Outdoor speakers/wiring

[Jeff R.]

I am shopping around for some speakers to install in the ceiling of my screened in porch. I am leaning toward a entry level priced speaker that does not really cost much money. I do not really want to spend much money. $150. I can buy a pair of nice speakers for that price or I can buy two pairs of lesser speakers for $75 each and have 4 speakers. I really have not seen many outdoor speakers that put out much low end sound, so I was curious about going with the 4 lower cost speakers to have extra woofers to assist with this. Any suggestions. Right now I am leaning toward something at an entry level like an AudioSource or something similar that has a 6.5 polypropelene woofer and a tweeter. I have yet to read a poor review on all these entry level speakers that run from about $50 - $75. It seems like a worthy gamble for the money. What do you all think....

On a side note. I am looking to run all 4 (if I go that route) off just two channels, so I will be powering these with a small Onkyo TX-SR302 reciever. Do you think I can wire the speakers in parallel and run at a 4 ohm load or will it over tax the reciever?

Thanks

 

[DaveHo]

I would take a look at Home Theater Direct. http://www.htd.com. I have several of their in-wall & in-ceiling speakers. Very nice for the price. They also have purpose built outdoor speakers as well.

-Dave

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I am from a different camp than most when it comes to outdoor speakers. I just refuse to spend a lot of money here. You are competing with the the sound of wind, lawnmowers, kids on swings...plus you can never "pressurize" the volume of the entire world so bass is just out of the question. I use $50 Duals on my patio and they work just fine. I wouldn't try to run 4 off of a single AVR as you might be asking for trouble. 2 will probably be just fine.

 

[highfigh]

I am from a different camp than most when it comes to outdoor speakers. I just refuse to spend a lot of money here. You are competing with the the sound of wind, lawnmowers, kids on swings...plus you can never "pressurize" the volume of the entire world so bass is just out of the question. I use $50 Duals on my patio and they work just fine. I wouldn't try to run 4 off of a single AVR as you might be asking for trouble. 2 will probably be just fine.

You can actually get pretty decent bass if you have a wall/soffit corner to place them in. If you have a corner/soffit to place them, it works even better. Any time you can add surfaces to reflect off of, you will improve the bass response, even outside. It's not like having a subwoofer, but it does improve the sound. I have a pair of 8" 2-ways that we were selling in the late '70s, with Peerless tweeters and maybe a Quam-Gefco woofer with butyl rubber surround. Can't be much bigger than most 8" 2-way outdoor speakers and I drive them with a Sony STR-5800, from about '79. Even 50' down the driveway, it still sounds really good. The sound projects out from the corners and although I might occasionally add some bass, it's not a lot.

It's true, though- it's not necessary to spend a lot on speakers but they'll tend to hold up better over time.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Man my outdoor system consist of the Duals and an AudioSource 100 amp driven from zone 3. It is all I need out there and it actual surprises me when I hear it. It is not that bad at all.

You can actually get pretty decent bass if you have a wall/soffit corner to place them in. If you have a corner/soffit to place them, it works even better. Any time you can add surfaces to reflect off of, you will improve the bass response, even outside. It's not like having a subwoofer, but it does improve the sound. I have a pair of 8" 2-ways that we were selling in the late '70s, with Peerless tweeters and maybe a Quam-Gefco woofer with butyl rubber surround. Can't be much bigger than most 8" 2-way outdoor speakers and I drive them with a Sony STR-5800, from about '79. Even 50' down the driveway, it still sounds really good. The sound projects out from the corners and although I might occasionally add some bass, it's not a lot.

It's true, though- it's not necessary to spend a lot on speakers but they'll tend to hold up better over time.

 

[Jeff R.]

For any intersted. I ended up taking a gamble on a pair of Audio Source AS8C in-ceiling speakers, that are weather resistant. I finished my install today and I am very impressed. They have a very impressive output and good bass response, likely helped out by the 8" woofer. All in all I don't think you can beat them for the price. I doubt you can for even double or triple. I picked them up off Amazon for $74 with free shipping and they arrived at my door with in 36 hours of placing the order.

 

[highfigh]

For any interested. I ended up taking a gamble on a pair of Audio Source AS8C in-ceiling speakers, that are weather resistant. I finished my install today and I am very impressed. They have a very impressive output and good bass response, likely helped out by the 8" woofer. All in all I don't think you can beat them for the price. I doubt you can for even double or triple. I picked them up off Amazon for $74 with free shipping and they arrived at my door with in 36 hours of placing the order.

They're decent speakers and usually very reasonably priced. Unless the volume is cranked and you just don't get a chance to turn it down, I doubt you'll have a problem with them. They have amp modules that mount in a frame for multi-channel applications, too. Very cool setup.