Just thought I would share what I have put together for outdoor entertaining.

We started off with a flagstone patio a few years back. With that we put in lighting, a grill area and speakers for music. This year we added the pool and with that realized we needed more coverage for sound. The new pool deck lounge area was out of reach of the original patio speakers, unless they were cranked to a level that would disturb the neighbors around us.

I decided to another pair of speakers and install independent volume controls for each pair. This serves two purposes. The volume controls will match the impedance of the amplifier to avoid damage to the amp. It also allows me to have independent control over each zone. This came in handy as you will see.

I also decided to add a television to the mix. I had an extra 32" TV that we were not using so I decided to give that a try. I mounted it under the covered porch to keep it out of the elements. I found a great little mount that allows me to swivel the TV to be viewed from multiple locations.

The audio and video sources are conveniently located in the bedroom that is adjacent to the wall where the TV is mounted. All I had to do was get some CL2 rated cables and run them up the wall and through the header. I added a GFIC outlet and ran power from there as well. The audio source used to be an old Pioneer receiver. After a little research, I found that Sherwood makes a great little stereo receiver that supports four pairs of speaker and two switched zones. I also added the best thing since sliced bread, the Apple airport exchange. This little device allows me to stream music from my home PC running iTunes, from my iPhone ipod and from other nice apps like Pandora on my iPhone and iPad. I have complete control with my phone including volume levels. I cannot say how nice this feature is, and the cost was only an additional $100. It is truly amazing.

This is where the independently wired paired speakers came in handy. Since the patio area and the pool lounge area are somewhat isolated sonically, I am able to have a television show running at the patio simultaneously with music at the pool lounge.

Let me know what you think.

Here are some pics:
TV HDMI and Outlet


TV in covered patio:


TV swung out to patio area. You can also see the right speaker there:


Volume controls:


Patio and left speaker:




Pool lounge area speakers under eves:


Pool lounge area:


View of pool area from grill:

Tied together nicely.

WooT! That is a nice setup. Very nice, in fact. Great idea with the TV and such. You will have many days/nights of enjoyment out there. Congrats.

Beautiful !!!

Why go inside?

Looks great.

What kind of speakers are those? I need to add 2 more speakers to complement my bose 151. I would like a little more base than the bose 151 puts out. What is the make of the volume controls?

I bought one of the volume controls a few years back for the original speakers at the patio. The second one is made by BIC. Go on Amazon and do a search there are several. I probably would not get the BIC one knowing what I do now. The plate is not standard and made for single gang only. I had to do some work on it with an exacto knife.

The speakers at the patio are Polk Atrium 45s. The newer ones are Polk 4s. Can't go wrong with either. Again, look on Amazon and compare. I think they have some Polk Atrium 65s right now for about one fifty. Great price for them, and you will get better base response with any of these over the 151s.

We don't much

Very nice!!

I'll second on the Polks...I've had the 45's for 3 years now and they sound as crisp as when they were new

Very nice!

nicely done!

Looks great. Are you worried about the humidity and the TV's electronics? I would like to put a TV outside, but without buying a outside TV I don't think one would survive here for long.

I bought and mounted a 46" LCD TV outside over the outdoor fireplace. It is protected by a roof, but humidity/wind, etc. are all a concern.

A friend turned me onto a program at Best Buy under their Geek Squad program. It is a 4 year warranty that covers everything. I don't usually buy
extended warranties, but this particular warranty covers a bad pixel, water damage - anything. I explicitly asked the sales person about this, even
telling him that I was hanging this TV outdoors, even though it is not designed for outdoor usage. He said yes - everything and anything is covered.

I'd certainly welcome the scrutiny of anyone on this forum to double-check me on the warranty details, but for right now it certainly puts my mind at ease.

Slade

Oh man... looks awesome. Next party invite me lol

I am interested to see how well the tv holds up. It's hot in the summer for sure. I think the life will be shortened, but unsure how much. Time will tell. I have a neighbor who has two 42" TVs mounted under his cabana. He has covers for them. Not sure how much that will help. Might keep dust out.

Looks awesome. But how about the noise and the neighbours?
As for the warrenty: I would like to see it written: outdoor use is covered... just to be sure.

Neighbors are OK. That is actually why I added the second pair of speakers to begin with. They can each be run at lower volumes. Reality is that the kids are a lot louder than the music.

Very nice!

Is there something else I can use to control the volume on 2 pairs of speakers? I remember I used to have a fader knob which would adjust volume on 2 sets of speakers in an old boat. I am looking to go very inexpensive