Garden & Rock speakers, are Cool!

Who says you can't have speakers in your gardens? These new speakers, shaped like rocks, planters, bird baths and statues are really giving individualism to your landscapes' soundscape! Wow, that came out way more intellectual than it did in my head! Anyway, in this article we are going to discuss the reason why garden and rock speakers are so cool! In the eyes of The Outdoor Speaker Guy, anyway.

Okay so let us discuss what is considered "gardens" around your yard. "Anywhere!" You can put rock speakers anywhere a rock would look good. You can place a birdbath shaped speaker where ever you would put a birdbath. A planter shaped speaker will go great anywhere you would put a potted plant. I could go on an on, but I think you get the picture. These specially shaped sound elements are capable of producing the great sounds you have come to expect from your home speaker systems. Rock speakers are quickly becoming the best sounding outdoor speakers on the market. Capable of providing those deep and low frequency sounds you want when listening and dancing around your backyard. These custom shaped drivers can deliver tons of sound due to the fact that they can handle and devour high quantities of wattage from your amplifier. The fact that they can be placed nearly anywhere in your landscape makes them the perfect choice to bring the great sounds out of your home and into your garden.

Statues, planters and birdbaths are other great ways to bring the sounds of joy to your backyard. They also give you great choices on where your music can flow from. Look around your yard, and see where you could use a rock or a planter or maybe a statue and that would be a great place for your next set of speakers. So if you are looking for a "cool" speaker for your lifestyle and like tons of sound to flow through them, look no further. Try some of these out and see for yourself why I think these are cool speakers!

The Outdoor Speaker Guy

Patio Speakers in my Bathroom? Why not?

More and more of you are spending a lot of time in your bathrooms. Who could blame you? If I could stay in the tub for a few hours without pruning every part of me, I would! But the bathroom is becoming another one of those hang out places in your home. What with all the relaxing and not so relaxing activities available. I've seen baths that are the size of my living room that have a hot tub, a weight bench, work out area, sauna, TV, couches.... Okay, well, not all of us have a bathroom this functional, but we can all benefit from having our favorite tunes there to add to the experience.

So what are the right kind of speakers to add to a bathroom? Well my first recommendation would be outdoor patio speakers. There are many sizes, shapes and colors to choose from so finding a set that would match your decor will be simple. The fact that they are water resistant really helps. This means they will hold up for many, many years in the moist environment your shower will create. Regular home stereo speakers are not manufactured to handle these harsh conditions. The structure of the cabinets and the drivers in home speakers will deteriorate quickly and the sounds will be lost with the moisture right out your vent!

Hooking up these speakers will require a little bit of thought and planning to achieve the right locations for the components. You will need to place your amplifier out of harms way of the moisture that fills your bathroom every time you take a bath or shower. This can be achieved by placing the amplifier in a cabinet or in the next room or a closet. Where ever you put your amplifier, you will need to be sure there is a power outlet near by or you will never hear any tunes! By keeping the amplifier in a location away from moisture, you will be saving it from a most certain doom! There are amps that can be used right out in the open moisture. An example can be found here.

Wiring from you amplifier to your speakers will need to be run to transmit the audio signal to them. And of course you will want to do a nice job hiding and running those wires. If you run wires through the walls, you will want to make sure you put some sealant in the holes to keep moisture out of your walls.

A majority of patio speakers come with many mounting options that will allow you to place them almost anywhere you want. Along with the options of many colors to chose from, patio speakers are a great choice for your bathroom music needs. So get ready to sit back in your tub with your rubber ducky, or enjoy your morning "newspaper" reading with your favorite tunes playing through your new bathroom speakers!

The Outdoor Speaker Guy

Wireless Speaker Popularity Is On The Rise!

We are at an age of convenience. Many shoppers come to see us to view our wide selection of wireless outdoor speakers. But why are so many interested in the wireless line versus the options of: Patio speakers, Garden speakers or Rock speakers? Why are the varieties of these wireless outdoor speakers growing at a rapid rate? I have to know for myself! So join me as I narrow down the huge love affair we are now having for these “cord-free” listening devices.

