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?