Outdoor Speaker Opinions...PLEASE

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Tru-Blu said:
Right now, I have the one pair of voyagers being driven by Zone 2 if my main home theater receiver but I am thinking of moving them to their own receiver and trying to do something with an Apple TV or Airport Express so that I can control things from an iPhone or iPad.
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Why the need for a 2nd receiver? I too, use my home theatre receiver's Zone 2 to power my outdoor speakers. An Airport express, an Ipad/Iphone and my wireless network is all I need to have complete poolside control.
 
MX, I'm wondering if I'll get a little more power output from a dedicated receiver. I'm currently running Zone 2 from an Onkyo TX-NR906, which isn't too bad in the power department. However, I don't think (haven't verified yet) that Zone 2 gets as much power output as Zone 1. Plus, I'd like to be able to run and control 2 pairs of speakers independently after I add the second pair. I think I could still do that if I were to add an outdoor Niles volume controller, but the dedicated receiver (much older Onkyo TX-DS777) would actually be capable of A and B channels instead of only one channel for Zone 2. I also want to be able to turn everything on from the deck instead of running into the house and messing with the entertainment center (especially if someone is already using it in the Living Room). I saw another thread for using a particular IR extender/converter that allows for remote operation that is not line-of-site. So, if I were to do that I could turn everything on from the deck and control it without bothering anybody that might be using the entertainment center inside.

Of course, that could just be considered lazy instead of efficient. ;-)

I'm not set on the final plan, yet. Still on the hunt for a second set of Voyager 7's (although I just found out that PSB's CS1000's seem to rate higher in bass response than the 7's) and a sub to handle both pairs. I'm leaning towards BA's Voyager 12 sub, but am leery of getting something that is now discontinued - in addition to the challenge of actually finding one for a reasonable price.

Tru
 
Tru-Blu said:
MX, I'm wondering if I'll get a little more power output from a dedicated receiver. I'm currently running Zone 2 from an Onkyo TX-NR906, which isn't too bad in the power department. However, I don't think (haven't verified yet) that Zone 2 gets as much power output as Zone 1. Plus, I'd like to be able to run and control 2 pairs of speakers independently after I add the second pair. I think I could still do that if I were to add an outdoor Niles volume controller, but the dedicated receiver (much older Onkyo TX-DS777) would actually be capable of A and B channels instead of only one channel for Zone 2. I also want to be able to turn everything on from the deck instead of running into the house and messing with the entertainment center (especially if someone is already using it in the Living Room). I saw another thread for using a particular IR extender/converter that allows for remote operation that is not line-of-site. So, if I were to do that I could turn everything on from the deck and control it without bothering anybody that might be using the entertainment center inside.

Of course, that could just be considered lazy instead of efficient. ;-)

I'm not set on the final plan, yet. Still on the hunt for a second set of Voyager 7's (although I just found out that PSB's CS1000's seem to rate higher in bass response than the 7's) and a sub to handle both pairs. I'm leaning towards BA's Voyager 12 sub, but am leery of getting something that is now discontinued - in addition to the challenge of actually finding one for a reasonable price.

Tru
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I just read your post and its almost identical to what I've been dealing with. First let me say I'm a huge fan of movies and high end audio/video equipment. When we started our family 9yrs ago it became painfully obvious that going to the movies every other weekend was no longer practical. So when we built our current home I was able to pre-wire it myself for a nice home theater in the bonus room (108" screen, DLP projection, Monitor Audio speakers, Marantz receiver, leather theater chairs, etc.). Our flat screen in the living room has an alcove hidden behind it in which I've installed a relatively inexpensive Sony receiver that claims to do dual zone. I did this because I thought I could send zone B to my patio by simply drilling through 1 wall. Well after careful examination of the manual it looks like it'll only play zone 1, zone 2, or both. You can't listen to the tv inside and listen to the radio outside. In addition I'd have to come inside to change settings unless I rigged some kind of remote IR system. I came to the conclusion it was easier to just set up a second system.

Since our pavilion is watertight I plan to install a small audio cabinet on the floor hidden behind an end table. For audio I won an Onkyo DS595 receiver off Ebay. It's probably 8-9 yrs old but it looks very well taken care of. Think about it... Once it's installed how often do people manually touch a receiver? ALMOST NEVER! This thing still looks new. It's only 5.1 but that's not what I bought it for. It provides amplification for Speakers A & B so I can add a set of speakers on the pavilion and run a second set on the exterior of the house. And everything is operated from outside. Best part is that I got the receiver for $40! At that price I'd buy a new unit every other year if this one couldn't handle the moisture. :lol:

Since the speakers will be mounted outside, they'll be hard pressed to provide any substantial bass. I purchased a pair of Polk Audio Atrium 4's off Amazon at a fair price. I thought about getting the 5's or even the 6's but the bass gain was minimal jumping from a 4" to 6" woofer. The Voyager 7's are nice speakers. I like the Boston Acoustic indoor audio sound. As for the sub, I can't help there. I've got an SVS subwoofer in my theater but the neighbors would call the cops if I ever brought that outside. :rant:
 

