Avoid These 3 Mistakes When Setting Up Your Outdoor Sound System
The Right Equipment, Installation, and Control Make All the Difference
Today, our homes have expanded, with beautiful outdoor areas that become an extension of our indoor living spaces. In Tampa, FL, many of us spend more time outside in our own oasis than we do in the interior of our homes.
So, what can make this space the highlight of our living areas? Customized furniture on your patio? An expanded outdoor kitchen? While all of those features can certainly make for a great outdoor living area, sound systems genuinely bring life to the space—creating a place to relax with your favorite tunes, podcasts, or the big game, while enjoying time with family and friends.
Let’s look at how to make the best outdoor sound system and the common mistakes you’ll want to avoid when creating your backyard retreat.
SEE ALSO: Quick Guide: Finding the Right Speakers for Your Home Audio System
Choosing the Right Equipment
Mistake #1
One of the top mistakes is choosing equipment that’s not designed for the rigors of Tampa’s weather. Rain and thunderstorms are commonplace, and speakers must be able to stand up to the harshest storms.
Solution
Today’s high-performance audio brands offer weatherproof outdoor speakers designed for harsh environments. They deliver the same high-fidelity audio you hear throughout your home or media room but remain unphased by dirt, mud, and a deluge of water.
Some of the industry-leading brands we partner with are Bowers & Wilkens, Paradigm, Sonance, and Coastal Source. B&W is known for some of the best loudspeakers in the business found at top recording studios worldwide. They also offer outdoor architectural speakers with advanced weatherproofing. Paradigm manufactures rugged landscape loudspeaker systems designed with the audiophile in mind.
Correctly Installing the Equipment
Mistake #2
Another common mistake is installing outdoor speakers without considering the sound field. The great outdoors presents unique challenges, such as background noises and large areas to cover without walls to contain the sound. If inappropriately installed, this can lead to an uneven sound field with dead zones and hot spots and, often, disturbed neighbors.
The Solution
The correct speaker installation ensures the sound field points back to your home instead of reflecting sound into your neighbors’ yards. In addition, ultra-wide dispersion blankets your space in sound with evenly distributed coverage.
Our certified technicians will install multiple landscape speakers that blend seamlessly with your outdoor area, plus in-ground subwoofers that deliver the deep bass essential to high-fidelity sound. They’ll also consider the architecture, landscape, and other outdoor features that can deflect soundwaves.
The result is audio that surrounds you and fills the air. If you’d like to enjoy your favorite tunes while swimming, we can even install high-performance speakers in your pool—the ultimate backyard enjoyment.
Connecting Your Outdoor Sound System
Mistake #3
If your outdoor sound system is not easy to operate, it won’t be used to its full potential. By not integrating it with your indoor system, you’ll require different devices to operate it, resulting in a disjointed experience.
The Solution
When you connect your outdoor audio with a Control4 home automation system, you can control all of your audio and video throughout your home and yard with one touch of a button on your smartphone, tablet, or remote. Start your playlist from one of your favorite streaming services and let it fill your property. For private times, one family member can listen to their favorite podcast in the office while another enjoys an audiobook while gardening in the yard. The possibilities are endless.
At AV Specialists, we’ve been designing and installing outdoor audio systems that sound great and are easy to use since 1995. To learn more or to schedule a complimentary consultation, contact AV Specialists today.
