Outdoor TV

[AndyRhodes11]

Hi Guys, I literally just created a profile to ask some questions.

I ordered a SunBrite Signature series outdoor TV online and I want to know what type of surround sound I can hook up to it. The TV cost 4.5k so I do not want to skimp on the sound.

The recommended speaker is a soundbar (the SB-SP557) but I don't know... I am used to having 7.1 surround sound in my TV room and we want to make the outdoor entertainment area just like a really awesome experience.

Have any of you guys hooked up an outdoor tv or just have any idea what the best option would be. The speakers would be mostly from the elements but I would like something that is about as durable as the TV at least.

Thanks guys. I would seriously appreciate some feedback.

 

[TheWarrior]

Hi!

Keep in mind you're not just hiding speakers from rain/snow, the broad range of temps and humidity will, over time, damage the rubber suspension (or other material) that connects the cone/dome to the speaker mount. As a result, designers have to use less than ideal materials or thicknesses which will degrade sound quality.

Trying to achieve listener envelopment while people are moving around and talking is not going to make for the same 'wow' experience as a well designed home theater. I'm sure you realize that good sound is more than just aiming a bunch of speakers into a general area. Outdoors, bass will be anemic at best, and would require lots of power to be of any use, making it difficult to blend with all the speakers.

A sound bar keeps it simple and allows you to still watch some shows from the patio. If this is a very large patio you could try Distributed Audio like a commercial space, you have any number of mono speaker channels. Maybe a pair of speakers that catch your eye would be a good 2ch substitute, but it is unrealistic to expect home theater performance without walls.

Contemplate that and come back with a plan and budget and you'll get plenty o' speaker recommendations from people here!

 

[2channel lover]

Hi Guys, I literally just created a profile to ask some questions.

I ordered a SunBrite Signature series outdoor TV online and I want to know what type of surround sound I can hook up to it. The TV cost 4.5k so I do not want to skimp on the sound.

The recommended speaker is a soundbar (the SB-SP557) but I don't know... I am used to having 7.1 surround sound in my TV room and we want to make the outdoor entertainment area just like a really awesome experience.

Have any of you guys hooked up an outdoor tv or just have any idea what the best option would be. The speakers would be mostly from the elements but I would like something that is about as durable as the TV at least.

Thanks guys. I would seriously appreciate some feedback.

Polk makes some pretty good outdoor speakers...my brother in law has an outdoor TV with Polk speakers I'm not sure of the model but based on the price he told me these are probably them.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_107ATR8SDW/Polk-Audio-Atrium8-SDI-White.html?tp=188&awcr=12166461317&awdv=c&awkw=unknown&awmt=e&awnw=o&awat=

As TW mentioned you have to shave something off your expectations when it comes outdoor music. Those Polks I mentioned sound pretty good but he has them mostly for back ground music.

 

[AndyRhodes11]

@TheWarrior Thanks for replying. I honestly don't know a great deal about sound. I am aware that I won't be able to get the same effect as I do in the TV room but I want to know what the best option would be. If the soundbar is literally the best option then I will buy it but I was wondering what would be the best speakers (that are designed for outdoor use) to set up in this area.

@2channel lover, thanks a lot. I appreciate the link. Those actually look pretty cool stylish, especially for weatherproof speakers.

 

[TheWarrior]

@TheWarrior Thanks for replying. I honestly don't know a great deal about sound. I am aware that I won't be able to get the same effect as I do in the TV room but I want to know what the best option would be. If the soundbar is literally the best option then I will buy it but I was wondering what would be the best speakers (that are designed for outdoor use) to set up in this area.

@2channel lover, thanks a lot. I appreciate the link. Those actually look pretty cool stylish, especially for weatherproof speakers.

I might suggest starting with the sound bar you linked (inexpensive enough to just get you started), and then seek out auditions of other speakers - ideally outdoors. See who offers a solid return policy. Even if you only order a single speaker, listening in mono is much more revealing about the characteristics of a speaker.

JBL should have some new models coming out in the future, and Yamaha should offer great reliability. I have little experience with Def Tech and Polk, but at Crutchfield there is Polk Atrium 4 that uses a 3/4" tweeter, that alone would offer excellent dispersion so that more people can hear the same sounds across a broader distance.

If you stick around, add some pics of your progress to the Pros n Joes Gallery so we can see how it goes!

 

[2channel lover]

@2channel lover, thanks a lot. I appreciate the link. Those actually look pretty cool stylish, especially for weatherproof speakers.[/QUOTE]

No problem, the Atrium 8 may not be the best outdoor speaker you can buy...but I do believe those are what my brother in law has, covered outdoor space...he runs them for 2 channel music for cookouts as well as the sound for the outdoor TV sometimes. They can play pretty loud and clear for what they are.

I'm kinda looking at sound bars for my sun room space, primarily for TV volume (I have in ceiling speakers there for music) so it's not a high priority. So far the only one I really like is the Goldenear sound bars. Both sound better than anything I've heard, but the larger one is great with a sub, it will easily fill a 400-500 sf space with sound....https://www.goldenear.com/products/supercinema3d

No sure I want to put $1500 into TV sound.