Outdoor speakers

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just wanted to say, got the Voyager 7s up and going running off 105 watts of Onkyo and I have to say they're some of the best sounding speakers I've every heard anywhere near that size, let alone outdoor speakers. They sound incredible. Soon after getting them up, I powered up the 10" 150w sub and together they work harmoniously, just awesome, super crisp and bright, unlike a lot of outdoor speakers. If you can't swing the 7's, I'd guess just about any of the Voyager series are going to sound great.
 
sredish said:
just wanted to say, got the Voyager 7s up and going running off 105 watts of Onkyo and I have to say they're some of the best sounding speakers I've every heard anywhere near that size, let alone outdoor speakers. They sound incredible. Soon after getting them up, I powered up the 10" 150w sub and together they work harmoniously, just awesome, super crisp and bright, unlike a lot of outdoor speakers. If you can't swing the 7's, I'd guess just about any of the Voyager series are going to sound great.
Click to expand...

I got the Voyager 6's about 3 years ago because I needed them RIGHT NOW and the 7's were out of stock. And, considering they cost 2/3 what the 7's cost they are a wonderful compromise between high-quality outdoor sound, and spending lots of money. I have always thought B/A made great speakers--going back to the HD-9s I bought 13 years ago.

The '6's will handle my 200w/ch ancient Dynaco power amp, and drown out the "record producer" off a few houses beyond the back fence--but that's usually not necessary.
 
just got the other side of the pool going... I'm using SoundWare cubes which are a 2-way with a 6.5" driver. I have them on the B side.

First off, initially turned off the A side for only the SoundWare / Klipsch sub combo and it sounded great, really great actually, especially considering the Klipsch is taking everything like 100 hz down and passing the rest off. They were surprisingly crisp as well and with that sub, the low is great. W/o the sub (I tested it), they don't have any low bass response really, I think they only are rated for 90hz and you can tell. The mids and highs were very nice but if you cranked the low bass up, it tried to muddy the spkr some, but with the passive sub, that's all taken care of and sounds great, like I said.

Now, to the second part. Leaving B on, then turning on A (Voyager 7s), the 7s totally out drive the SoundWares. They have to be 25 to 30% louder. I'm using one of my stereo Onkyo recievers that doesn't have the volume adjustable Zone 2. But, when my new receiver gets here, the Zone 2 has it's own volume control, so hopefully that'll balance it out more. Another thought is that this Onkyo, being a little older, may have less watts on the B side, where as the new one will be equal. Hopefully this is it, either way the new receiver should be able to take care of the problem. I have a pair of 7's on the back porcas well, maybe I'll take them over and hook one up to see.

Lastly, unless you listen to some music with really low sub frequencies, I don't think an additional sub is really necessary with the 7s they have unbelievable bass response for their cabinet size and do not wash out at all with a lot of mid. In some cases, I can hardly tell my active sub is doing anything, then a song will come on with a lot of really low synthesized bass and then the active will show through and shine but the low of the 7s makes it completely seamless. I just can't get over how killer they are. If the other spkrs in the Voyager line have the same crispness and sound quality, then any one of the pairs would be highly recommended.

I have half a mind to swap out the SoundWares for some Voyager 5's or even 4s with the passive sub thats hooked up on that side. The 7s on my back porch were supposed to go on that B side but they're depth was too much to fit where I wanted them to go, so I went with the Soundware/sub combo to fill the gap.

Also, just fyi, the Klipsch sub is passive and can be set to mono or stereo, which lets you put the L and R stereo wires into it, it has an internal xover that splits the signal, takes the low-pass signal and pushes it through it's sub, then with output connectors, sends the hi-pass signal to the stereo speakers and it can easily be added to any system, all you need is a single pair of speaker wires (for mono) or 2 wires for a stereo signal.

Voyager 7 pic:
voyager7.jpg


SoundWare pic:
soundware.jpg


Klipsch AW-800 sub:
p714AW800-f.jpeg
 
I've been just using a boombox to play radio and CD's, but since I just bought my husband an iPod Touch and have it streaming music anywhere from our big ol' music library, I'm definitely thinking I should invest in some outdoor speakers.

I wish wireless speakers would improve, as running cable for outside speakers just ain't gonna happen when we don't even have any speakers or surround sound inside yet!

I just want something rugged enough to withstand the elements and plug something with a miniplug in. I'll definitely research the stuff everyone's recommending here!
 
