Well, since I've learned a lot from this board on how to make the *inside* of the house sound good, now I've awakened from hibernation and it's time to take it outdoors. Anyone have a reco. for some nice sounding outdoor speakers? This is a budget item - I'd like to keep it under $150/pair (preferably around $100) - we're talking about Pittsburgh here so they'll get minimal use/maximum abuse both thanks to Mama Nature.
I haven't been real impressed with what I've found in that range - Yamahas, Athena, Acoustic Research. I sampled a great sounding pair of KLH (!?) speakers at Best Buy which were out of stock. I was actually shocked at the quality of the sound coming out of them for $80/pair, so naturally they wouldn't have them in store or online.
FYI, this search is for wall mount, wired. Wireless fake rock looking speakers need not apply!
Thanks all.
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
You should buy what you like. If the KLH's sounded good for $80, buy them. I'm sure a Best Buy salesperson would have taken your money and let you know when they were back in stock. You obviously didn't need them right then or you wouldn't be writing this now. What stopped you from buying what you thought sounded good to you?
scottro
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Impatience. I was hoping to install them over the long Memorial Day weekend, so I went to a few other places in hope of taking a pair home with me. I didn't want to hear "next week". Plus it never hurts to listen to as many speakers as you can, right? If they'd have had them in stock at BB, I would've got them. I figured I'd order them online as a last resort, not realizing that they were out of stock there too!
One thing I've learned here is to buy speakers by ear not by what it says on the grill. It just figures that I find a pair I really like at half the $$ that I had budgeted, from a brand I hadn't originally considered, and have a hard time getting them.
I'm actually proud of myself for sticking to my guns on this one. I just couldn't justify paying $150 or $200 for a set that I didn't think sounded as good as a pair for $80. I'm learning...(slowly).
Anyway they're in stock now so this is all for not, I'll just order them and wait patiently...
Thanks J.
scottro
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Follow up question J. Now I'm thinking a little more. What's the lifespan on outdoor speakers? I'm approaching this as, "well they're outdoor speakers and are going to get trashed so I shouldn't spend too much". Am I approaching this wrong? Is there a compromise between sound and durability? Or should I make the assumption that outdoor speakers are outdoor speakers and continue to judge based on sound?
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
You still buy what you like. Outdoor speakers will eventually give up the ghost sooner than a typical indoor speaker, but, now days, not by much. If you can keep the speakers shielded from the elements ( some people will make a quick connect to allow them to take the speakers in during the time when the speakers may not be used often, i.e. -30 degrees in the Notheast during January, which will extend their lifespan somewhat, you can probably expect 10 years or more from most outdoor speakers. Give them protection from the rain and sun and you'll have a long life for your $80 investment. Sound is not a consideration as far as the design of the speaker goes. If you mounted them inside they would sound very similar to a conventional indoor speaker. The difference is in the placement outdoors you do not have the reflective surfaces that are found inside so the speaker looses bass response because there are no corners and it is now trying to fill a VERY LARGE space.