Ah, summer. The warmth of the sun, the smell of fresh-cut grass, the taste of backyard barbeque — and your music playing too softly to hear on the patio but blasting as you walk inside for more ice cubes. As life migrates out of doors at this time of the year, your tunes don’t have to get left behind. And you have many more options than just carting out a boombox. There are speaker systems and accessories ranging from simple to complex, and from economical to expensive, to help liberate your music from house arrest.
Ground Cover
Designing an audio system for outdoor use isn’t all that different from designing one for inside the house. It’s mainly about space — and money, of course. Chances are good that you’ll have a lot larger area to fill with sound outside than you do inside, but that doesn’t mean the cost has to rise proportionately. You can get decent outdoor sound on a budget.
First you have to decide how much of an area you want the outdoor system to cover. Do you just want tunes while picnicking on the patio? Or do you want to listen to Handel’s Water Music while floating in the backyard pool? Or maybe you want to rock the block for that big annual Fourth of July party?
The simplest and least expensive option is to add a pair of outdoor speakers to your existing audio system (click to see the accompanying buying guide PDF). Many receivers allow you to hook up a second set of remote speakers and switch between them and the main set using either the A/B button on the receiver or an outboard selector, available from companies like Niles Audio, Sonance, and Monster Cable for $100 to $200. Pretty much all you have to do is buy a pair of weatherproof speakers and some wire, install the speakers wherever you want, and then run the wire between them and the receiver. The main drawback is that you’ll have to walk back into the house every time you want to raise or lower the volume, change the CD track, or switch to a different audio source.
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| B&W WM 6 speaker ($500 a pair) |
Adding a simple remote volume control (about $50 to $100) in line with the speakers will solve the first problem — if you plan to mount it outside, be sure to buy one made for outdoor use. Place it somewhere convenient, such as just inside or outside the door that leads to the backyard or patio. You can gain even more control by adding an infrared (IR) repeater (about $100 to $200 from companies like Speakercraft and Xantech), which acts as an extension of the “eye” on your components that accepts commands from the remote control. This lets you to use the remote outside by aiming it at the repeater, which relays commands to the component. “But IR doesn’t work well in sunlight,” warns Russ DuBrow, a system designer and installer with Electronic Technology in Los Angeles. “You might want to use a [hard-wired] keypad controller instead, although using IR outdoors isn’t an issue at night.”
Keypads are harder to install than remote volume controls because you have to run a special kind of cable (known as Category 5) as well as speaker wire. Also, many keypads need to be programmed using software that’s only available to custom installers. A keypad can cost anywhere from $100 to $400. They’re best mounted just inside the door, by the way, since they’re not weatherproof. You can find IR repeaters at large electronics stores like Circuit City and Best Buy. Volume controls and keypads are available online at sites like Legacy Audio/ Video (legacyaudiovideo.com) and from any custom installer.
Another low-cost, low-hassle solution is to add a second zone to your stereo or home theater system. Most newer receivers have a multizone output that lets you run a separate line-level signal to an external amp that can power additional speakers. The whole system then shares the source components. With this approach, you can listen to a Memphis blues CD while basting ribs outside at the same time your significant other whips up a salad and listens to the local NPR affiliate in the kitchen. But you’ll still have to use a remote and have an IR repeater in place to control the volume and select music sources.
Take It Outside  |
| Niles OS10 speaker ($400 a pair) |
Figuring the cost of a multizone system can be tricky, since you need to determine things like how many zones you want, what kind of speakers are best suited for the different locations, and how much power you need to do the job. A basic three- to four-zone system using decent speakers and three to four keypads usually runs about $3,000, including installation.
If you’re doing new construction, you can add an outdoor zone to the building plans. Or if you’re remodeling, you can use the opportunity to add one as a retrofit to an existing whole-house system or install a whole-house system that includes an outdoor zone. The least attractive option is to add a zone when the walls aren’t being breached for any other reason. No matter which way you decide to go, the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association, or CEDIA (cedia.org), an industry trade group comprising professional system installers and designers, is a good place to start. “We work hand in hand with architects and landscape designers to make sure everything fits,” explains Steve Hayes, a past CEDIA president and owner of Custom Electronics in Falmouth, Maine and Newport, Rhode Island. “That’s the beauty of our art.”
Jeff Hoover, president of Audio Advisors and current CEDIA president, says his company does most of its outdoor-audio installations during new construction. “We’ll get a plan of the lot from the architect and builder — where the pool is going to be, where the homeowner’s going to entertain — and design from there,” he explains. “It’s very common for us to do patio and pool areas, and even garden areas, so the customer will have music there.”
Losing Control
No matter which way you go, keep in mind that established audio principles for things like achieving stereo separation and how music sounds in an enclosed space literally go out the window with outdoor systems. “You can’t really have a critical listening situation like in the house because you’re no longer in a controlled environment,” explains Electronic Technology’s DuBrow. “It’s usually just background music. You can do stereo outdoors, but it’s awkward. You can do it in a small space, but it gets much more difficult in a large space.”
Michael Taylor, chief technology officer for Urban Design Technologies in San Diego, agrees. “It’s much harder to do when you’re not constrained by ceilings and walls. For example, you only need a little bit of wattage and small speakers to get decent background music in, say, a 12 x 15-foot room. But that won’t work in the open air.”