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Tru-Blu said:
MX, I'm wondering if I'll get a little more power output from a dedicated receiver. I'm currently running Zone 2 from an Onkyo TX-NR906, which isn't too bad in the power department. However, I don't think (haven't verified yet) that Zone 2 gets as much power output as Zone 1. Plus, I'd like to be able to run and control 2 pairs of speakers independently after I add the second pair. I think I could still do that if I were to add an outdoor Niles volume controller, but the dedicated receiver (much older Onkyo TX-DS777) would actually be capable of A and B channels instead of only one channel for Zone 2. I also want to be able to turn everything on from the deck instead of running into the house and messing with the entertainment center (especially if someone is already using it in the Living Room). I saw another thread for using a particular IR extender/converter that allows for remote operation that is not line-of-site. So, if I were to do that I could turn everything on from the deck and control it without bothering anybody that might be using the entertainment center inside.
Tru
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I use an Onkyo TX-SR608 as my A/V receiver paired with (4) Polk Atrium 5 speakers out at my pool area and while I understand everyone has different performance expectations and unique acoustics, I've raised the output to roughly 2/3 of what it can handle and it was honestly louder than I would ever need it. My receiver also allows me to watch TV inside and listen to Pandora/Itunes/radio etc outdoors simultaneously. The NR-906 is a top of the line receiver and pushes significantly more wattage than mine. I believe it also has 3 Zone capabilities, so that might be able to provide a work-around for your desire of multi-channels.
In regards to having total control from the pool area, I use a Logitech Harmony 900 RF remote. I pre-wired my house for home theatre/whole house audio during construction but I also ran a chase from my Family room to the basement. There I have a cabinet that stores all my A/V equipment with all the connections chased to the rear of my flatscreen. The remote works like a charm indoors and out and I love the clean look it provides. No component clutter, no visible wiring--nice!
 
I've got a pair of Jamo outdoor speakers that rock! Reasonable price and good customer service. They replaced my original pair with a new set 4.5 years into a five year warranty. Full sun, full rain, optimal plug to close of bass port for really bad setup like blowing rain or oceanfront maybe I don't know never put them
In as they would reduce bass.

http://www.jamo.com/na-en/products/i-o-3a2-description/
 
Good call on those Yamahas. We've had them for several years and they still sound great. Recently, Sam's Club was selling some Polk branded outdoor speakers and I picked some of those up. They really sound nice, I think a little better (esp. in the mid-range) vs. the Yamahas, but they both sound nice. The house came with some old Bose 151's, and I have to say that both the Yamahas and the Polks blow the Bose speakers away in terms of clarity. But, the Bose win hands down in terms of bass output. So, we now have all three pairs running in different parts of the back yard. The advantage of this is that it's not necessary to turn up any one pair too loud to get even coverage across our back yard, which is pretty large (at least by SoCal standards).
 
J20832 said:
I have Bose 151 Environmental speakers, going on 15 years! I leave them out every winter and hose them down when they get dirty. I have found the bass response to be excellent for such a small speaker size.
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We LOVE!LOVE!LOVE! our Bose 151's. Got 'em hooked up to the Bose Lifestyle system inside the house and really enjoy the options it allows. The speakers sit up about a foot below the soffits and are absolutely perfectly directed for sound.

One thing we learned was that the wires to each should be equal in length, even if the speaker positioning isn't equal distance. If one side has more wire than the other, just tuck it up.
 
Power amp is an old Yamaha HTR-5830 (550W (110 x 5) 5.1 channel surround sound receiver with Quad-filed CINEMA DSP and many other exclusive Yamaha features for a thoroughly enjoyable home theater experience)which was our old home theater system which I upgraded. For extra base I am using an old Jensen 12 inch 250watt powered sub woofer. I have the ability to watch Dish DVR, Dish HD or regular channels, Ipod, WD TV, Laptops running internal network (Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive) or mixer with 2 mics for Karoki. I also have extended to 2 wireless netgear routers as we run laptops/ iphones, ipads/tablets out at the pool area and out in the Flamingo Lounge and Dolphin Bar and Grill . When we watch the races from in the pool we can almost feel the vibrations of the engine roar :cheers: :cheers:



Brentr said:
Installed a pair of insigna (Best Buy) rock speakers. Got them from the wife as an anniversary present. They were on sale for $65 for Father's Day last weekend. I put them in the corners of the pool screen. I control them with volume controls from Home Depot. The Flamingo Room has a pair of Bose 151 SE. I was very amazed with the sound coming from these speakers. From the pool we can listen to music in quadraphonic sound :mrgreen: This set up sounds great and will run the neighbors out of their house :cheers: :cheers:

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Controls for both pairs of speakers.

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Bose speakers in the Flamingo Lounge.

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Pic showing the Dolphin Bar and Grill. To the left is the Flamingo Lounge.

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