[ExitTheFall]

Hey guys, I have searched high and low for answers to my question to no avail. If you have some good keywords or know where it has been answered then let me know!

My HT setup:
Pioneer Andrew Jones 5.1
Denon AVR-e300(5.1)

Now I recently purchased a monoprice a/b switch and a pair of Yamaha aw350 outdoor speakers for the backyard. The "a" switch is for my main pioneers and the "b" switch is for the yamahas. I will never run them at the same time.

After completing the install I sat back to enjoy the fruits of my labor, but I couldn't, it sounds like crap!

I'm thinking it's an EQ problem because the speakers have decent reviews...

Now I have audyssey setup for the pioneers. My question is this: how can I best set up the EQ without having to switch all the settings every time I want to listen to music outside or watch a movie inside? As far as I can tell there are no presets on the Denon. I tried using the "pure" setting as a quick preset, but that did not put out enough base for me.

Any suggestions would be welcome!

 

[RayDunzl]

Does the sound like crap part come from the speaker switch?

 

[ExitTheFall]

Does the sound like crap part come from the speaker switch?

I don't think so, my pioneer mains are run through the switch and they still sound great. That's a good thought though, I'll bypass it tomorrow and see if I notice a difference.

 

[ExitTheFall]

Hey guys, I have searched high and low for answers to my question to no avail. If you have some good keywords or know where it has been answered then let me know!

My HT setup:
Pioneer Andrew Jones 5.1
Denon AVR-e300(5.1)

Now I recently purchased a monoprice a/b switch and a pair of Yamaha aw350 outdoor speakers for the backyard. The "a" switch is for my main pioneers and the "b" switch is for the yamahas. I will never run them at the same time.

After completing the install I sat back to enjoy the fruits of my labor, but I couldn't, it sounds like crap!

I'm thinking it's an EQ problem because the speakers have decent reviews...

Now I have audyssey setup for the pioneers. My question is this: how can I best set up the EQ without having to switch all the settings every time I want to listen to music outside or watch a movie inside? As far as I can tell there are no presets on the Denon. I tried using the "pure" setting as a quick preset, but that did not put out enough base for me.

Any suggestions would be welcome!

*bass not base

 

[RayDunzl]

How are the outdoor speakers mounted?

How long is the speaker wire, and what gauge?

 

[ExitTheFall]

They are mounted under an eave on a 2"x6". The wires are 14 gauge, about 75-100' long

 

[RayDunzl]

Looks like you've done ok...

14 awg for 100' (x2 since the wire goes there and back) is about .5 ohms, not too bad with 6 ohm speakers.

Outdoors is not indoors, you don't get the same effect when the sound just goes off across the yard instead of reflecting back at you.

Maybe you'll get used to it.

Try bypassing the switch to be sure that isn't a problem.

 

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I tried using the "pure" setting as a quick preset, but that did not put out enough base for me.

Good bass response relies on boundary loading and cabin gain. Indoors you have both. Outdoors you don't have the boundary loading that you do indoors, and you have no cabin gain. What a 6.5 inch driver will deliver indoors will take a 12 inch driver to deliver outdoors, along with an EQ curve adjusted for outdoor use.

 

[Elihawk]

Bill is almost always accurate and he has hit the nail on the head! I had a set of Kef Ventura 6 speaker that I bought in the dead of Iowa winter, so I tried them out inside and thought they sounded great and had impressive bass! This weekend, moved them outdoors, mounted off my garage and pointed at my deck. Definately not as impressive...however, way better than the Polk Atrium 4s they replaced. The listening room outdoors is a bit difficult!

 

[ExitTheFall]

Good bass response relies on boundary loading and cabin gain. Indoors you have both. Outdoors you don't have the boundary loading that you do indoors, and you have no cabin gain. What a 6.5 inch driver will deliver indoors will take a 12 inch driver to deliver outdoors, along with an EQ curve adjusted for outdoor use.

That makes sense. I guess I didn't realize how much being outdoors affected the bass. My wife is back visiting her family in Iowa which is why I'm able to work on this 😄

 

[ExitTheFall]

Good bass response relies on boundary loading and cabin gain. Indoors you have both. Outdoors you don't have the boundary loading that you do indoors, and you have no cabin gain. What a 6.5 inch driver will deliver indoors will take a 12 inch driver to deliver outdoors, along with an EQ curve adjusted for outdoor use.

So your saying I need a sub. My wife has me on a pretty tight budget... I have an old Logitech sub from an old computer, I'll probably try and rig that up and see if it helps at all. Any specifics on changing the EQ curve that could help?

 

[RayGuy]

That makes sense. I guess I didn't realize how much being outdoors affected the bass. My wife is back visiting her family in Iowa which is why I'm able to work on this ��

You can greatly effect the sound of outdoor speakers by proper placement. Under the eaves is a good idea, but if the speakers are mounted at the end of the wall (one side in the open air, so to speak), you will not get good reinforcement of the bass. The speakers should be mounted with the woofer side closest to the eaves (i.e. upside-down). and there should be a foot or preferably more of wall flanking either side of the speaker. Try to keep them 6-8 feet apart to preserve the stereo image (some experimentation is in order to get the correct distance). The speaker should be aimed downward so that the tweeter is pointed at ear height and toed-in so that they "cross" at the listening position, or a few feet in front of the listening area, for broader coverage.

Give these options a try and see if you don't improve the sound. In addition, outdoor sound requires a lot more power than you would expect, so efficient speakers and lots of additional power are often needed.

Oh, and run the outdoor speakers in "Pure Direct" mode, or whatever mode takes the equalization OUT of the loop on a Pio receiver (you don't want to be running outdoor speakers that have been equalized for the indoors).