Outdoor Living / Pavilion Sound Setup

M

mustangz5

Audiophyte
Hi All -

I'm in the process of installing an outdoor living area / pavilion at my house. We'll have a TV mounted inside, and I'm looking for options for sound that will work well in an outdoor area like this for both general TV, as well as casual music. The space is 20x16.

In my house I'm currently using LG Atmos soundbars, but do have a Yamaha amp which is not in use.

My primary concern is placement and being low profile. The structure will look something like the attached, but instead of a fireplace will just have a cedar wall to mount the TV on (and in a different location). Ceiling will be solid, so there is an option to install speakers in it if need be. Would a soundbar work OK in this space being outside? Should I look at outdoor rated ceiling speakers? If so where would I put an amp?

TIA
 

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TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Hi All -

I'm in the process of installing an outdoor living area / pavilion at my house. We'll have a TV mounted inside, and I'm looking for options for sound that will work well in an outdoor area like this for both general TV, as well as casual music. The space is 20x16.

In my house I'm currently using LG Atmos soundbars, but do have a Yamaha amp which is not in use.

My primary concern is placement and being low profile. The structure will look something like the attached, but instead of a fireplace will just have a cedar wall to mount the TV on (and in a different location). Ceiling will be solid, so there is an option to install speakers in it if need be. Would a soundbar work OK in this space being outside? Should I look at outdoor rated ceiling speakers? If so where would I put an amp?

TIA
That structure is open to the elements. You will not be able to use indoor domestic equipment. You will need to shop marine equipment vendors. That is out of our wheel house. All electronics and speakers will require an outdoor rating. It looks as if the building can not be enclosed and will always be open to the elements.

Be prepared to open your wallet big time if you want to pursue this. It is very dangerous to put equipment in a structure like that if it not designed for the application, to say nothing of the fact, that unsuitable equipment will have a very short life.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Hi All -

I'm in the process of installing an outdoor living area / pavilion at my house. We'll have a TV mounted inside, and I'm looking for options for sound that will work well in an outdoor area like this for both general TV, as well as casual music. The space is 20x16.

In my house I'm currently using LG Atmos soundbars, but do have a Yamaha amp which is not in use.

My primary concern is placement and being low profile. The structure will look something like the attached, but instead of a fireplace will just have a cedar wall to mount the TV on (and in a different location). Ceiling will be solid, so there is an option to install speakers in it if need be. Would a soundbar work OK in this space being outside? Should I look at outdoor rated ceiling speakers? If so where would I put an amp?

TIA
A couple of the outdoor TV manufacturers make outdoor rated soundbars, but I would want to see some definition of your expectations before recommending one of them.

I wouldn't call that TV 'inside'. It's under a roof, but that's as far as it goes WRT meeting the definition, although it's close enough in a place where heavy rainfall is rare. However, dew forms everywhere, which can cause damage to any electronics that are exposed.

As TLS Guy mentioned, marine equipment is a good way to handle this, but you will need to power the amplifier and there are only a couple of ways to do that- one involves at least one battery, which would need to be able to power the system for the longest time you could conceivably want it to (worst case scenario) or a DC power supply, which is the most expensive method.

At least one company offers outdoor audio systems that include:

A NEMA-rated outdoor electrical enclosure
Battery
Marine audio power amp
Speakers

What you use as your sources is up to you, but the electrical enclosure is plastic, so anything that can use WiFi should work as long as long as the signal reaches that place. If it doesn't reach and if the signal is weak, hardwire it- that's a much better solution, anyway. If possible, make room for amplification inside of the house as long as the speaker wire runs won't be extremely long- your Yamaha amplifier isn't designed for that (should use a 70V system if the speaker wires are much more than 50 feet).

What level of sound quality do you want? If you don't live close to other people and want good bass, you can have that- several of the outdoor speaker systems include a subwoofer and an amplifier that's set up specifically for it.

If you're only in the planning stages, make sure to include a space where the equipment can be installed , possibly on the backside of the fireplace, but remember- stone blocks RF control signals very well, so you'll want to make sure the signal can reach the equipment that needs to be controlled.

How long before construction begins?
 
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highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
That structure is open to the elements. You will not be able to use indoor domestic equipment. You will need to shop marine equipment vendors. That is out of our wheel house. All electronics and speakers will require an outdoor rating. It looks as if the building can not be enclosed and will always be open to the elements.

Be prepared to open your wallet big time if you want to pursue this. It is very dangerous to put equipment in a structure like that if it not designed for the application, to say nothing of the fact, that unsuitable equipment will have a very short life.
WRT "out of our wheelhouse", speak for yourself- some of us work with this kind of thing on a regular basis.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
WRT "out of our wheelhouse", speak for yourself- some of us work with this kind of thing on a regular basis.
I should have remembered that you live in or near Milwaukee on the shores of lake Michigan. So yes, marine systems would be in your wheelhouse.

My wife and I spent time on the Western shores of lake Michigan a year ago, and visited Milwaukee, which has a beautiful lakeshore. We will visit again next year. I have an urge to cross lake Michigan on the Badger.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
I should have remembered that you live in or near Milwaukee on the shores of lake Michigan. So yes, marine systems would be in your wheelhouse.

My wife and I spent time on the Western shores of lake Michigan a year ago, and visited Milwaukee, which has a beautiful lakeshore. We will visit again next year. I have an urge to cross lake Michigan on the Badger.
A high speed ferry is based in MKE, too- also, we have cruise ships coming in with actual tourists! One is called the Viking Octantis and is part of Viking Cruise Lines.

If you haven't been, check out Door County- it's beautiful in Fall.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
A high speed ferry is based in MKE, too- also, we have cruise ships coming in with actual tourists! One is called the Viking Octantis and is part of Viking Cruise Lines.

If you haven't been, check out Door County- it's beautiful in Fall.
Yes, but I want to cross on the old steamer! I took pictures of her last year.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Yes, but I want to cross on the old steamer! I took pictures of her last year.
Last coal burner on the Great Lakes, AFAIK. Did the Union Pacific Big Boy #4014 pass through your area a few years ago? I was stuck in traffic and wasn't able to get a ground level view, but I saw it from a bridge above the tracks as it passed under. Wanted to get a few shots to send to my brother, who's a huge train nut.


BTW- if you find yourself in Green Bay, the Train Museum is still operating and they have a Big Boy.
 
MalVeauX

MalVeauX

Senior Audioholic
Hi,

Have you considered just putting decent outdoor rated stereo speakers, or a set of 4? I wouldn't bother with a sound bar and instead get outdoor rated cabinets on c-brackets with 6.5" or bigger drivers so that you can get a nice full body sound out there. You can put two flanking your TV and the other two near the back for anyone sitting the farthest away. You can mount them high and angle down so you're not blasting audio across a yard into another yard. You can use any basic amplifier and just put it in a case or rack, more important would be to get one that has the connectivity you want (wired, wireless, network, etc) and if you want a remote for it or not, etc. You can do this inexpensively frankly.

For example, if everything is going to source from the TV (which is fine, such as a smart TV), you can get a basic eARC capable receiver so that the TV is the signal source, and it sends it out to the receiver over ARC. The receiver then outputs via all-channel stereo to 4 speakers if you want. You can then control the content, volume, etc, all from the TV and never need to see or touch the receiver (so you can tuck it away in a covered place or sealed place from the elements), via an app on your phone to the TV (like a Roku TV or similar).

Very best,
 
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