I know there are threads in this forum asking for info about outdoor speakers and them don't seem to get much attention, which is understandable. Just wanted to give some proactive information. I have had the Polk Atrium 4 for about a year and am, well, underwhelmed. I recently purchased the Kef Ventura 6 speakers and I was able to find a great deal on Part Express.. These are a really great speaker and if you can get them for 200/pr and need a great set of outdoor speakers (especially with spring right around the corner...), I would recommend these as really nice sounding speaker at a great price- Parts express has had these on sale for the 200-250/pr, on and off for the past 6 months! Good speakers...
Outdoor speakers...
1 - 20 of 29 Posts
I have the Definitive AW6500 ($400 pr) They are great outdoor speakers also. I have not had another set of outdoor speakers to compare them to, but the sound is very satisfying. There is also the AW5500 for a slightly lower cost.
I too came on here to find info on outdoor speakers and at the time there is very little info on them, and actually limited products out there for options outdoors. I'm happy with mine
You're underwhelmed by the bottom of the Atrium line? How could that be?
Making speakers work outside isn't the same as making them for indoors. Also, don't aim them away from the building, aim them toward it- the wall(s) will help to contain the sound, rather than sending it outward and diminishing as it goes. By the time the SPL is where you want it, your neighbors are already mad and aiming toward the building makes this less likely.
Limited products for outdoor speakers? Almost every speaker manufacturer has them!
Niles, Sonance, SpeakerCraft, Jamo/Klipsch, Polk, Pioneer, Boston Acoustics, James Audio, Def Tech, Origin Acoustics (the founder of SpeakerCraft started a new company, now that his no-compete is over)- you name it, they sell them.
If you want great outdoor sound and don't have neighbors nearby, Niles, SpeakerCraft, Origin Acoustics and others have speakers that look like Malibu landscape lights (from the side) and have an in-ground subwoofer.
The Sonance (called 'Sonarray') system is just that- a system, not a 'set'. It comes with satellites, sub and a Crown amplifier with the DSP set up (EQ, compression/limiter) to produce a great balanced sound over 70V. The amp and speakers have a transformer, with the speakers being set to the output needed, to allow safe operation. This system kicks butt! It's also a lot of money.
The Niles, SpeakerCraft, Origin systems are far less, they come with no amp and don't operate on 70V, but they can be grouped and powered to sound great, with the right amp AND setup WRT equalization, etc.
Joined
·
3,806 Posts
I will throw in my limited recomendations
I have a pair of Paradigm Stylus 470's that sound
Great and have given me a lot of pleasure for about
4 years.
http://www.paradigm.com/products-current/type=outdoor
Recently I listened to a pair of the PSB outdoor speakers
At a dealership. I was very impressed with their sound
And actually thought they sounded a bit better than my
Paradigms. Of course I was listening to them indoors FWIW.
http://wwv.crutchfield.com/shopsear...=t&awkw=+psb +outdoor +speakers&awmt=b&awnw=g
I have a pair of Paradigm Stylus 470's that sound
Great and have given me a lot of pleasure for about
4 years.
http://www.paradigm.com/products-current/type=outdoor
Recently I listened to a pair of the PSB outdoor speakers
At a dealership. I was very impressed with their sound
And actually thought they sounded a bit better than my
Paradigms. Of course I was listening to them indoors FWIW.
http://wwv.crutchfield.com/shopsear...=t&awkw=+psb +outdoor +speakers&awmt=b&awnw=g
Joined
·
19,605 Posts
One reason is for outdoor speakers - they do measure nice
http://www.soundstagenetwork.com/in...outdoorindoor-loudspeakers&catid=77&Itemid=18
Joined
·
3,806 Posts
Interesting! Never even thought about installing my
Speakers that way. I have covered patio and have
Always installed against the house facing into the
Backyard. Might make for an interesting summer
Experiment.
The only "problem" is the loss of bass, due to the nearby boundaries that were there when the speakers were mounted on the house. OTOH, it's a good excuse to install a subwoofer in the garden. Since distributed audio is generally mono and not stereo, one of the Crown, Bogen or other amps with DSP for crossover, compression, limiting and other functions is a good idea, too. Or, you can run it stereo and use passive crossovers. Just put the crossovers inside of the speaker enclosures.
While I know outdoor speakers are design to handle the elements, I never really wanted to spend a lot on something that will be outdoors full time (considering the cold we get in Iowa), which is why I went with a cheaper speaker to begin with. Ultimately, I decided the bang was worth the buck to have good speakers to sit on the deck and listen to. Looks like the Kef list for 400/pr, I was able to get them for just a few dollars over 200/pr.
I have heard the Def Tech AW6500 and really liked them, but you just don't find many great deals on them and 400/pr was more than I wanted to spend. For whatever reasons, you don't see Def Tech products on sale much!
And with no disrespect intended, I won't be aiming my speakers at my house...I will just keep the volume down!
I have heard the Def Tech AW6500 and really liked them, but you just don't find many great deals on them and 400/pr was more than I wanted to spend. For whatever reasons, you don't see Def Tech products on sale much!
And with no disrespect intended, I won't be aiming my speakers at my house...I will just keep the volume down!
