Source's ability to hear the music (not necessarily overpower it, just disrupt it)?
c) If a cheap <= $50USD system exists, could someone link some examples that ship to South Africa (preferably free shipping to maintain our understanding of cost of noise more cleanly) as I have to use real-world examples for this paper.
d) Are there any other options that would have an adverse affect on the clarity of the sound of Source at Source performed by Target from Target? I would be keen to understand this relationship

So TL;DR: would a megaphone from one house disrupt the very very very loud music from another? If not, would a cheap system <= $50USD work? If so, could someone provide links that ship to South Africa (pref free shipping)?
...For the sake of my whitepaper, obviously.
 
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Place the face your own speakers Directly in contact with the party wall [cover your side with as many soft furnishings as you can as a muffle], and play "Tannhäuser" or something equally stirring at full blast, you will probably get a visit from the cops, but if you explain you have made multiple complaints and nothing has been done, and you finally reached the end of your teather, I am sure they will understand
 
While I'm more or less retired, I'm a musician - often historically a performing musician. If need be, I can make enough noise to ensure it echoes across the entire valley. (And we have!)

So, find some musician friends who'd like to come jam at your house when she's making her noise.

Or, get a guitar and even a small 50w amp. Then practice pinch harmonics and playing with a slide until she quiets down. Bonus being that you'll come out the other side with some guitar skills!

I'm not actually sure that this is an appropriate thread for the site. If another mod deletes it, I'd not be surprised. After all, you're basically just asking how to get revenge on someone.
 
Blast Terror and/or Speedcore through your speakers against her wall, but this music when played loud enough will get under anyones skin if it's not your style.
etc and if that doesn't work play really loud classical music and or opera.
 
Or put the Free Software song on repeat for 247.
 
Trust Maarten (hashes 4 and 5) - I do :)

Good luck, James

Avagudweegend, all

Wiz
 
@Brickwizard I don't have any speakers. Got built-in laptop and cheapy desktop ones. I mainly use my JBL wireless headphones because the sound quality is great, the range is good, the battery is amazing, and I don't impose on anyone if I'm up working late. Haven't used a stereo in years.

@KGIII You're a musician? That's cool. I had piano lessons for a while when I was a kid. I was raised in a very musical household. Mum was a concert pianist and my uncle was a genius on synths (the real analogue ones, not the modern easy-bake stuff). Eventually, I sorta got side-tracked as kids do. I've forgotten everything now, even basic chords, but I can still instinctively work out what I'm playing and get jamming (actually helped a mate put something together with an old Yamaha -- I think it was a Yamaha IIRC -- years ago quite to my surprise).
As for the thread, yeah, you're right, my wording did mislead it, although this is the "Off-topic" channel, so I figured I could still get technical advice (I seem to have elicited the opposite though). Anyway, I Zuckerberg'd my OP and reframed the question to sterilise the whole thing, so it's 100% compliant now.

@f33dm3bits Uh, I mentioned having epilepsy, and you kinda posted seizure-inducing stuff. Don't worry, I don't watch stuff on YT, I hate the player so it's always local on MPV and killing the video or turning the brightness down is easy enough... I see you like the experimental electronic stuff. Me too, though the stuff you linked's a little hardcore. I'm a bit less "edgy and cool", lol. Think stuff like that Kitsune^2 album from years back, or stuff like Machinae Supremacy. I'd far rather do Option 2 and play some of my OSTs (I'm pretty sure anything that doesn't have the word "body" repeated at least 4 times per track would cause her head to implode). Of course, in that hypothetical situation of it being me, my only objective would be to disrupt her so the sound of rain or a cat meowing would suffice.

@AndrewP I don't have a sound system and I think I'd give myself a seizure with that, lol.

@wizardfromoz Thanks mate, though they look a little pricey. Very nice finish! I'll actually earmark that for if/when I ever get out of this place and into my own spot with decent acoustics. That's the one advantage of heaphones: you don't need to worry about a shite, echoey room. Downside is you can't share them when you have guests -- without it looking comical, lol.
 
You're a musician? That's cool.

I'm actually a classical guitarist, by training. However, I've been paid to play pretty much anything but classical guitar. Fortunately, that ensured a good foundation and I've found it quite manageable to move through the various genres and styles.

For some periods of my life, my entire income was from my musicianship, and that meant I was pretty darned poor. We're talking ramen noodle, peanut butter and bread, and no-name corn flakes cereal levels of poor.

To this day, music has always been a part of my life. On most days, long before I open a browser window, I tend to put a couple of hours of practice in. I've done so for more than five decades. It feels weird if I don't do that every day. The guitar has opened so many doors that I'd have missed along the way. It has been a constant in my life since I was eleven years of age.

