Rain, Snow, Lightning, Heat, Cold: They have to handle em' all.
May 14 '01
The Bottom Line "An outdoor speakers has to endure the harshness of the outdoor world, so picking one which will be strong enough to take on the unknown is imperative."
An outdoor speaker may seem strange to some, but when you think about it, its not so silly after all. In fact they would be great if you throw garden parties, or even just to make the more exotic garden, wilder! They is quite a range, in fact Parts Express sell a large range of these for little prices.
Now lets go through the check list:
Build
An outdoor speakers has to endure the harshness of the outdoor world, so picking one which will be strong enough to take on the unknown is imperative.
Now the price you pay will affect the build quality, but never the less, you need a good strong and weather resistant speaker. Depending on the design, you are likely to find a number of materials used. Some will be plastic, some metal, and some wood. Plastic may sound cheap, but it is just as rugged as metal when it comes to weather resistance. A wooden speaker will be good for those who have a wooden deck, and somewhere the speaker would be covered.
Design
You have a larger choice when it comes to design. Ever been to those large theme parks? They will usually have a load of speakers all over the park, spreading out the sound. The designs I know of, are;
* Rock- these are a rock styled speaker, which are shaped in a number of ways. These would complement a pond, or rocky landscape. Perhaps near the house, as you can get a range of colours.
* Grass/flat laid- these are the ones which are good for grass placement, they usually are green and have a dispersion plate to spread the sound. These are often known as the ‘Omnispeaker’ or omni directional speaker, meaning you can barely detect where it is. Great for garden use. They look like little cylindrical pods.
* Basic box- these look more traditional, with a big rectangular box, and can be hung from a ceiling or wall. These are better for those large open wooden huts. Again you’ll see them when your in a water ride, and waiting in a wooden hut.
Weather
The two things you should always check for are;
Weather proof- you can’t go wrong if they are weather proof. This means they will work, basically anywhere, apart from under water!
Good strong brackets- if wall mounting, you don’t want them to fall of in a mild wind!
Amplification
Well this is another area, but you’ll need a speaker which will work right for your amplifier, buying a 50 watt max speaker will not work well with a 100 watt amp.
Speaker driver units
These are the parts within the speaker cabinet, buying a paper driver would be a very bad idea. Though any outdoor speaker should have a (or two) driver with a plastic or metal cone or dome. Basically a plastic and metal cone can resist the rain and heat very well, unlike paper.
What do you want?
Seriously, do you want a musical performance or a undetectable sound? Buying the omnidirectional type speaker will reduce the musical performance by some margin. And with the traditional speaker type, you’ll get a very distinct sound, good for music but sort of bad for some soft animal like noise people sometimes use for atmosphere in their garden.
So really it is up to you. And just make sure it fits in with your garden.
If you own a pub or bar, restaurant these types of speaker would be perfect for summer time.
Final TIP
My final tip for all you serious buyers out there is, to listen to them! Not all speakers sound good, really, the difference can be quite a gap. Try it with whatever equipment you have at the moment, and once you are happy with the sound, then you can proceed onward.
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MichaelHatton
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