Entertaining at home Outdoors this Summer?
The popularity of outdoor entertaining has been increasing every year, and such the need to add high-performance audio to these new living spaces. In the past, outdoor loudspeakers usually meant a couple of speakers hung under the eaves, but now there are many more options to choose from.
Outdoor aesthetics
Speakers that look like rocks have been available for many years, and the performance and aesthetics have improved dramatically.
There are many in-ground sub-woofers on the market as well. Subs can be quite large, but with this option most of the sub-woofer is buried underground leaving only a small port exposed.
Indoors and outdoors
Many outdoor speaker systems also work with a whole-house audio system that lets you have the same music playing outside as inside, if you choose. Or you can play different music in different areas.
Things to consider
When deciding which outdoor sound system is right for you, ask yourself a few questions:
- Will this system provide background music or do you want a high-fidelity system that can play louder? Will there ever be dancing?
- What medium are you going to be listening to: AM/FM? CDs? Satellite radio or maybe streaming audio from Pandora® or Spotify or similar streaming-music providers? Or, will you be listening to downloaded music from your tablet, phone or MP3 player?
- How big of an area do you want the sound to cover? Larger areas need more speakers to create a consistent sound level. Too few speakers usually end up with parts of the space where the sound is too loud or not loud enough.
- Will this be the audio part of an outdoor audio/video system? There are numerous flat panel displays that are made for outdoor installations, designed to withstand the hottest summers and most bitter winter weather. There are also projection systems that can be used outdoors and weatherproof remote controls are available.
The options for outdoor entertainment systems are vast, and now is the perfect time to get your backyard prepped for outdoor living. Give us a call and we can guide you through the many decisions and design the right system for you. Wishing you a happy end of springtime and summer solstice is almost here. Kiwi Audio Visual can offer a FREE CONSULTATION.