Is An Outdoor Speaker System Worth It?
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
In this blog we explore is an outdoor speaker system worth it? We have 7 reasons why its a good investment for you and your family.
Imagine lounging on your deck/patio, hosting a backyard barbecue, or enjoying a refreshing dip in the pool, all while listening to your favorite music playing seamlessly through an outdoor speaker system… or event speakers in the pool.
Sounds good right?
The idea of extending your music experience beyond the confines of your home may be appealing, but you might wonder if investing in an outdoor speaker system is truly worth it.
In this blog, we’ll explore the compelling reasons why installing an outdoor speaker system can greatly enhance your outdoor living space and overall audio enjoyment. Plus the birds might like some tunes too.
1.0 | Amplify Your Outdoor Entertainment With A Speaker System.
Outdoor speaker systems are the perfect addition to any outdoor gathering or entertainment event.
Whether you’re hosting a party, family get-together, or simply enjoying a quiet evening outdoors, having music playing in the background adds ambiance and liveliness to the atmosphere.
With strategically placed speakers, you can create an audio experience that enhances the mood and sets the tone for your outdoor activities. Its soothes a tired mind, or allows you to relax in the sun while listening to your favorite album.
The team at Rapallo can assist your plans and help you place the speakers in the correct area for maximum quality of sound.
2.0 | Enjoy Seamless Music Transitions.
An outdoor speaker system allows you to seamlessly transition from indoor to outdoor spaces without any interruptions in your music.
By syncing your outdoor speakers with your indoor audio system or streaming devices, you can easily continue playing your favorite playlists or podcasts as you move from room to room or step outside.
This convenience ensures a consistent audio experience throughout your home, seamlessly integrating your indoor and outdoor living spaces.
This is easy to do and can be managed on a reasonable (read not huge) budget. A separate amplifier for the outdoor area (if you aren’t using a quad-streaming amplifier) allows individual volume control too.
3.0 | Enhance Outdoor Relaxation and Recreation.
Your outdoor spaces should be a haven for relaxation and recreation. Installing an outdoor speaker system allows you to create a personalized audio oasis, transforming your backyard, patio, or pool area into a tranquil retreat.
Imagine unwinding in a lounge chair, reading a book while listening to soothing music, or energizing your morning workout routine with upbeat tunes playing in the background while on the spin bike, rower or doing yoga. A real benefit is you can have this outside, while other music from another source is playing on another zone.
Outdoor speakers can heighten your outdoor experiences and make your leisure time even more enjoyable. Music soothes the soul.
4.0 | Create an Outdoor Cinematic Experience.
Watching movies or sports events outdoors can be a memorable and immersive experience.
With an outdoor speaker system, you can recreate the thrill of the cinema or stadium in your own backyard.
Whether you’re hosting a movie night under the stars or cheering on your favorite team during a game, the powerful and high-quality audio from outdoor speakers enhances the visuals and transports you into the action, making for a truly cinematic experience.
Rapallo can also help with the projection or large outdoor TV screens that are waterproof and configured for daytime use.
5.0 | Expand Living Space and Boost Property Value.
An outdoor speaker system effectively extends your living space beyond the confines of your home.
By transforming your outdoor areas into inviting entertainment zones, you essentially create additional usable space for relaxation, socializing, and hosting gatherings.
This expanded living space not only enhances your lifestyle but can also increase the value of your property.
Outdoor speaker systems are considered desirable features among homebuyers, making your home more attractive and potentially boosting its market value.
Could be a worthwhile investment in todays’ market. Either that or if you have chosen to stay put, a nice addition to enhance your living with family & friends.
6.0 | Customizable Audio Zones With Outdoor Systems.
With an outdoor speaker system, you have the flexibility to create customizable audio zones in your outdoor areas.
This means you can independently control the audio in different zones, allowing for personalized listening experiences based on specific activities or preferences.
For example, you can have one set of speakers playing soft background music in the garden while another set near the pool delivers lively tunes for a pool party.
This versatility provides a tailored audio experience for every outdoor occasion. It also means if you don’t like that thrash metal your kids are playing around the pool with their mates, you can control the volume in that zone (cue evil laughter) and turn it down.
7.0 | Weather-Resistant and Durable Design.
Outdoor speaker systems are specifically designed to withstand outdoor elements such as rain, humidity, and temperature fluctuations.
The products are built with weather-resistant materials, protective coatings, and robust enclosures to ensure durability and longevity. These speakers are engineered to deliver reliable performance in challenging conditions, giving you peace of mind knowing that your investment is protected.
The other benefit, if its a true outdoor systyle, most of the speakers (as they are weather-resistant) are hidden in the gardens, so the sound is all-surround-you without you seeing the speakers.
DIFFERENT AUDIO SETUPS YOUR BACK YARD / GARDEN OR LIFESTYLE PROPERTY.
Small Deck or Patio Space.
Stereo outdoor speakers give you a good sound in a small area right outside the house.
Figure out where you’ll put them before you buy them as this will dictate sizes and the number required. If you are talking to us, we ideally would want some images to understand where these would go, and where you will be while it is playing.
For the best stereo effect, we recommend mounting left and right speakers about 10 feet apart. Don’t try to cover a bigger space by moving them further apart, or you may only hear one ‘side’ of the song. If you have an outdoor dining table , then the sweet spot tis abut 3-4m (12ft) from each of the speakers, mounted 2.5m (10ft) apart.