These days, I have more gear than I know what to do with - and constantly get more. So, if there's one thing I can do - it's make some noise. Fortunately, if I'm making that much noise then it means all my neighbors are either here with me or they don't mind. Also, I'd probably stop picking up more gear - but we're truly in a golden age for guitar players right now. So, I feast to prepare for the famine.
 
I'm actually a classical guitarist, by training. However, I've been paid to play pretty much anything but classical guitar. Fortunately, that ensured a good foundation and I've found it quite manageable to move through the various genres and styles.

For some periods of my life, my entire income was from my musicianship, and that meant I was pretty darned poor. We're talking ramen noodle, peanut butter and bread, and no-name corn flakes cereal levels of poor.

To this day, music has always been a part of my life. On most days, long before I open a browser window, I tend to put a couple of hours of practice in. I've done so for more than five decades. It feels weird if I don't do that every day. The guitar has opened so many doors that I'd have missed along the way. It has been a constant in my life since I was eleven years of age.

These days, I have more gear than I know what to do with - and constantly get more. So, if there's one thing I can do - it's make some noise. Fortunately, if I'm making that much noise then it means all my neighbors are either here with me or they don't mind. Also, I'd probably stop picking up more gear - but we're truly in a golden age for guitar players right now. So, I feast to prepare for the famine.
Wow, sounds amazing! ...except the poverty part -- though I've been there myself: mostly rice, dried legumes, peanut butter (no bread), and mealie meal (a cheap SA maize-based porridge that is equal to $1 USD for 1kg, which gives you about 8 decent helpings). I actually didn't mind too much, but that's probably because I'm okay so long as I have tea and coffee and a PC that I can write with (I write books... then don't publish them... I finished the first in 200X and the final polishes by 2009. I only let three people read it, and only two people my second, and zero people the rest...) I envy people who have the courage and will to live their art. It must make life a lot more interesting. I'd say, from personal experience of being poor, that it's worth it if you can live doing what you want (even if wasn't exactly within your genre a lot).
 
Uh, I mentioned having epilepsy, and you kinda posted seizure-inducing stuff.
Yeah I know I didn't see the epilepsy warning until just now for the second one. I was just looking for music that could help you reach your goal not realizing those videos usually go hand in hand with bright fast colors. Sorry about that!
 
Yeah I know I didn't see the epilepsy warning until just now for the second one. I was just looking for music that could help you reach your goal not realizing those videos usually go hand in hand with bright fast colors. Sorry about that!
No prob. I'm used to it. I just thought there was some funny irony there.
 
Okay, marking this closed. Thanks for all the input and interesting discourse, albeit off-topic, lol (though I enjoy this in conversations, it's organic and I enjoy different storiesv experiences, etc.)
Anyway, I've made some progress, done a lot of research on sound physics, brushed up that terrible math, and calculated what I need based on all the factors and the wattage that speaks need to cope with (around 32w minimum) based on Source's proximity to Source's sound system and Target's distance from source (as the volume decreases).
TL;DR: a $50 USD system won't handle.

Good news is I managed to get a direct line to a board member of the building's trustees (body corporate) and intimidate them with my legal knowledge SA housing laws and noise laws.
Bad news is they were already on the case. They are "organising headphones for her" -- I kid you not -- because she "needs the music for therapeutic reasons" -- yes, thank you so much to today's culture.

I'm calling BS on her coz:
(the following segment does not reflect the views of Linux.org, its staff, or its affiliates and this does not constitute medical or psychiatric diagnosis or advice -- can't be too careful)
a) She's not listening to Sound Therapy music; she listens to trashy bubblegum radio pop music.
b) People that benefit from Sound Therapy are predominantly children with autisms and they generally dislike strong sensory stimuli, for example loud noises. She is an adult doing the opposite. Also, "therapeutic" does not mean loud enough that the neighbourong block and the other side of the road can hear the lyrics.
c) She's, I just found out, married. So she's high-functioning enough to maintain a long-term commitment... yeah, her claim's falling apart. Oh, and high-functioning enough to be condescending and rude to me the one time we did interact.
d) All that said, why did she not get headphones to begin with? Also, why not close the windows and doors so myself and her neighbours are not assailed by the distorted cacophony that sounds like a teenager's bedroom?

Debunked. <insert Victory Fanfare>

Some closing thoughts:
I'm curious why the people on the board have to "organise" her headphones... Unless she's demanding Sennheiser etc, despite not having any apreciation for quality.
I'm more curious as to why the board should pay for it.
I'm most curious how her, 1 person, needs outweigh everyone elses. I mean what if I demand "therapeutic quiet"? Stalemate? The modern value system fails. This generation is too entitled. Spoiled princes and princessed, the lot of them (not all of you, it's a figure pf speech, my cousin ain't like that for example).

My official diagnoses of this person is "A-hole Syndrome": characterised by behaviour which is inconsiderate, selfish, entitled, self-absorbed, with possible hints of curried narcissism.

Peace out,
James
 

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