Steve Hayes points out, though, that just about anything is possible given enough money. “If our clients want concert-quality music, they get it. To achieve concert sound, you need to buy rugged, professional-grade speakers, put them in the right places, and feed them enough power.” It also helps if you don’t have any neighbors within a few square miles.
Strength in Numbers
The most critical part of getting good sound outside will be figuring out how many speakers you’ll need and where to install them. “We equate distributing audio with distributing light,” explains Craig Abplanalp, vice president of Definitive Audio in the Seattle area. “For example, if you have an outdoor area you want to light, you could either buy two giant floodlights or get more uniform distribution by using more lights running at a lower output level.”
The similarities with lighting don’t end there. “It’s hard to set a mood with big floodlights, just like it’s hard to set a mood with giant speakers,” says Abplanalp. “Some people put up two big speakers and blast them. But if you’re close to the speakers, it’s too loud, and if you’re out in the yard, you can’t hear them. We choose the right number of speakers to create a consistent level of sound in the overall space. Good restaurants do the same thing with lighting and music.”
Having the proper number of speakers doesn’t really matter if you don’t pair them with appropriate amplification. “I’ve seen customers run four sets of speakers off of an amp that wasn’t designed for it,” Abplanalp observes. “If you skimp on amplifier power, the sound will suffer even more outdoors than it will inside,” cautions Urban Design’s Taylor. “People tend to underpower speakers outdoors, so they end up sounding very tinny and washed out. I try to provide as much amplification as I can in the outdoor zone.”
Outdoors TypeAs you can see in the buying guide that follows, speakers for outdoor use come in many forms and sizes. The most basic and inexpensive are the widely available box-style weatherproof models, which are made to withstand the stresses and extremes of the outdoor environment. These speakers — which typically come in white or black, but can often be painted to match their environment — are usually mounted under the eaves of the house. “We use a good, basic outdoor speaker because you get a lot more sound for the money without all the fancy cosmetics,” says Audio Advisors’ Hoover. “We usually build them into soffits or eaves to make them less obtrusive. A number of good in-ceiling speakers are waterproof and can be adapted for outdoor use in these locations.”
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| SteroStone Classic Stone ($230, $300, or $360 each) |
There’s also a number of “architectural” speakers that can project sound into outer yard areas like a pool or garden. You’ll find speakers shaped like rocks and planters, speakers that hide in plants and shrubs, speakers that can be buried in the ground — Rockustics even makes speakers shaped like coconuts. Combine these with a custom installer’s tricks of the trade, and the possibilities are endless.
“The solutions are as varied as the houses,” explains Steve Hayes. “We’ve built speakers into potting structures. We’ve built outbuildings for speakers. We’ve buried them so they look like sprinkler heads in the lawn. We even built dormers on a roof and put speakers in them for a rock star who wanted to play outdoor music at a crazy volume.”
Going Underground
If you’re powering only a couple of speakers off your home receiver, wiring them shouldn’t be an ordeal. The most you’ll have to worry about is how to hide the wire in a crawl space or snake it through the wall. But once you get into more elaborate multispeaker setups, figuring out a connection scheme becomes more complicated. It’s not surprising, then, that wiring an extensive outdoor audio system is typically the province of custom installers.
Regardless of whether or not you go pro, you’ll need to use “direct-burial cable” sheathed in heavy-duty casing if you have to run any wire through the yard. Many installers take the extra precaution of running the cable through a PVC conduit. “A lot of people get into trouble when they don’t use a conduit,” says Michael Taylor, “because somebody can end up digging up cables when they’re working in the garden. That happens a lot.”
Also keep in mind that local building codes will dictate how and where you can place certain components outdoors. Experienced installers are usually aware of these regulations. “Each state has different building codes,” notes Taylor, “but they’re all pretty standard. For instance, you can’t put a keypad where you can stand in a pool and have direct access to it.” Jeff Hoover points out that building codes might prevent you from installing speakers close to a pool or hot tub, “even though it’s not all that dangerous voltage-wise.”
Go Outside and Play
Using a volume-control knob, IR repeater, or keypad is okay, but many more sophisticated options are available, especially when the outdoor audio zone feeds off a whole-house entertainment system. Some keypads have IR receiving eyes so you can also use a remote handset — you won’t have to leave your chaise longue to change the volume, radio channel, or CD track. But the eyes have limited mounting options — and therefore control range — since the keypads have to be placed away from the elements, like under a covered patio.
Some high-end controllers, from companies like Crestron and AMX, have LCD screens that detach from wall-mounted docking stations so you can take command from anywhere in your yard. “Hit a code and it unlatches the handheld controller,” Craig Abplanalp explains. “When you’re done, all you have to do is pop it back into the docking station.” Not surprisingly, these controllers can be expensive, starting at about $500 and going up to $5,000 — one reason why they’re usually installed just inside the doorway rather than outside.
LCD controllers that use radio-frequency (RF) signals instead of IR can even be linked to surveillance cameras elsewhere in the house. RF controllers have a longer range and are more flexible than IR models since they don’t have to rely on line of sight and the signal doesn’t get washed out in bright sunlight. “Say you’re in the backyard, and you hear the doorbell,” says Abplanalp. “You just have to look at the LCD screen to see who’s at the front door. It can get as wacky as you want.”
Or as reasonable as you want, because regardless of your budget, lifestyle, yard size, or existing A/V system, you’ll be able to find a way to get your music outside. All you need to do is supply the soundtrack — and the sunscreen.
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A Quick Guide to Outdoor Speakers Moving Pictures Outdoors |