Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Everything Is Getting Louder

theatlantic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 316 posts

Re: Everything Is Getting Louder

#101

Post by zamadatix »

naravara wrote: post #40
abjKT26nO8 wrote: post #6

For me the trigger is TVs. I've been renting a flat in a poorer area for over a year now. The walls are a lot thinner than in other places. There are a lot of people today (mostly 50+ year-olds) who cannot fall to sleep without the TV on. My neighbor is one of them. And the thing with TVs is that the most irritating sound frequency they emit is the one that is barely audible when you're in the same room, but when you…

When I was in a similar situation I ended up paying for a few hundred dollars worth of acoustic foam for the walls. It didn’t stop everything, especially stopping noise from upstairs neighbors, but it was still a huge help. It’s unsightly though. The kinds that are actually nice to look at as wall decoration are super expensive.

Did you do a before and after dB measurement? I'm curious on quantitatively how well it worked as I was thinking of doing the same thing but I talked to a few musician buddies and read many things like https://acousticalsolutions.com/how-to-soundproof-acoustic-f... & https://soundproofcentral.com/soundproof-foam/ and all seem to agree foam stuck on a wall is for echo not soundproofing so didn't try it out. Also many reported that things like mass loaded Vinyl on it's own isn't that great either. It seems that on top of foam panels on the wall in a sandwich fashion is the best but that was too much cost for me to try.

Re: Everything Is Getting Louder

#102

Post by blunte »

jdietrich wrote: post #76
blunte wrote: post #26

Many people either cannot hear very low frequency sound, and they cannot understand what it’s like for those of us who can. The sounds don’t necessarily get louder at night - there are just fewer competing sounds to mask them. Earplugs and other sound barriers make it worse by filtering out higher frequency sounds, making the remaining VLF sounds seem louder. VLFs also penetrate earth, stone, concrete, etc. And becau…

As a trained sound engineer, I don't find this explanation wholly plausible. Human hearing is increasingly less sensitive at low frequencies; the threshold of hearing is typically around 60dB at 20Hz and 72dB at 10Hz. Anyone who has configured a large public address system knows that vast amounts of power are needed to deliver useful response at these frequencies; many systems simply fake the presence of low bass by…

I can’t say whether it is an ear hearing or some other sensitivity to resonance (of the skull?).

The sensation is stronger on one side/ear, and it feels like the pressure you feel if someone goes “puh” softly in your ear in a quiet room... except that it happens over and over at a low frequency.

I have experienced it in several different places. One place was at college on the cliffs overlooking the Mississippi river, and I suspect it was from the boats that push barges (cargo) down the river.

Other places have been near heavy freight train routes, particularly when a train is idling somewhere within perhaps a mile.

It’s like if a big truck is idling a few houses down the street in a quiet neighborhood.

In one location in the mountains of Colorado, the sound could be heard a many locations throughout the valley. I know this because i drove around in the quiet and remote regions, stopping periodically to listen. Some spots were impressively loud, and others were not audible. In that environment I suspect it was due to wind over the mountain ridge (sharp edged on one side, and the wind would cause a pressure differential to build until it would break and the air would take a chaotic path briefly). This is similar to what you see and hear with a fireplace where the fire is burning mostly on one side of a log, but the air flows in a way that creates a pressure differential... and it may cause a puff puff puff pattern that is both audible and visible (flame leaping around the other side of the log exactly at the moment you hear the puff).

Re: Everything Is Getting Louder

#103

Post by reddotX »

petre wrote: post #86
monster_group wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I sold my previous house precisely because of noisy neighbors (or rather their dogs). Their three dogs lived in the backyard permanently no matter what the weather - never seen them walked. Talked to the neighbors twice about the noise - no action. Called the cops at 3 in the morning - still nothing. Finally, I decided to sell the house and move somewhere where there is low dog density. I developed a dislike for dogs…

In Bavaria if your dog barks more than 30 minutes per day, the neighbours can record it on video, call the police and you will get fined. At first I thought this is astupid law but after reading your story I changed my mind.

in Bulgaria people will poison your dogs

Re: Everything Is Getting Louder

#104

Post by blunte »

crazygringo wrote: post #47
blunte wrote: post #26

Many people either cannot hear very low frequency sound, and they cannot understand what it’s like for those of us who can. The sounds don’t necessarily get louder at night - there are just fewer competing sounds to mask them. Earplugs and other sound barriers make it worse by filtering out higher frequency sounds, making the remaining VLF sounds seem louder. VLFs also penetrate earth, stone, concrete, etc. And becau…

I have never heard of this and have a hard time believing it but I’m curious. What causes “low frequency sound” for you? And why do you think other people can’t hear it? At low frequencies tones degrade into individual pulses but can still be heard/felt. Noise-cancelling headphones actually work best with low frequencies like train and plane noise... do those help you? Googling “VLF” only gives results about radio wa…

i’m not going to post the same reply twice, but if you would read my reply to a sibling post you’ll see what i’m talking about.

Re: Everything Is Getting Louder

#105

Post by frosted-flakes »

justinpombrio wrote: post #89
frosted-flakes wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Car alarms come standard in most cars, and you generally can't disable them (that's the point). Even my 20 year old VW has a car alarm, and there's no simple way to disable it, short of never locking my car door or disconnecting the horns (which are also activated by pressing on the steering wheel). I wish I could disable it, because this specific model has faulty door-open sensors that sometimes detect an open door…

My immediate thought is: find the speaker and cut the damned wire. Is it protected deep inside the car or something?