What is the proper wire to use if you wanted to run speaker wire underground out to the speakers? I have not decided on my location of my speakers yet but if I put them away from the house, I would need to bury the wire and then feed up. does monoprice carry a speaker wire made for direct bury, I didn't find one.
Joined
·
1,172 Posts
I used 12ga landscape lighting wire from Home Depot that has worked well for several years, even with strong exposure to the San Diego sun running across a patio roof. As for outdoor speakers, my vote goes to the Boston Acoustics Voyager series. Sound great and hold up well to the elements over the long term. Acessories4less refurbs are well priced and since speakers are fairly simple pieces of gear (either they work or don't) I had less trepidation buying a refurb.
Joined
·
114 Posts
Hey, I'm looking to purchase a pair of outdoor speakers and I'm also hesitant to spend a lot on them b/c I feel they wont last very long being outside in the elements (Northeast). I was leaning toward getting the Def Tech AW6500 but would prefer to spend a little less. I saw today the Klipsch CP-4 on sale at amazon for 300/pair. Does anyone have these? My guess is the Def Techs would play louder looking at specs.
Thanks,
Brian
Thanks,
Brian
Joined
·
467 Posts
At the risk of getting myself in trouble with the audiophiles, I'm going to go ahead and suggest a Bose product for outdoor listening. the Bose 151 environmental speakers have served me very well. I have a pair of these mounted onto the siding underneath the roof overhang on either side of my deck. These are connected to one of my HTPC's, and I use a small amplifier I picked up from Marchand Electronics to power them. It's not booming bass / concert stage stuff, but that wasn't my design goal. I simply wanted to fill the space around my deck with good, clear music. I can use the HTPC's realtek application to fine tune the output and I can control the playback with a tablet that communicates with the HTPC over my wireless LAN.
It's been good enough to satisfy the wife and any guests I have had out there, and not so loud as to ruin relations with the neighbors.
I find the Def tech very crisp on the highs, and also enjoy the added bass with the passive bass radiator on the back, really decent when mounted right. It's nothing crazy, but for outdoor applications it is sufficient, I find a 6" woofer to be lacking by itself in a wide open outdoor setting.
I will add I have not had other outdoor speakers to compare them to, I can just say I am very happy with the Def tech's
I will add I have not had other outdoor speakers to compare them to, I can just say I am very happy with the Def tech's
I tried the Bose 151s before I bought the Polk Atrium and they were weak....not very sensitive, they take a lot of power and had little bass. I have a big yard, my deck is 20 feet away from the speakers, so a better speaker was necessary.
Joined
·
230 Posts
"Technomad" only makes loudspeakers for outdoors & for any environment. The Vernal sounds great with good dynamic range (they use compression drivers rather than domes for the tweeters) Extremely durable and great sound. Not cheap but they will outlast anything else.
Figured this thread has a bit of action going on...
I want to get some low volume music across my back patio and pool. I will use Zone 2 on my AVR to power these Polk Audio Atrium 6 speakers.
Here is my space...I want to place these speakers 23' apart from each other left/right - under the overhang of course, angling slightly down. The blue arrows are the locations I was thinking.
Any reason the spread is too much - meaning will I only hear is once channel (unless I am way out)- my seating distance on the patio will be relative close - meaning perhaps 7-10 ft in the middle. As you can see I have three areas that I use, one right behind the sliding door. The other the high top table to the right, and then finally lounging in the pool.
Am I better clustering them together - to the left and right of the patio door..., like 7-10 ft apart to get better imaging when I am up close. Or am I overthinking this...ask any other questions of course if this is not clear.
![]()
I want to get some low volume music across my back patio and pool. I will use Zone 2 on my AVR to power these Polk Audio Atrium 6 speakers.
Here is my space...I want to place these speakers 23' apart from each other left/right - under the overhang of course, angling slightly down. The blue arrows are the locations I was thinking.
Any reason the spread is too much - meaning will I only hear is once channel (unless I am way out)- my seating distance on the patio will be relative close - meaning perhaps 7-10 ft in the middle. As you can see I have three areas that I use, one right behind the sliding door. The other the high top table to the right, and then finally lounging in the pool.
Am I better clustering them together - to the left and right of the patio door..., like 7-10 ft apart to get better imaging when I am up close. Or am I overthinking this...ask any other questions of course if this is not clear.
Joined
·
1,370 Posts
Youll be fine, theyre outdoor speakers! Your not sitting out there listening to sacds, and picking out all the details...Figured this thread has a bit of action going on...
I want to get some low volume music across my back patio and pool. I will use Zone 2 on my AVR to power these Polk Audio Atrium 6 speakers.
Here is my space...I want to place these speakers 23' apart from each other left/right - under the overhang of course, angling slightly down. The blue arrows are the locations I was thinking.
Any reason the spread is too much - meaning will I only hear is once channel (unless I am way out)- my seating distance on the patio will be relative close - meaning perhaps 7-10 ft in the middle. As you can see I have three areas that I use, one right behind the sliding door. The other the high top table to the right, and then finally lounging in the pool.
Am I better clustering them together - to the left and right of the patio door..., like 7-10 ft apart to get better imaging when I am up close. Or am I overthinking this...ask any other questions of course if this is not clear.
![]()
1 - 20 of 29 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!