Have A Covered Deck?
At Rapallo we recommend In-Ceiling speakers for covered outdoor spaces. Some are moisture resistant, they’re made with bathrooms and saunas in mind, so they can handle the humidity, salt, and coastal environment.
Again placement is important, including the space, where you intend to sit (or the area they need to project sound too) and your budget.
You could use a Denon HEOS Amp and a pair of Focal Outdoor Speakers for this zone, esp if you want it stand alone.
Under The Eaves, A Popular Mounting Location.
Many outdoor speakers are weather-resistant rather than weatherproof, so they’ll need some cover.
Are your eaves close to the ground (or the deck)? Then mount the speakers underneath, to protect them from rain.
Just don’t mount them much higher than 10 feet above the listening area.
Some options could be the on-wall Definitive Technology AW6500 speakers or Focal Outdoor Speakers. We do a truck-load of these in outdoor spaces and they have a terrific sound. The AW6500’s are also on demo in the outdoor speaker zone at Rapallo so you can hear them before you buy them.
Music For A Large Backyard.
To enjoy music across a larger yard, you’ll need to cover different areas or “zones” with sound. Think of each zone in your yard as you would a separate room in your house.
You need the right number of speakers for each zone, so that it’s never too loud or too soft in one area. Our team can develop a plan that covers different “zones” with music based on key products and your budget.
Stereo setups don’t work well in large yards, either. You’ll want speakers that play both left and right channels.
There are two ways to approach this. You can get stereo input speakers that have left and right connections. Or you can get amps that combine left and right channels, sending mono signals to standard speakers.
Rock speakers blend into your landscaping and help bring music to zones that are farther from the house. They blend into garden spaces really nicely.
Music Sources & Wiring For Simple Stereo Setups.
The first issue many people have is… “oh gosh where do I start and what do I need!“
Firstly, you’ll need a receiver or amp to power your speakers and connect music sources.
Do you already have a home theatre receiver (AVR) with Zone 2 or speaker outputs? They can be called into service to power your outdoor speakers.
In some cases, it might be much easier to install and operate a separate music source that can be placed much closer to your deck or patio. So you could consider adding a second receiver or a wireless music player that has a built-in amp, such as the Yamaha WXA-50 or Denon HEOS Amp.
Many home theatre receivers can connect to your home network. Most of these let you wirelessly control key functions via a smartphone app, like Yamaha’s MusicCast or Denons HEOS.
As long as you are within your Wi-Fi®, you won’t have to run inside to adjust volume or change playlists. A consideration is does your Wi-Fi® reach out into your yard? If not, a new router or extender can maximize your Wi-Fi® coverage. Its fairly simple to test and update should it need to be.
More Power Scotty??
So, how much power do outdoor speakers need?
Inside your home, there are walls to reflect and contain sound.
Outside, of course, it’s wide open. To get the same perceived volume outside as you do indoors, you need to double the power.
So, if you want to play your outdoor music quite loud, a powerful receiver or amp would be a good choice.
If you’re a Denon fan, try Denon home HS2 amplifier or hook up a Bluesound Powernode, or want to make an existing receiver streaming capable the add the WiiM Mini Streamer. all really great units that have a huge list of streaming capabilities.
But again, they need to be matched to what your are trying too achieve. We can assist you with that via phone or email.
Cables, Wiring & All That.
You can buy in-wall speaker wire with two conductors or four. Use four core cables with stereo-input speakers. These cables contain wires for both left- and right-channel inputs. Use 16AWG gauge cable for runs of 25m or less. Use 14-gauge cable for runs of up to 30-40m.
Our in-wall speaker cables can be buried, but it’s probably best practice to run buried cable through a hard plastic conduit, so you don’t cut it with a shovel. This also keeps the wire protected from rodents.
If you are at the planning stage, and think you might want sound later, we normally recommend a pre-wire that’s there for later. Doing retro-wiring is always messy and costly. Mainly because you have to dig, cut holes and find ways to areas. Doing it before just makes sense.
A Multi-channel Amplifier – What Is That?
Multi-Channel amps deliver a lot of power, and they give you separate volume control for each area.
They are usually quite thin and are rack mountable and don’t have any visible controls, as the native app for that brand controls all that.
They allow lots of control, say you might want your music loud by the pool and softer near the grill. Or vice versa. Its easy.
We mostly spec and use the Denon HEOS Drive HS2 Multi-Zone Audio Streaming Amplifier or the Yamaha XDA-QS5400 MusicCast Multi-Room Streaming Amplifier as they are easy to install and hide-away. Add speaker cables, a network cable and some power and you are away. 8 speakers split over 4 zones and its expandable with other units.
70-volt amp Systems Are A Consideration.
A 70-volt commercial amplifier can drive many more speakers than a comparably priced residential-grade amp. It’s easy to add speakers later on. And you’ll need much less wire which makes it easier.
Cost savings can be substantial with 70-volt systems, but system planning is more complicated, and you may sacrifice a little sound quality. You will want to contact a Rapallo AV team member if you’re curious about this approach.
Well that’s a quick overview… hopefully it was useful and helpful. We have many options available and now is a good time to start so it is in and ready for the hot summer sun, deck parties, and BBQ’s.
As always, we are only a phone or email away… drop us a line.
Speak Soon
CJ, Bensan, Toki & Simon
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- The Qobuz Streaming Service & why we use it.
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