Who has outdoor speakers setup and running?

MillerLiteScott

Mark,

I was right here. I just saw this today. No Problem.

Scott

Sherardp

dorokusai wrote: »

Japan? Hmmm, no.

You should at least wait until you can see the new lineup. They sound better and they've went all out as far as choices go.

Your words sadden me. But cool I'll wait.

Libertyc

Mark just noticed this thread.
I have KLH outdoor speakers out by my deck. Used for BBQs, beer drinking, and Halloween for scary music. I listen at low volume (most times). They sound good for what they are, and were very cheap. I liked the set Al had at Polkfest. I can do a demo after Jan 15...

mmadden28

I didn't see this until now either, but I'll mention anyway...

I have a pair of Black Atrium 60's in the pool area mounted on the Split rail fence (which sound SWEEET), I'm just about to bring them in for the winter--I know I don't have to but....

I have a temp placed pair of Atrium 45's out front (white model painted green)-they may stay, or will eventually be mounted on the front porch.

I also have another pair of 45's that I haven't mounted yet, but they are planned for the rear deck.

Libertyc

I also have a pair of Atrium 45's still in the box. I hooked them up indoors for a quick test. mmadden how di you paint them...spray paint? Did you mask the drivers?

mmadden28

Libertyc wrote: »

I also have a pair of Atrium 45's still in the box. I hooked them up indoors for a quick test. mmadden how di you paint them...spray paint? Did you mask the drivers?

You're only supposed to be able to paint the white versions. Not sure why. I never tried painting the black ones.
I just followed Polks instructions--I removed the grill and masked the driver area. I also masked off the binding posts and serial # plate (there was no mention of masking the Serial # so don't forget it). Then I just used some spray paint primer and then the spray paint color of my choice.

Here, check out page 4 & 5 of the Atrium 45 owners manual

Pauly

Sweet. I was looking to finally replace my old JBL outdoors for some Polks. Maybe i'll have to wait a little longer and hold out for these.

Comon guys, Reviews.....



Pauly

jimmydep

I just recieved the Atrium 5's for demo, very sleek, sexy design, looks nicer than the older version Atriums.

Jimmy

unc2701

Got the 7's... will probably wait till the weekend to hook them up outside.

The build on these is VERY solid- way better than a lot of outdoor speakers I've seen and better then the Klipsch I've got... the brackets on those feel more like an afterthought. On these, they're much more part of the design. I always decommission my outdoor rig once it gets cold, but these look & feel like they could survive some harsh weather for years.

Will probably do a ****&giggles demo tonight on the Bryston/Musical Fidelity rig, then put them on the whole-house B&K CT602 for the outdoor demo.

dorokusai

Awesome guys! Take some pics too!

Topper

yes please post pix guys

Knucklehead

Hopefully mine will arrive today!

jimmydep

Just a few initial impressions of the Atrium 5's:

Pros: Excellent build quality, there is no doubt these will hold up to the weather.

Very appealing style, nice curves, clean sleek design with no nooks and crannies that could accumulate dirt, snow and ice. Not your run of the mill box speaker. Pictured with the old style Atrium 65SDI (white speaker)

The mounting system is excellent, with 8-10 positive position stops and a key-way design that makes mounting the speaker to the bracket much easier. I think this is a significant improvement over the older Atrium mounting system, and is better than most others I've seen.

Cons: The recess on the back of the speaker where the terminals are located is too small (or at the wrong angle) so you can't connect a standard banana plug to it. Connecting bare wire or spades would be no problem.

Sound: Much mellower and laid back than it predecessor, with a surprising amount of detail in the high end. The speaker almost disappears and with the speaker in the vertical position, off axis listening is excellent. The low end gets alittle muddy but I guess you'd expect that with a speaker this size.


Overall my initial impressions are very good, the 5's would be well suited for small outdoor areas, as well as rear and surround speakers.
More to follow.

Jimmy

Knucklehead

Ok guys I just unboxed the A4's, here is a few pics. For such a small enclosure these things have some weight to them, solid build quality is evident. They will get a good workout outside and in place of my f/x500i's as surrounds in the coming days. For size reference I set one of the A4's on top of my f/x for size comparison. More to come.

Knucklehead

sorry guys I forgot to add a pic without the grills...too late to edit.

unc2701

Pics will have to wait till tomorrow- left my cable at work. Have them hooked up to the bryston/MF rig & playing some CDs. They put out a lot of bass for their size... The port design is interesting (pics to follow). I'd say these have as much low end as the LSi 9's. Not as controlled as the 9's, though and I feel like I'm hearing some port noise on some very bass heavy tracks.

Definitely more laid back than the klipsch's. Putting those indoors would make your ears bleed... Not sure if this will play out well outdoors. I couldn't put the klipsch's pointing back at the house due to the brightness& all the glass windows, but pointing away from the house really evens them out. I'm guessing the atriums will do better on the deck rail firing back to the house- not a bad thing if you want to avoid pissing off your neighbors.

