The first thing you need to consider is that outfitting your backyard for music presents challenges that are quite different from wiring an enclosed room for sound. Inside your home walls work to reflect sound. The situation is different outside the house where there are wide open spaces where sound can leach out and loads of background noises that can distract from the music. So when you consider installing a music system and outdoor speakers on your timber deck or in your pergola, it’s really all about overcoming the challenges offered by open spaces and ambient noise.
Find the Focus for Your Outdoor Speakers
The first thing to do is to identify the main listening area. This is where you need to aim your outdoor speakers. If you have at least two speakers, you can position them so that they form an imaginary triangle with your listening area as the third point. Make sure that you place the speakers at a distance that lets you hear the music even when it’s playing at a low volume or when background noise is present.
Here’s a tip: if your listening area is large or if you decide to have several listening areas, or if your outdoor speakers are not very loud you can improve the listening experience by adding more speakers. If you need more sound to reach your designated listening area, think about adding more speakers and not raising the volume.
One trick that enables your outdoor speakers to spread out sound over the widest possible area is to mount them high up — from 2 to 3 metres above ground.
Securing Stereo Sound
Stereo sound makes for a better listening experience because the sound appears to come from different sources,mimicking the natural way that sounds reach your ear as you listen. If you install only one outdoor speaker then you have no choice but to listen to mono sound. But with two or more speakers you have the opportunity to set up for stereo and enjoy your music at a whole new level.
When you have more than two speakers installed, one way to sustain the stereo sound is to alternate left and right channels across the area where they are installed.
Protecting Outdoor Speakers
Outdoor speakers, with all their delicate internal electronics, need to be protected from the elements. You can easily achieve this by installing them underneath eaves and roofing. But if your deck or pergola design requires speakers to be fully exposed make sure that they are totally weatherproof or encased in weatherproof housing.
It’s All About the Bass
We always look for that deep, rich bass sound when listening to music; it makes the music more enjoyable to listen to. To get these rich bass tones, install your speakers next to a wall. The low frequency bass sound waves bounce off the adjacent wall to reinforce what you hear.
