Outdoor speakers

[rob7]

Can anyone suggest some outdoor speakers? I have a fairly large backyard/patio area and was looking for a good pair of outdoor speakers. I am not looking to include a subwoofer or any 'rock' speakers. I'm looking for speakers to mount under the patio (ceiling). Looking for 60hz or lower for the low end.

I'll be running them through a NAD C370 int/amp.

I have been looking into Speakercraft OE5 Three, and I just started looking into some of the Polk speakers. Don't know how much, if any, acoustical issues there would be as they'd be outside (open air). Budget is $500 to $700 for a pair.

Any suggestions or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Vardo]

IMO Niles outdoor speakers are worth looking into....I have a pair
of Boston Acoustic Voyager 6 speakers which extend
down to 60HZ. Their Voyager 7 speakers extend down even lower.

http://store.digitalriver.com/servlet/ControllerServlet?Action=DisplayPage&Env=BASE&Locale=en_US&SiteID=bostona&id=ProductDetailsPage&productID=47709800

Onecall has alot of outdoor speakers....you might take a look at their
website to get some ideas....good luck, vardo

[rob7]

Thanks for the info. I've seen the Niles speakers but didn't know about their quality. I've also started looking at the BA stuff. Do you like yours? How's the low end? I'm not looking for boomy; I just don't want all tweeter.

Thanks again.

Anyone else?

[zepman1]

I have a pair of Polk Atrium 45's that probably cost me only $200 or so. 4.5" drivers I think. The bass response is decent for an outdoor speaker, maybe not quite 60 hz though. Really nice midrange though, overall a nice sounding speaker. The atrium 65's ($300?)might get down to 55 hz or so (inside). Can take a listen to these at Circuit City.

These were easy to mount and install, and can also be removed easily. Very durable so far after two years (I bring them inside over the winter).

The thing is, it is really hard to get good bass response outside, being in an infinitely large room! Mounting under the soffits will help though.

[Hyfi]

I have a pair of Polk Atrium 45's that probably cost me only $200 or so. 4.5" drivers I think. The bass response is decent for an outdoor speaker, maybe not quite 60 hz though. Really nice midrange though, overall a nice sounding speaker. The atrium 65's ($300?)might get down to 55 hz or so (inside). Can take a listen to these at Circuit City.

These were easy to mount and install, and can also be removed easily. Very durable so far after two years (I bring them inside over the winter).

The thing is, it is really hard to get good bass response outside, being in an infinitely large room! Mounting under the soffits will help though.

I have a pair of Athenas that really surprised me. I have them up under an angled patio cover pointing down the slope from up in the corners. My yard is also large and they play quite loud ans surprisingly have some bass.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATASO6

Not where I bought mine but just for something to look at.

Each speaker features a weather-resistant coating that keeps moisture out, along with a 6.5-inch injection-molded polypropylene cone woofer and a 1-inch Teteron dome tweeter. The drivers combine to yield crisp, dynamic highs and surprisingly full lows and mids, with an overall frequency response of 80 Hz to 20 kHz.

[dax]

I have a pair of Paradigm Stylus470 outdoor speakers. Specs have them going down to 50Hz. They have a very efficient 93dB sensitivity so they can be powered quite easily. I'm using a NAD C352 int. amp (2x80W) to drive them. They sound pretty good for an outdoor speaker. They are big - something like 13x9x9 in^3, but they can be mounted either horizontally or vertically. They come with a fairly sturdy bracket which allows you to direct them up or down. Should be able to get a pair for between $500-$600. There are smaller models to choose from as well.

http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/speaker_only-specification-25-1-7-6.paradigm

[Jim Clark]

I just got a pair of Cambridge Audio Outdoor 62's. Got'm cheap at around 199.00. Specs claim a frequency response of 35-20,000HZ. I have listened to them briefly inside and I'll be honest, there's no way in L that these go down to 35 Khz. Sound OK I guess, nothing to write home about. I think Niles is probably the way to go.

I'll keep these I guess. Bought a couple Marantz MA 500 monoblocks to power them. We'll see how it goes after I get someone to run the wires. That ought to be fun for somebody.

jc

[Vardo]

Thanks for the info. I've seen the Niles speakers but didn't know about their quality. I've also started looking at the BA stuff. Do you like yours? How's the low end? I'm not looking for boomy; I just don't want all tweeter.

Thanks again.

Anyone else?

Niles can't be beat for their quality, and sound. When I bought my
Boston Voyager 6's, I got them from a very high end store in
Thousand Oaks, Ca. They had a partial listening room with many
different brands of outdoor speakers. The Niles sound was the best
(especially for bass extension). The Boston's came close. I just
didn't have the extra cash at the time to purchase them.

I'm happy with the Boston speakers (have had them for 3 yrs). Very
smooth sound with good extension. Here's a link for onecall outdoor
speakers which might be helpful...

http://www.onecall.com/ProductSearch.aspx?N=0&Dn=0&Ntt=outdoor+speakers&D=outdoor+speakers

best of luck, vardo

[rob7]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. A few more selections to look at. Might not be able to pull the trigger until late summer, but I'll post with a verdict.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Rob if you can swing it get them so you can enjoy them this summer. I like to sit outside, and turn on some music while I have my coffee in the morning. I read the paper out there on the weekends. I'm running Paradigm Stylus speakers. I needed to add some supports to hold the speakers. Make sure that you install an external volume control. It will keep you from running in the house all the time.

[rob7]

Thanks for the head's up, Jack. Hadn't thought about that. Yet. We just got the pool done and I've been working on finishing up the landscape. 11 tons of rock and some flagstone pathways to put in. That's where the recent money went. I'll have to push the boss a bit to get the speakers done. Wish me luck.

Here's a couple of pics. Hope they come out.

Snow in AZ? Yes, a couple of times a year. We're just outside Tucson.
The snow is covering the dirt area where the rock will be placed.

Thanks again for the info.