Knucklehead

Ok first impression connected to my system.

These guys are rated at 80w max so I figured what the heck, Ill disconnect my R50's and try them up front. (keep in mind, everything is being driven from my AVR). First up XBOX 360, just the A4's and my M&K sub. So I decide to play NCAA college hoops 2k8, these little guys really perform well with game sounds, everything from the crowd cheering to the squeaking of tennis shoes on the floor. Time to unplug the sub, just the A4's, they have lots of smooth mid's and all the highs you could expect, of course the lows that the R50's normally handle are kind of absent, no surprise though, very nice considering these are the entry Atriums.

Enough of the XBOX, time to spin a CD. After a short battle with my Daughter about what we are listening to, in goes Elton John's Greatest hits 1970-2002 instead of Tokio Hotel.:D I skip to track #4 Rocket Man, these little things really sing, I can only imagine they would sound better after a normal break in period. Skip down a few songs to Crocodile Rock very nice even transitions from high's to mid's, My verdict as mains in a small bedroom set-up...very possible. Im off to listen to more music...more to come.:)

dorokusai

I have demo documents to send to you guys with Q&A type stuff. I'll send it after I get some sleep.

unc2701

See pics below.

These are fairly compact (compare to Gallo's & CD size).

The power port is weather-proofed by using many small holes (but a lot of air can move through them).

As noted, most banana's will be difficult to use, but with outdoor installs odds are that you've terminated them yourself, so switching to spades or bare wire shouldn't be a big deal.

And a close up of the bracket. This was really well executed. Install & getting them pointed will be a cinch (they've got a number of stops), they grip the speakers tight and look good. Too many outdoor speakers just have a bracket slapped on there that's ugly, rattles around, doesn't tighten down well and you end up with your speakers pointed straight down every other week.

Topper

would love to hear more thoughts on their performance

mantis

Looking for a great pair of outdoors? I have a few suggestions.
1) Paradigm 470's , these speakers are one of the very best sounding long throwing outdoor speakers I have ever Installed. They are insanely musical and excellent bass response.
2) Niles OS series outdoors speakers also have that musical and strong bass quality.
3) Boston Acoustic's not so suprising there outdoors make my top 5. Every single time I put a pair or 3 in , I felt you could sit and listen and be very pleased. So damn good.
4) Polk audio makes nice outdoors , I have the 55's and they are nice , not as good as the above 3 but nice. They work but don't stick out anywhere.
5) Actually my very favorite outdoor speakers are Klipsch. You want to party? These are the ones. Want to sit and listen low level and retain good dynamic range? Allday!!! These speakers are so impressive you might want to bring them in and use them for theater, gyms bathrooms , large kitchens , anywhere you want good quality high output sound.

I have my outdoors in my gym in the basement , cold outside not to mention snow. I use to use them in the garage but switched to inwalls.

Good luck with your search.

Knucklehead

Ok, my thoughts on the A4's as rear surrounds....very nice. I currently have the F/X500i's as my rear surrounds and are quite possibly overkill in a set-up like mine. The A4's being powered by my AVR as rears sounded almost as good as my 500's. Watching/Listening to Batman Begins I noticed the A4's had a touch of simbilance when the volume was cranked really high but the bass was strong, not too bad overall.

I really want to hook these up outside and give a good workout but the weather has been kinda nasty. For now the A4's are sitting in my deep freezer in the garage to see how they hold up to some simulated winter conditions, I think as soon as the weather breaks I will hook them up outside while they are still "frozen" and see how they perform. This is fun!

mmadden28

Here's a shot of one of my Atrium 60's wearing a snow hat after this weekend's snow storm:

Sherardp

Any thoughts on the sound of the newer models compared to the current line. I want to buy something soon, but if they are worth the coin I will wait it out.

jimmydep

Mark, Just handed the Atrium 5's off to Sal.

They are a great little speaker, lot's of detail but not harsh, decent bass for the size with a clear and articulate mid range. It has a sleek and sexy design, with a multitude of excellent mounting options and has the best bracketing system I've seen to date......and did I mention, these puppies can take a beating.

I had a great time testing these speakers. When Polk said to try and make these fail....I did just that, stuff I would never dream about doing to any of my own speakers.

I submerged them in water, froze them into a block of ice, left them out in the rain and snow, drove them so hard my ears bled, and after all that abuse, they still sounded good.

The Atrium 5's sound slightly larger than they are, with "excellent" dispersion, and sound their best at mid volume. These would be very well suited for a small deck or patio.

Jimmy

1fastz28

i have the new sat 30's sub 10 setup, i like them alot

unc2701

Left 'em out in the recent snow/ice storm... they're defrosting in the laundry sink right now, gonna fire them back up and see how they did.

Knucklehead

^^^^^same here^^^^they spent 1 week in the deep freezer.....then a few days in the snow.

dorokusai

That's awesome guys!

Pauly

If they ever get to me i can test Floridas humidity on my zone 2 on those bad boys


Pauly