Outdoor Kitchen A/V Setup

[Hickmanbh]

Hello,

I'm building an outdoor kitchen by the pool and would like to setup a receiver for music and a tv over the bar. I'm not sure what all I need? I would like to have 8 speakers (4 patio and 4 rock around pool/hot tub). Is it possible to connect 8 speakers to one receiver along with the tv? Do I need an amp? Speaker controls? Can volume be controlled through iPad / iPod? And what receiver would be best. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank u
Becca

 

[BMXTRIX]

You need to keep extreme care to be placing any electronics within the home within a properly environmentally controlled environment, then use a RF repeater system or iDevice control type method to run the show. A good RF remote control will outperform most iDevices and won't cost as much to replace that first time you leave it out in the rain by mistake.

I would likely use a stereo A/V preamp or receiver with discrete power on/off and input selection, then run the pre-outs to a distribution amplifier with 8 speakers. The pre-amp controls volume everywhere and will handle source control switching.

Since a receiver is typically designed for surround sound, using it in a single outdoor environment will likely overdrive a receiver easily, and won't be sending even audio everywhere outside.

I may even do a mono-sum of the A/V sources so that everyone can hear things wherever they are.

Outdoor speakers won't have the same environmental issues that the electronics will have, but the electronics will have issues.

For a TV, you will need to look towards a company like Sunbrite to get a properly designed outdoor rated television display.

 

[highfigh]

Hello,

I'm building an outdoor kitchen by the pool and would like to setup a receiver for music and a tv over the bar. I'm not sure what all I need? I would like to have 8 speakers (4 patio and 4 rock around pool/hot tub). Is it possible to connect 8 speakers to one receiver along with the tv? Do I need an amp? Speaker controls? Can volume be controlled through iPad / iPod? And what receiver would be best. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank u
Becca

How many sources will you be using? Do you want to use an iPod/iPhone for music, AM/FM, Video AND other sources, or is this enough? If you want something that works well in an outdoor environment and don't want to worry about water/moisture, look at this- you'll need a DC power supply and a decent battery, but the total cost may be less than using indoor equipment. Plus, it can be controlled using iPhone/iPad/Android apps or IP, so a desktop/laptop is able to make the changes you want. The main unit has four channels of amplified output and it has four channels of line output. In addition, it has four zones of level control, which eliminates the need for mounting volume controls all over the place. If you might want a way to control it at the pool, where moisture is an issue and you don't want to get out of the pool, they have a wired remote control that shows artist, album, songs, genre, etc for iPod/iPhone and frequency/band for radio, as well as control for all audio/switching functions. Add one of their 4 channel amps and put that, as well as the power supply and battery in an out of the way place- killer system with a lot of functions and control. Plus, it comes with a three year warranty.

Edited to add- oh, yeah- it has a video out, aux in and a USB port on the rear. If you don't have an iPod/iPad/iPhone and don't want to have that so close to water, anyway, it has a USB jack INSIDE THE FACE PLATE, which has a rubber O-ring to seal it so water can't get in. That way, WMA files can be played from anyone's computer and water isn't an issue for the storage medium.

This isn't just something that has a mini jack for an i-device or other music source- it comes with a set of sleeves so the iPod (ANY MODEL EXCEPT THE FIRST ONE) or iPhone can be inserted into the unit and held snugly in place so vibrations won't damage the port at the bottom (It's a marine head unit). Once inside, the cover is closed and access to the controls is available.

Marine Stereo for iPod (MS-IP700) | FUSION Electronics