So what do wireless speakers offer that all the others do not? Well to start with they actually come packaged with one less thing than all the others: Wires! Recently we are seeing a boom in the wireless speaker sales and who can blame a consumer for wanting these extremely user friendly devices! I know I like the way mine work for me, so let’s discuss the features that everyone likes about these guys.

No wires, well, what does that mean exactly? Obviously speakers cannot power themselves without some sort of amplifier. So the amplifier is actually built right into the individual speakers themselves in a wireless speaker. Technology has come a long way and the ability to get a good powered amplifier into a small space is no longer a problem. Imagine trying to get that old 70’s tube amplifier that was only putting out 15 watts into a speaker the size of large coffee cup, wow! Yet technology is now able to put amplifiers that can put out 100 watts or more into a speaker no larger than the 5 x 7 picture frame on my desk. And still have room for a power source to run them, because they are wireless!

To power these new “micro” amplifiers there needs to be a power source. This comes in the form of a battery or bank of batteries. Some wireless speakers take AAA, AA, C, D or even gel batteries to power them. Most of which, are rechargeable in these various sizes and can be replaced when they reach the end of their life. A majority of these speakers have internal rechargeable gel style batteries, the same type that you would find in battery back-up systems for your computer or in rechargeable flashlights. These are typically gel batteries that have a long life span and can take many charges before ever being replaced. But just like all batteries they will need replaced eventually. The speakers that take standard off the shelf batteries can be replaced easily just by going to the local store and buying a new pack. The only drawback to these is there life span is very low and they generally cannot be recharged. But, these types do come in handy if you have left your speakers outside for a while and they are out of charge. This gives you a way to get them going for that spur of the moment cocktail party!

Most all of the units with internal batteries come with power adapters that allow you to charge them for usage. You can also use the power adapter to run the unit off of, If the batteries are too low, but this kind of defeats the whole “wireless” concept though right? Units that take just off the shelf batteries don’t always come with power adapters so make sure you check this out before buying them.

Transmitters and receivers… let’s keep this simple for now. You get a transmitter with your wireless speaker system that takes the audio you plug into it and sends it via radio wave frequency to your wireless speaker/speakers. Most come with an 1/8” stereo plug in either in the form of a cable or a receptacle. Some have RCA/PHONO connections as well as the new high tech direct plug in for iPods. They are either powered by a wall adapter or batteries and are relatively small in size. So they are pretty easy to set up and you can put them about anywhere. They have a broadcast distance to your speakers of anywhere from 25-300 feet, check your model for details, this makes placement options great. They broadcast the signals at various frequencies and are matched to the speakers in their particular line, so to add more speakers you will have to check with the manufacturer of your make and model system to add on. Newer systems utilize higher frequency ranges to avoid interference from cell phones, cordless phones etc. so this makes them less subject to noise. This way you don’t have to hear your neighbor’s phone conversations through your back yard speakers! Or maybe you do want to hear your neighbor’s phone conversations and those are products you will have to get information on elsewhere!

Beware! Not all wireless speakers are “outdoor” rated! Make sure that if you want to use yours outside that you ensure they are wireless “outdoor” speakers. These will resist the effects of the elements, rain, snow, UV light, did I mention rain? All of which will destroy regular wireless speakers so keep this in mind when purchasing yours.

Okay, so let’s review: wireless outdoor speakers have amps in the speakers, they have batteries, the audio is transmitted to them wirelessly and they are weather resistant. So there are no wires to run or bury in my landscape. I can put them anywhere up to 300 feet away from the transmitter. I can hook my iPod or stereo up to them and they will hold up against the elements. Wow, I do understand this huge surge in their popularity now! I am actually starting to question why you would want any other kind of speaker for your outdoor living areas. And I will discuss why Patio speakers, Garden speakers and Rock speakers have their own place in your living space and the pros and cons for them as well in my upcoming issues. Stay tuned!

The Outdoor Speaker Guy