I kept watching for outdoor speakers on craigslist and found a pair of Polk Audio M2 outdoor speakers for $30. They rock! :)

Since I discovered internet radio I never even turn on my home tuner. I wired the whole house so we can stream music and video to anywhere in the house (and garage!). :)
 
Hi guys...
First of all, let me say that this recommendation is not for the audiophile but rather is an inexpensive alternative to the better known (and better sounding) outdoor speakers.
A few years ago I was shopping for some pool side speakers and just happened to go into our local Circuit City store. I had just finished listening to some Klipsch outdoor speakers that I really like but at nearly $300.00 per pair I just wasn't ready to pull the trigger.
Well while browsing the outdoor selection and listening to the different speakers I ran across a set of DUAL brand speakers that honestly sounded fantastic.
Now of course speakers always sound better in the store than when you get them home but all in all these sounded really good.
Well after looking up the speaker and checking the price I honestly thought they had been mislabeled. These were $20.00 a pair and I didn't see anyway that I could get that kind of sound for $10.00 each.
WEll after checking with one of the salesmen I did take a pair of these home for the $20.00 price tag and after installing I was so impressed I bought another set for the garage.
These have been hanging on the south side of my garage for the past 4 years and still sound just as good today as they did when I brought them home. They have faded badly and look like they are shot but there is absolutely no sound loss that I can tell.
I use a vintage Sherwood amp which powers the speakers nicely and we never turn it up over a level of four. The pool is only about 30 feet from where the speakers are hanging so we can hear them just fine.
They are a little "brighter" sounding than the Klipsch and I'm sure that dont' have nearly as much high end range but for $20.00 compared to $300.00 I wouldn't change my decision in the least.
I don't know the model number of these speakers but if you search Dual speakers on circuitcity.com I'm sure they will show up.
I was in my local Circuit City this past weekend and they still sell them although now they are like $25.00 per pair.
Again, these are not speakers for an audiophile but if you are looking for reasonable sound at an excellent price these are hard to beat. I honestly feel that they put the Bose outdoors that I've heard to shame.
Hope this information helps someone.
Dave
 
I'll definitely have to check for those speakers at my local Circuit City, Likesspace! Thanks for the review!

I don't need high fidelity and $25 sounds like my kind of price!!!!! :p I have a pretty small back yard and the pool takes up most of it. Maybe if I had more entertainment space out there I'd fork over for real quality since it'd pay off for picnics, bbq's, parties and so on... (insert wistful sigh here)

I'm saving my pennies for when we sell our house and get a REAL one with a REAL backyard and a pool built just how I want it before I splurge on speakers. (This house is our first, what a learning experience on so many levels...)
 

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Re:

Likesspace said:
Well while browsing the outdoor selection and listening to the different speakers I ran across a set of DUAL brand speakers that honestly sounded fantastic.
Now of course speakers always sound better in the store than when you get them home but all in all these sounded really good.
Well after looking up the speaker and checking the price I honestly thought they had been mislabeled. These were $20.00 a pair and I didn't see anyway that I could get that kind of sound for $10.00 each.
Click to expand...
I have the same ones (DUAL) from circuit city. I got them for 14.95/pr! They sound great. Amazing for the price. I bought 2 pair and I'm keep one pair as a backup. Still looking for the downside to these things...

For anyone interested. Circuit City has Element EOD4's on sale for $19.99. They look just like my DUAL brand ones. I'll bet money they are the same, just re-badged.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/prod...&linkid=j13459594k2164&affiliateid=k2164&mid=

John
 
You go with what makes you happy. I have the Voyager 6s, not the 7s, and I'm happy. I'm sure I'd like the 7s better, but I don't have them.

My only problem with Boston Acoustic is I think they make really junky and unreliable electronics. I had a B/A Home Theater system--amp integrated into the subwoofer--for our bedroom, controls and display integrated into the front speaker. It lasted about 2 years before the electronics went haywire and B/A was not particularly forthcoming. Eventually, I junked it and kept the satellite speakers, including the front. I replaced the B/A with a simple Panasonic that has a DVD changer and VHS built into the receiver unit and simply used the B/A front, rear and center instead of the Panasonic junk that came with the system. The Pan S/W didn't match the sound of the B/A, but it's OK, and the B/A speakers are working with a bullet-proof main system.

