Atrium Setup help needed

heyriddle

I have a friend with a backyard of about 40' by 50' that needs some speakers. I was thinking of getting her 4 Atrium 55 speakers.
I will hang two from the eaves and have the other two face towards the house on the other side of the pool.

I wanted to get the advice from anyone experienced with this type of setup...
Can I wire them in series?
Will the impedence drop to low with such long speaker runs?
What wire should be used?
What kind of amp is going to be required to drive these? (Is a typical Sony 100 watt/ch amp acceptable or does she need to go high end?)

Any help will be greatly appreciated. She needs these up within two weeks for a wedding reception.
She is not looking for a dancing scenario, just background music. So I think the Atriums will do her well.

RuSsMaN

*Can I wire them in series?

Sure, you could, but why? Would it not be nice to be able to run each zone seperately if need be (pool/patio via a speaker switch, or built in a/b switching on the rec)?

*Will the impedence drop to low with such long speaker runs?

Yes, it will drop, but not on any order to cause damage or obvious deteriation in sound quality.

*What wire should be used?

For the patio, 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Good, OFC cable, if you want to go in-wall rated, fine too. I assume the pool speakers will be wired underground? Never done that myself, but I'm sure there is some 'rated' wire for that use.

*What kind of amp is going to be required to drive these? (Is a typical Sony 100 watt/ch amp acceptable or does she need to go high end?)

Any typical receiver or integrated will have no problems driving the Atrium series. The sound quality is the issue you need to decide on. If you DO wire them in series, I suggest you make sure your rec/amp is stable at 4ohm, OR buy a cheap speaker selector box with a protection circuit. (bought for the circuit only, not the switch in this case)

Cheers,
Russ

Oh, if possible, take some pictures of the install when you are done. There aren't many, if any, outdoor installs in the showcase.

heyriddle

Thanks for the quick reply RuSsMaN.
You've given me some very insightful information!

I asked about series wiring thinking all four speakers would be on one zone.
I didn't think about separating them. Since she needs a new amp I will try to have her get one with three outputs. (inside/patio/pool)

When you say "pool/patio via a speaker switch" are you recommending a speaker selector box?
Is that a good way to go if she does not get an amp with three zones?

RuSsMaN

Yes, there are very few speaker selectors that DON'T have some sort of impedance protection built in. You can spend $30-$40 with brands like Sima, or go up $100 for Phoenix Gold and Monster Cable. I wouldn't go any higher in price for this application.

I don't know that you can find a rec/amp with 3 zones, not on the cheap anyway.

Cheers,
Rooster

dorokusai

Russman's suggestions are echo'd here.

I would bet you won't find an amp with three zones for YOUR intended purpose. And if so, it will be expensive.

Yes, he means a selector box like you can find in Radio Shack or Crutchfield. Perhaps you should use the zones, instead of in series, so you may turn off the far side if needed. Maybe you only want music near the house....or both, with a box you can choose. This would be the most economical way, and it will work just fine.

I would go with an in-wall rated wire or a direct burial wire from Monster Cable:

http://www.monstercable.com/custom_install/speaker_cables.asp

Modest cost, decent performance.

Receiver wise that's all you, and her budget. Shop around.

RuSsMaN

Originally posted by RuSsMaN
If you DO wire them in series, I suggest you make sure your rec/amp is stable at 4ohm, OR buy a cheap speaker selector box with a protection circuit. (bought for the circuit only, not the switch in this case)

Sorry, that statement was TOTALLY incorrect. I was posting on an impedance post also, got my wires crossed here.

No issue with the 4ohm load, in series, you'll be at 16ohm. Buy the switch only if you plan to run 3 zones (and outside is NOT in series)

Back to my whiskey now. Dor, how did you not catch that?

Cheers,
Rooster

dorokusai

I'm holding the whiskey and typing at the same time, sorry man

mantis

Outdoor speakers............

1 pair under the eves.
question.Do you have an Attic above?The eve you can drill a small hole for the wire run and hide the wire with the mounted speaker.If the house is 2 story you might want to consider mounting the speakers low.A basement at this point would be nessary.You can mount the speakers low and drill into the basement and again hiding the wires with the mounted speaker.

1 pair at the pool.
Poles.....using a 4 inch treated pole to mount the speakers to works great.Concrete it into the ground and level.
Your wire run can be done in conduit.Also a good Idea to use Direct burial cable.Beldon,Liberity makes high quality wire for this use.

I suggest you rethink the pool speakers and maybe think about Rock speakers.They are the perfect stealth speaker for the pool area.

Now for the wiring......outdoor volume controls my man.....nice easy way to keep the volume under control while listening outdoors.Niles is the company you want to use.The model is the WVC1.It comes in a sealed outdoor j box.You use 3/4 conduit to run the wires inside to the box,mount in a out of the way place.
Out by the pool use a post.Use the WVC1 there as well.
You also can put indoor volume controls inside the patio door in a 2 gang.But this will make you come inside to control volume.Wire gauge should be at least 16 guage and 14 for long runs.

The head end with the sony receiver will work fine.Using A and B for the pairs.This is the cheapest way to go.If the A side is used in the house or theater system, a Niles SPS4 speaker selector box is now needed.This will allow you to run up to 4 pairs of speakers safely off the receiver.
Using a multiroom receiver with preouts is the step up.Elan,Niles and others make multichannel amps to power house speakers.The wattage should be about 30 to 60 watts.No need for more power.If you go with and Elan amp,you can buy a 6 channel amp and have 2 channels to add another room later.This will allow you to watch or listen to one thing in the main room while listening to something else in the house system.Level 2 if you will.
The better way to do multiroom is to use a multiroom receiver like the Niles ZR4630.It can power 6 rooms with 30 watts in each room and be controlled independently.Each room is it's own.All rooms can listen to whatever at whatever volume setting......very nice.
You can go up the ladder with multiroom as far as you want to take it.Whole house music is just what I do.........From basic systems to complex.

Your system can be put together easy if you want to do it yourself or hire a professional to do so.

Having the right setup is key.You have to address your needs first before you start spending money.Think about how you want to use the system and how much control you would like to have outdoors.There are RF remotes that could change cd's or change the channel on a DSS or cable box the listen to the game or the music channels,news.....so much can be done........address your needs first..........then lets talk.