I actually heard the lightswitch turn on, then the toilet seat go up or down the last time I checked, it's not the easy to deliberately make an excessive amount of noise with a LIGHTSWITCH! So you're right, the building is not going to help mask any noise. But...you were asleep until the music went on, right? Music late at night is a no-no, and if they get evicted for that, you don't need to feel guilty. True, perhaps they might have gotten away w/ low-volume music in a different apartment building, but they just have to cope w/ the bad-construction problem as long as they live here; they cope by not playing music at all when it's late, perhaps. But you should NOT be complaining about other noises--walking (as long as there are carpets, and unless you feel it's extreme stomping), toilets flushing, and maybe even the squeaking. Some noise, you can't control, and if that level of noise leakage bothers you, YOU will need to move to a less noisy building. It sounds like, until the music woke you in the middle of the night, you might have otherwise slept through the lightswitch, toilet, etc. Maybe even the squeaking. So they DO have an opportunity to keep the noise low enough for you to put up with it--as long as they're not playing music in the bedroom at night. They may *think* they're playing it low enough, but if lightswitches are coming through, then they really can't have ANY music after 10pm. And I'm wondering--what wakes you? the music? Or walking? Or something else? And how long have you lived there, and have you always had a problem w/ noise? Bcs if a previous neighbor lived peacefully above you, then the building's not the problem (even if it's not helping much). If you were on nicer terms w/ your neighbors, you could perhaps make a pact w/ one another that you won't flush in the middle of the night, if that's one of the things that wakes you. Or you could perhaps say, "I noticed last night, when the music woke me up, that part of the problem is the BUILDING, and I could hear all these other noises. So that's an indicator that the music can't be at ANY level after bedtime, even if in another building you were able to play the music at a low level." Best of luck. Maybe now that you've realized how easily noise carries, you'll find it easier to be sympathetic toward the folks upstairs, realizing that it's not their general crumminess so much as it is the situation you both are living in, w/ an unforgiving building. And understanding that they perhaps are feeling frustrated because here they are, threatened w/ being evicted, and all they're doing is normal life. Perhaps you'll feel less under seige from them; it's not good for you, to be angry at the people over your head all the time. And maybe you can be more sympathetic to music at other times of the day, like 8pm, or something, when you're not trying to sleep at 3am. but frankly, anyone in an apt. who turns on music at 3am deserves to get evicted. Not at 8pm, perhaps, unless it's really, really booming. But after 10pm, sorry, no music.

I would visit Terry Love's toliet website, they have detailed evaluations. Here is a link that might be useful: toilet link

Higher density drain pipe material. Using cast iron for the main stack works best.

A friend of a friend works at Rampart Supply (website below) in Denver. I have not been to this store myself, but they supposedly have huge rows of *plumbed* toilets and such, so you can see how the fixtures work, which is cool if you hate noisy toilets like I do (I'm avoiding buying new toilets but if I do will go there for a "hearing test" lol). But I digress... I'm not sure if they're more bath or kitchen centric, so depending on what you're looking for, it might be worth checking out their web site. Since I live in NM and have gone to Denver to get a granite bath vanity top, I feel your pain of not having good stuff nearby to look at! happy shopping! Here is a link that might be useful: Rampart Supply