I am having a hard time getting my brain around this dilemma, so I thought I would ask for help from someone smarter than me!

I have a pool area in the backyard and would like to add an outdoor audio system. The back patio / pool is surrounded by house on three sides such that I can easily place speakers around the perimeter in a U shape, which is where my problem begins.

Because of the shape of the area and the diverse listening areas that are going to be used, I am concerned that using L/R input speakers will sound goofy. When sitting in the hot tub, you will only hear the right channel, when over by the grill the left channel, sitting in the lounge chairs the right channel, etc. I know the simple answer is to find stereo input speakers, but I am finding that selection is limited, but L/R input speakers there are lots of choices in all different styles and price ranges.

So my question is can I get the effect of stereo input speakers out of L/R input speakers by being creative with the wiring? My thought was that I could buy a stereo (2 channel) receiver, wire the right and left channel together, then wire the 4 speakers in a combination of series and parallel configurations to keep the impedence within spec of the amplifier.

Am I crazy?? Anyone think it would work? Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

My experience with outdoor sound is to keep it confined to specific listening areas and levels appropriate for that area as opposed to trying to cover the whole area with one set of speakers. Sound permeating the entire outdoors often becomes fatiquing. I have outdoor speakers on a semicovered deck area where we often eat or sip a glass of wine and talk. I have thought about putting speakers in the outdoor kitchen area and again confining the sound to that specific area. We use our hot tub typically late at night and quiet is the operative word so no sound in that area. Our pool can already be a noisy area so again no sound there. Different folks will have different strokes. I like the Polk Atrium 45 series for outdoor speakers as they are small, weatherproof and have a very nice sound. I don't try to replicate my main stereo or Home Theater sound outdoors.

YMMV.
..Doyle

Doyle is right; not really a good idea to try and cover a large area with stereo. Anyway out of doors you really are in to backgroung music. People are not going to be focused on the sound with a critical ear. If you do run stereo channels put the speakers fairly close together. This makes them effectively a mono source.

Some surround receivers have a 5 channel stereo mood that might work for you.

Don't try experimenting with connecting the left and right outputs together. Unless the receiver/amp is designed to be bridged (which increases power by running the two channels as a mono amp), connecting the outputs together is likely to be the end of the amp.

Thanks for the insight ... I am definitely not trying to fill a large area (patio and pool area is less than 1,000 sq ft) with sound, and part of my dilema is not wanting to create a critial listening enviornment, hence thinking it makes sense to eliminate any stereo effect from speaker placement in favor of simply having each speaker produce the same sound.

I really like the idea of listening "Zones" and that might be the best compromise for my situation, although I am going to continue to search out "stereo input" speakers.

Thanks again for the thoughts