So....it should be obvious: Panasonic makes great stuff but their speakers are junk. Boston Acoustic still makes some of the best low-priced speakers you can buy. I have yet to hear a pair of B/As that didn't impress me.

BTW, I DO remember ESS and their Heil Air Motion Transformer tweeters. Awesome sounding speakers--have an old pair, but the cabs are ugly--the sound is sweet, though! I replaced the foam-surrounds on the woofers as they were rotted. I tried to convert them to outdoor speakers but can't really figure out how to waterproof them--and now with the Voyagers, I don't need to.
 
John, I'm with you.....
I keep looking for the downside of the Dual speakers but I simply can't find one.
When I was a teenager the most coveted turntable going was a Dual brand and you certainly paid a premium for the quality. I guess over the years the Dual name has become more obscure and their prices have dropped accordingly.
I know that part of my satisfaction comes from having them hooked to a vintage Sherwood receiver which has some of the best sound I've ever heard. When it comes to receivers and amps it's hard to beat the equipment that was manufactured in the 70's.
As I said before, for the price you simply can't go wrong. They're not Klipsch but I would certainly put them up against most the the Bose and Polk Audio outdoor speakers that I've listened to.
Thanks for your input!
Dave
 
Okay, here is a link to the Dual speakers I've been talking up. They are more expensive on this site than at Circuit City but they are the same speakers.......
I also looked at Circuit City's site and could not find these speakers listed. I do however agree with John that the Element E0D4 speakers (see his last post for a link) are the exact same for $15.00 less than my link.
Anyway, here is the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00164GWDS?smi ... nkCode=asn
Now once again, if you live close to a Circuit City store, I know you can purchase these for the $20.00 to $25.00 price per pair. I saw them just a month or so ago in our local store.
Hope this helps.
Dave
 
I won't touch the audiophile/Bose/quality debate. My pool system is for casual listening while entertaining or getting lost in my personal everyday vacation oasis.

Here's what I did. I found a set of 6" Omni's (similar to what the poster above found at the OutdoorSpeaker.com website) that I picked up on eBay for $99 (pair). I built a small box that I wall mounted on the side of the house, installed a $90 car stereo head with CD/MP3/AM/FM 100 watts per channel. Added a AD to DC power inverter wired it all up and had my solution.

The Omni speakers are similar to the Bose outdoor model with a much smaller price tag. They sound great, bury close to the ground so as to not throw the sound across the whole neighborhood, are powered sufficiently to give more than adequate volume without overheating the 4ohm outputs on the car stereo.

One thing I found however is the speaker cable on mine had a find powdery substance inside the outer sheathing (there is a large round outer sheathing covering the red and black 12 gauge inner wires). This powder I believe was corn starch. It attracted nibbling rabbits or ground squirrels and I had to repair my cables every spring. I changed to an ourdoor direct burial grade 12 gauge wire and having had an problems since. If you go with the Omni's be sure to bury your cable - I just had mine routed on top of the ground under my deck.

Total cost was $240 including the power inverter, stereo and speakers.
 
PhantomAndy said:
I won't touch the audiophile/Bose/quality debate. My pool system is for casual listening while entertaining or getting lost in my personal everyday vacation oasis.

Here's what I did. I found a set of 6" Omni's (similar to what the poster above found at the OutdoorSpeaker.com website) that I picked up on eBay for $99 (pair). I built a small box that I wall mounted on the side of the house, installed a $90 car stereo head with CD/MP3/AM/FM 100 watts per channel. Added a AD to DC power inverter wired it all up and had my solution.

The Omni speakers are similar to the Bose outdoor model with a much smaller price tag. They sound great, bury close to the ground so as to not throw the sound across the whole neighborhood, are powered sufficiently to give more than adequate volume without overheating the 4ohm outputs on the car stereo.

One thing I found however is the speaker cable on mine had a find powdery substance inside the outer sheathing (there is a large round outer sheathing covering the red and black 12 gauge inner wires). This powder I believe was corn starch. It attracted nibbling rabbits or ground squirrels and I had to repair my cables every spring. I changed to an ourdoor direct burial grade 12 gauge wire and having had an problems since. If you go with the Omni's be sure to bury your cable - I just had mine routed on top of the ground under my deck.

Total cost was $240 including the power inverter, stereo and speakers.
Click to expand...