It's the horn. If you cut the cord, you can't honk anymore.

Re: Everything Is Getting Louder

#106

Post by CarVac »

vinay427 wrote: post #21
CalChris wrote: post #19

I have 3M PELTOR X5A Ear Muffs. I use them all the time, from getting a snooze while my car charges, to working in louder than necessary cafes, to getting decent if slightly uncomfortable sleep in a hotel. They're $31 delivered from Amazon. It amused the hell out of me that I had to click through an agreement saying I was a profession. I am a professional. Since these are 31db ear muffs, they're heavier than somethin…

Noise isolating ear tips or IEMs for listening to audio are another great option if you want to maybe sacrifice a little bit of comfort for wonderful audio reproduction and probably portability/convenience.

Even better are noise isolating earbuds INSIDE of 3M Peltor 31 decibel earmuffs.

Re: Everything Is Getting Louder

#107

Post by ProfessorLayton »

thaumaturgy wrote: post #98

I slept for about 18 months in a second-story room overlooking one of the busier streets in town. That'll never happen again. Motorcycles were especially obnoxious; I usually sleep like the dead, including all the way through an energetic northern California earthquake, but we had a regular that would rip up and down the street sometime after 1 a.m. and it often interrupted my sleep. Also -- and this hasn't previousl…

I used to live near a freeway exit, and motorcycles were by far the worst compared to literally any other traffic. They are dangerously loud, and can cause ear damage.

The silver lining is that obnoxiously loud bikes are a dying breed (Harley Davidson sales have been taking for years) + general electrification of personal transportation should quiet things up in the not too distant future.

Re: Everything Is Getting Louder

#108

Post by kungtotte »

Macha wrote: post #53
myroon5 wrote: post #39

The number of appliances that intentionally make noise and cannot be configured to stop making noise irks me. I never want microwaves, dishwashers, laundry machines, etc. to make any noise. Even worse is how many of them continue making noise until you unload them. I'd like to one day be able to run a load of laundry or dishes overnight without being constantly woken up.

I own a washing machine that particularly annoys me. It beeps at the end of the wash, as if expecting you to unload it. It also has a heat sensor tied to the door lock, where it won't let you unlock the door if it's too hot. It also takes 5-10 minutes after a wash to reach a level where it'll let you open the door.

We recently bought a new dishwasher that's nearly silent during operation, and will automatically open the door and power down at the end of the cycle (no notification beeps).

It didn't cost us any extra, but I would've paid double for that now that I've had it for six months. I can start it immediately before going to bed and when I wake up it's finished.

Re: Everything Is Getting Louder

#109

Post by egypturnash »

crazygringo wrote: post #47
blunte wrote: post #26

Many people either cannot hear very low frequency sound, and they cannot understand what it’s like for those of us who can. The sounds don’t necessarily get louder at night - there are just fewer competing sounds to mask them. Earplugs and other sound barriers make it worse by filtering out higher frequency sounds, making the remaining VLF sounds seem louder. VLFs also penetrate earth, stone, concrete, etc. And becau…

I have never heard of this and have a hard time believing it but I’m curious. What causes “low frequency sound” for you? And why do you think other people can’t hear it? At low frequencies tones degrade into individual pulses but can still be heard/felt. Noise-cancelling headphones actually work best with low frequencies like train and plane noise... do those help you? Googling “VLF” only gives results about radio wa…

So about a year before I moved out of Seattle I started hearing this HUM around the University District. It was low pitched but it was everywhere. And it was especially in my bedroom. All night long. My sleep became a lot less sound.

My boyfriend never heard it. Ever. He’d sleep right next to me. His ears just didn’t go down that low, I guess. Or maybe my skull resonated with this noise better than his did, I dunno.

I have no idea what caused it. It went down over time, but I’d still hear it pretty much every night I slept in my apartment. Sleep elsewhere and it was gone.

I moved to another city. It didn’t follow me. I’ve mostly forgotten how glad I am to not have that low frequency hum be a constant presence in my life. Thanks for reminding me how grateful I should be for it being gone! ️

Re: Everything Is Getting Louder

#110

Post by rhacker »

tzs wrote: post #100
abjKT26nO8 wrote: post #6

For me the trigger is TVs. I've been renting a flat in a poorer area for over a year now. The walls are a lot thinner than in other places. There are a lot of people today (mostly 50+ year-olds) who cannot fall to sleep without the TV on. My neighbor is one of them. And the thing with TVs is that the most irritating sound frequency they emit is the one that is barely audible when you're in the same room, but when you…

Not being as close to neighbors is the primary reason I moved from an apartment to a house several years ago. This was both to not have to hear them when I'm trying to sleep, and to not have to worry about me being the obnoxious noisy neighbor for them when they were sleeping because I was often quite the night owl and would have liked to be able to watch a movie or listen to music at 3 AM. Here's an aerial view cent…

+1000 about the quiet -> less stress. It's something very few people get. Mostly just old people that get a few acres know about it.
Post reply on HN