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Outdoor Speaker Help

post #1 of 6
7/2/07 at 6:59pm
Thread Starter 
I am trying to put some speakers on my deck. Since it is longer than wider (about 14' from the house and about 24' long), an installer told me I should go with 2 dual voice speakers as opposed to a stereo pair. First of all, any thoughts on that? Also, I am probably going to have to buy the speakers "blind" since none of the dual input speakers I am looking at are actually available for listening, any thoughts on brands I should look at? I can get a good deal on Klipsch AW-500-sm for $187 a piece. But again, haven't heard them.

Also...anyone ever buy speakers from outdoorspeakerdepot.com? The prices are good but not sure the of the quality.

Any, ANY help would be greatly appreciated.
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post #2 of 6
7/3/07 at 9:45am
Thread Starter 

Re: Outdoor Speaker Help

These are the speakers from outdoorspeakerdepot.com I was looking at.

http://www.outdoorspeakerdepot.com/awduvocosist1.html

The specs look impressive, but I am no audiophile...thoughts?

. All-Weather Versatility
. Rigid, Acoustically Inert Enclosure
. 6 1/2" polypropylene woofer
. Two 1" supernil soft dome pivoting tweeters
. Gold-plated 5-way binding posts
. Power handling: 125W
. Wiring - 4-conductor (left & right)
. Frequency Response 35Hz - 20kHz
. Sensitivity 90db
. Finishes: White and Black
. Includes brackets
. Unit Dimension: 13"H x 8.5"W x 7.5"D
. Unit Weight: 14 lbs
. 10-year warranty


Please. Any help from anyone that isn't trying to sell me something would be great.
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post #3 of 6
7/3/07 at 9:48am

Re: Outdoor Speaker Help

I've heard good feedback from people who have purchased outdoor speakers from Home Theater Direct. Their customer service has a good reputation as well.

HTD Outdoor Speakers
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post #4 of 6
7/3/07 at 2:32pm

Re: Outdoor Speaker Help

The closest I've been involved with testing the "outdoor"ness of speakers was a flood.

We have a bunch of Tannoy i5AW speakers scattered around the area, including one on the floor. When we had 22" of water on the floor, it bobbed around like a cork, turned on its side, filled with water, and sank.

We ran it with the water still inside (didn't know.) It was okay. We drained the water out of it, and it was better. We pulled the stuffing out and windex'd the whole thing, and it's pretty much good as new.

For large area outdoor sound, I'd suggest sprinkling a number of speakers along the length, possibly pointed down from the eves, or perhaps even redirected against the house, so they're diffused a bit. Or even just a number of them as direct radiators, but not just a pair of them. Maybe 4-5 of them.

As for stereo? I wouldn't worry. Or get, say, 8, and do four on the deck rails (all "left") and four on the house (all "right.)

Whatever you do, you'll probably get better results with a bunch of little speakers than a few big ones.

And for bass response? Don't even think about it. In fact, you'd probably be better off passing it through an EQ before the power amps and cutting everything below, say, 60Hz. Bass depends a lot on walls and modes. Or sheer volume. Which is why at outdoor concert venues, they'll have 200MW of power amps and bass cabinets. (Okay, okay. Maybe not 200 megawatts, but a huge amount.)

Leo
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post #5 of 6
7/4/07 at 9:26am
Thread Starter 

Re: Outdoor Speaker Help

Thanks for the response. I know I mentioned this in my original post, but anyone ever order from www.outdoorspeakerdepot.com ? Would love to get some opinions on them even if someone more knowledgable than me looked at the specs and gave an opinion.
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post #6 of 6
8/23/08 at 3:28pm

Re: Outdoor Speaker Help

bumping on this one. what is the verdict for outdoorspeakerdepot.com? Also looking at Polk speakers (Atrium 45) or maybe a pair of Klipsch outdoor. Anyone with suggestions?
thanks
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