Amp for outdoor use

[george99]

Hi,
I am trying to find a suitable amp for outdoor use. I want to hook it up to a pair of rock speakers. Sound doesn’t have to be perfect. I just want to be able to have some music on while using the yard with my kids. I need them to be loud because I live right next to a highway. There is a sound barrier, but it doesn’t block all the sound. The problem is that the location that I want the speakers is far away from my house, so putting an amp in my house and running the wires thru the wall and burying them is possible, it’s not ideal. Both speakers would be at least 100ft away from the amp.
I tried one of those cheap $30 mini amps from eBay. The sound is awful when the volume is any higher than about 50%. I put the amp along with a sonos connect inside a PVC junction box in my yard. But since the amp sucks, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a mini amp that actually sounds somewhat reasonable. I see eBay has mini amps with vacuum tubes. But I’m guessing they are also cheap crap.
Any suggestions?

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

The problem with any mini-amp is that it isn’t going to have much power.

I’d just get something full-sized (used if your budget is tight), put it in the house, and run the speaker wire. It’s a casual-listening situation with low-fi speakers, so the typical reasons for not running speaker wire that far don’t apply.

The best wire to use is probably the stuff they use for outdoor low-voltage lighting, which is rated for direct burial. It looks like common lamp cord, only black. Sixteen-gauge is fine, but you can go with 14 ga. if your worried.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi,
I am trying to find a suitable amp for outdoor use. I want to hook it up to a pair of rock speakers. Sound doesn’t have to be perfect. I just want to be able to have some music on while using the yard with my kids. I need them to be loud because I live right next to a highway. There is a sound barrier, but it doesn’t block all the sound. The problem is that the location that I want the speakers is far away from my house, so putting an amp in my house and running the wires thru the wall and burying them is possible, it’s not ideal. Both speakers would be at least 100ft away from the amp.
I tried one of those cheap $30 mini amps from eBay. The sound is awful when the volume is any higher than about 50%. I put the amp along with a sonos connect inside a PVC junction box in my yard. But since the amp sucks, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a mini amp that actually sounds somewhat reasonable. I see eBay has mini amps with vacuum tubes. But I’m guessing they are also cheap crap.
Any suggestions?

Your only solution is a contractor boom box, like those made by DeWalt and others.

 

[highfigh]

The best way to send audio over speaker wire is with a 70V amp and matching speakers. These are made for long distances and if the equipment is chosen correctly, the sound is decent. I would avoid rock speakers- I haven't heard any that I like. You can hide better speakers in landscaping. With larger speaker cable and enough power, you can use regular speakers and it does sound good- I have done it many times but there's a limit to the distance before it becomes a problem for the amp.

If you want to hear the music, a mini amp IS NOT the right thing to use- being outside means the speakers don't benefit by being near walls, floor and ceiling, so you need more power. If you don't want to blast anyone out of the yard, you'll need more speakers playing at a moderate level- there's no way around this.

 

[highfigh]

The problem with any mini-amp is that it isn’t going to have much power.

I’d just get something full-sized (used if your budget is tight), put it in the house, and run the speaker wire. It’s a casual-listening situation with low-fi speakers, so the typical reasons for not running speaker wire that far don’t apply.

The best wire to use is probably the stuff they use for outdoor low-voltage lighting, which is rated for direct burial. It looks like common lamp cord, only black. Sixteen-gauge is fine, but you can go with 14 ga. if your worried.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

14-4 direct burial speaker cable is widely available and it's used for this kind of application frequently. Doubling it to make two conductors raises the size to 11AWG, which is enough for most applications. If a 70V amp and speakers are used, the wire doesn't need to be as heavy. Regardless of cable type, I recommend using some kind of conduit that will help to seal it from water but even then, it's going to get wet, eventually.

 

[TLS Guy]

14-4 direct burial speaker cable is widely available and it's used for this kind of application frequently. Doubling it to make two conductors raises the size to 11AWG, which is enough for most applications. If a 70V amp and speakers are used, the wire doesn't need to be as heavy. Regardless of cable type, I recommend using some kind of conduit that will help to seal it from water but even then, it's going to get wet, eventually.

That is a potential solution. But honestly to play loud rock music in your backyard is a horrible idea. If he was my neighbor, he would get a visit from me and if he did not comply the cops next.

 

[highfigh]

That is a potential solution. But honestly to play loud rock music in your backyard is a horrible idea. If he was my neighbor, he would get a visit from me and if he did not comply the cops next.

There's no reason to annoy the neighbors, ever. However, it doesn't need to be rock, it could be any genre but the fact is, a full crescendo from a classical orchestra gives a loud band a run for its money.

 

[TLS Guy]

There's no reason to annoy the neighbors, ever. However, it doesn't need to be rock, it could be any genre but the fact is, a full crescendo from a classical orchestra gives a loud band a run for its money.

I would never, and don't play, any music outside. It is totally anti social.