Royal Creations Blog

Enhancing Your Outdoor Living Space With Outdoor Audio

Enhance your outdoor living space with outdoor audio. Eliminate the need to try to play your indoor system loudly enough to be heard outside, with the tinny sound that entails.  With the right equipment, not only will it sound wonderful, but you can play your music on the patio while the kids can play their music by the pool.  That keeps everyone happier. 

If you have decided to install an outdoor audio system, there are several steps.  Skipping a step can mean you are just never quite happy with the install.  With the amount of money you can spend, and the amount of labor involved, you want to get it right the first time. 

Make A Plan 

Before you buy any equipment, you need to assess your space.  Figure out how big the space is, what architectural features it has, and how many speakers it will take to cover it.  A pair of speakers can cover 200-400 square feet in most cases.  Too few speakers lead to overworking the ones you purchase, which will have poor sound quality and can blow the speakers.  Too many speakers can waste money. 

The acoustics outside are very different than the acoustics inside.  Outside there are no walls to contain and reflect the sound.  Unless you distribute the speakers properly, and use the correct speaker for each area, you will have loud spots and quiet spots.  If you do not position the speakers right, you may flood your neighbors with sound.  That would be a bad thing. 

Speaker Considerations 

The first rule when buying speakers is do not ruin your outdoor system by scrimping on your speakers.  The second rule is buy outdoor speakers.  Indoor speakers are just not built to last in the face of rain, snow, wind, sun, heat, and cold.  The first time they get wet they will stop working.  Even if you could somehow put the speakers in little houses to protect them, indoor speakers cannot handle the volume needed for the outdoors.  They are designed for small, enclosed areas and are set to use the walls and ceiling to contain and reflect the sound. 

Types Of Outdoor Speakers 

Outdoor speakers come in wireless and hard-wired versions.  The advantage of wireless speakers is that you can easily add them to your indoor receiver and control the whole thing on your smartphone.  The disadvantage is that if you do not have a fast and stable internet connection in your home, the wireless speakers will not be able to deliver consistent sound.  If your receiver does not have enough slots for the speakers you are using, you may have to get a new receiver that does. 

Hard wired speakers deliver the best sound.  They also work best for permanently mounted systems.  One caution is that you must use heavy-duty, outdoor wire.  Using internal speaker wire will cause static and the wires do not last long buried.   

When spacing speakers, be careful about putting them too close together.  You will need to space them at least ten feet apart or they will interfere with one another.  When placing the speakers, alternate right and left speakers so you have stereo wherever you are in the yard.  You can purchase speakers that are disguised as garden rocks or bury more modern speakers partially for a sleek look.  Place your speakers under natural cover such as trees and bushes to protect them so they will last longer. 

Receivers And Amplifiers 

You will need a receiver and an amplifier.  The receiver gets the signals from the radio station and amplifies it before sending it to the speakers.  However, it can only amplify the signal so much.  You will need a multichannel amplifier to boost the signal so that it will reach each speaker with the strength necessary to have even sound around your space.  Buy one that is compatible with your speakers. 

Even if you have an indoor receiver, it is a good idea to buy a multi-channel receiver for your outdoor system.  This allows each speaker to get a dedicated receiver channel.  You can then segment your audio into zones just as your sprinklers have zones.  One of the zones can be your indoor speakers so you can control your indoor and outdoor system from your smart phone.  The zones can balance out soft and loud volume in your space.  You can even use different zones to play separate channels.  Make sure your receiver is compatible with the amplifier and speakers. Do not under power your speakers.  You will need at least 40 watts per channel.   

Now you have all components for your outdoor audio system.  Be sure to test your speakers before final installation to make sure they are working as you expect before filling in the trenches that hold your wires. 

Get A Professional To Design and Install Your Outdoor Audio System 

Installing an outdoor audio system has a lot of moving parts.  It also requires a lot of work.  If you get it wrong, you will have to dig up the wires and move the speakers around until it sounds right.  This can be very time consuming and incredibly frustrating.  Consider how much your time is worth before tackling a big job like this.   

Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping has experience installing outdoor audio systems.  Our Blue Crew includes trained audio/visual experts that can install an outdoor audio system that will serve your needs, the first time. 

We use Coastal Source speakers.  They are durable, reliable, and have the many shapes and sizes of speakers it requires to really fill your outdoor living room with the sounds you love.  As always, our goal is to bring you the ultimate outdoor experience.  Contact us today to request an outdoor audio system consult.