Nice solution! Most people don't realize that most speaker cable talk and pricing is just hype--like "Total Alkalinity Raiser" costs 3x or more what baking soda costs. The big thing is RESISTANCE. So the more power you are packing, or the longer your run to your speakers, the more energy (and volume) is lost to resistance that becomes heat, but not music. The solution is heavier guage wire. I like "speaker wire" because it's stranded and more flexible. There's an argument that stranded carries the full range of frequencies better, but I have no idea if it's true, or if anyone short of a super-audiophile could hear it. In fact, I don't believe those guys hear half they stuff they claim outside of an A/B test. So I like 10 guage speaker wire--I bought a big roll from Home Depot for $.33/foot--a lot cheaper than Monster Cable's $10 a foot for the same stuff!

I put it in plastic conduit, too. It's the same as hard pvc only a little softer and easier to work. You can bury the stuff, too, if you don't want to use the single strand underground cable.

The other thing you should do (an even minimal audiophiles know this one) is be sure to PHASE your speakers. That's really easy. Most speakers and amps mark the terminals as + and -. Sometimes they both have a red terminal and a white or black one. Just make sure the wire from the + on the amp goes to the + on the speaker. If it's backwards, (+ to -) it's OK as long as BOTH speakers are backwards. Virtually all two conductor wires allow you to identify which wire it is--there may be a mark on it, or clear speaker cable has a red and a silver wire. Even lamp cord marks it by making the casing on one of them smooth and on the other there are ridges. Oh, and before I forget, it really helps if the length of the wire to the left channel and the right are the same, or nearly the same. If one wire is longer, that speaker may be softer and you'll have to use your balance control to compensate (Some receivers compensate for you automatically these days).

Phasing means that both speakers go in and out at the same time. A speaker vibrates by moving in and out which causes the air to vibrate so that you hear it. It can start on a sound by going out, or in. If the two speakers go the opposite at the same time, they set up waves that neutalize each other, resulting in reduced, flat sound. But if they are together, the two waves add to each other and increase volume and clarity.

Usually, these days, so much is pre-phased with single plugs (like for your iPod headphones) that you don't have to think about it. But when running speakers and speaker wire, you do.
 
Circuit city sells a $30 pair of Element Chinese made outdoor speakers. For $30 I really didn't expect much and they aren't anything fabulous but they sound really good and project the sound out over the yard very well. Overall I'm very impressed with them. Over time they've started sounding better. They can handle a surprising amount of power.
 
Another option is the Algonquin line from Axiom Audio. You will not find these in stores as they sell factory direct only thus saving any middleman mark ups. Free shipping and 30 day money back guarantee. I found out about this company from an audiophile forum and ordered their indoor bookshelf speakers. I was blown away by the sound from these litte guys. Their outdoor speaker is essentially a weatherproof version of the bookshelf model. Once I finish up some other projects around the house, will be ordering a pair of their outdoor speakers as well. They are a bit pricey at $330, but if your an audiophile, they may be worth a look. Here is the link if anyone is interested:

http://www.axiomaudio.com/index.html
 
Very nice! They are definitely competitive with the Boston Acoustic Voyager 6 series--handle more watts (175 vs 125) but you have to pay for the brackets, which come with the B/As. And the good brackets clearly shoot it past the $400 price point. Still, they look awesomely well-constructed. I wonder how they compare with the Voyager 7s that cost another $200? :rockon:

One warning: Since there's a back port I'd DEFINITELY mount them under the eaves if you can. I did that anyway, figured, any extra weather protection is a good thing, and I made them easy to put up and take down, with a weatherproof box for the permanent wall connection. So they come down for the winter.
 
Nice thread. As a favor to anyone on this site. I am an authorized dealer for many brands of custom home audio equipment and would be happy to provide you with a quote on outdoor speakers at my cost plus shipping. This would be wholesale cost plus shipping to anyone that would be interested in purchasing "audiophile grade" outdoor speakers. I cannot compete with the $25/pair speakers found at home centers and Circuit City but will provide you with an attractive price on custom only brands such as Niles Audio and Russound for example.

Please do not take my message the wrong way. For many people the $25 speakers meet all their needs and I am not trying to make anyone feel as though they made a bad decision. There are many ways to reach a great outcome with your projects. I would just like to offer another option to anyone that might be interested.

Best Regards,

JD
 

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