The Challenges of Outdoor Audio

Other than death and taxes, there are few guarantees in life. However, Mark Lee, co-owner of the Southern, Calif.-based Mars Audio Video Entertainment Network (MAVEN), has a good shot guaranteeing at least one return client.

Lee tells the story of an outdoor install where the client's property was adjacent to the Angeles National Forest. During a recent brush fire, the client nearly lost his home as the blaze torched his yard.

"During the LaQuinta brush fire, the last house before the Angeles forest burnt the home's landscaping," he says. "The Terra speakers we installed, however, were still functional. They should have melted, and a light fixture next to the speakers did melt."

Lee's story, while extreme, reflects the values CE pros look for in an outdoor audio product: sturdy construction, durability and reliability.

Beyond those qualities that installers look for in outdoor products, application and problem-solving potential are big priorities.

Obstacles & Solutions

Obstacle: Lee and Neal Edmiston, co-owner of Southern, Calif.-based Vision Systems Automation, both say the biggest challenge in outdoor audio is listener area coverage and making sure no one area is too loud or too quiet.

Solution: "The best way we started to solve the problem is to use a lot of smaller speakers and using multiple in-ground subwoofers to create the bass," Edmiston explains. "It works well; it gives full coverage to the yard, from the pool to the gazebo."

Obstacle: Finding products that complement a client's home can be difficult, depending on the home's architecture and landscape design.

Solution: Both integrators say the easiest way around disrupting the aesthetics of a home is to place the speakers around the perimeter of the area that requires sound," says Lee. "We are getting away from locating the speakers near the house and are instead aiming the speakers back into the listening area."

Edmiston says by using a product like Terra Speakers' AC Sub, his company is able to hide the installation of the speaker underground. "What's great about the in-ground subs is that you only have a part of the speaker sticking out. This allows us to put smaller more inconspicuous speakers in other spots."