Which Outdoor Speakers?

Sherardp

Title says it all. I'm looking to add a pair of outdoor speakers. That way I can just run them as Zone 2 from my living room. These will be used when I'm out in the BBQ or just outside kicking back surfing the web while enjoying some good vodka/cranberries. I was wondering if a pair of Atrium 55s would do it, though I have zero clue about the Polk outdoor speakers. I haven't even seen them so input is appreciated. Pic included as you can see the area is not very large. Thanks again.

djseafood

I've got a pair of Atrium 45's that I use in a space just about the size of your backyard. I have them tucked up under the eaves that are above a bay window that kicks out from my kitchen. They definitely have a sweet spot in the center, probably due to being on either side of the bay window kick out, but they sound very well balanced to me throughout the full range and put out a respectable amount of bass for their size. My patio is about 12'x15' and they fill the area nicely. The other thing I consider a plus is that as I move away from the patio area, say about 20' the sound quickly fades off which helps to keep me nice with the neighbors.

I think the 55's would be a good choice. Keep your eye on the Polk Direct ebay store. I got my 45's for $40 although it looks like they only have BIN options for the 55's right now. I've found if you're patient with the Polk ebay store it pays off.

megasat16

Got a pair of Atrium 45 too. Very nice sounding, IMO. Wouldn't go wrong with 45 or the 55 or 60 or 65, etc.

djseafood

By the way, the Atrium are also good for enjoying gin martini's, IPA's, and good ole' bourbon whiskey. Just FYI

Sherardp

Much appreciated gents. Will be looking in the ebay store for a good deal on some 55s.

Sherardp

Well I grabbed a pair of Atrium 60s off the Polk Ebay store. Anyone using the older Atrium series having problems with grills coming off? Looking at Amazon reviews seems the 60s have this problem, if you have experienced what did you do to resolve it. I was thinking some silicon should suffice but I have yet to see a close up of the Atriums. Either way I'm happy and looking forward to their arrival.

mmadden28

I have the 45s and 60s--Love them both. Originally I had the 45s in my pool area, but its such a large area that I lusted for more, so I replaced them with the 60s. Man do they sound good, esp for being outside--I've received NUMEROUS compliments on how they sound. Now I use the 45s out front and have a 2nd pair of 45s that I will use on my rear deck (if I ever get the time to do it).
I don't recall having too much trouble with the grills coming off--if I did I probably would have stuck a paperclip in one of the grill holes and pulled to get it to come loose. Of course I only ever took the grills off to paint them(the 45s). For some reason only the white Atriums are paintable--not sure why. I never attempted to paint the black ones though.

jimmydep

Sherardp wrote: »

Well I grabbed a pair of Atrium 60s off the Polk Ebay store. Anyone using the older Atrium series having problems with grills coming off? Looking at Amazon reviews seems the 60s have this problem, if you have experienced what did you do to resolve it. I was thinking some silicon should suffice but I have yet to see a close up of the Atriums. Either way I'm happy and looking forward to their arrival.

Nice score, I have the 65's, and they sound great. I don't have a problem with the grills falling off, but if (when) you take them off, make sure to fully snap the grill in place.

I did a demo of the new Atrium 5's I have to say they sound very good, but are more laid back than the older Atriums. In certain outdoor situations they may come off sounding a little flat.

Jimmy

mmadden28

Sherardp wrote: »

...Anyone using the older Atrium series having problems with grills coming off?...

Maybe I misunderstood...Did you read about problems getting the grills to come off or a problem with them falling off/not staying on?

Sherardp

mmadden28 wrote: »

Maybe I misunderstood...Did you read about problems getting the grills to come off or a problem with them falling off/not staying on?

MMadden the problem was with the grills just falling off. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I take the reviews on Amazon with a grain of salt, but there are quite a few users with this complaint. Either way I wanted to know if anyone here had the issue with their speakers.

mmadden28

Ah--Never had any problems with the grills falling off or not staying on securely on any of the 3 sets that I have. If anything, I had difficultly getting them to come off.

PSOVLSK

I got a pair of 60's from Fry's about a month or two ago and love them. I also read the complaints about the grills falling off and it almost persuaded me not to buy them. I'm glad I went ahead and bought them because the grills haven't been a problem.

packetjones

i am looking to get a pair of outdoor speakers as well when I move to my new house. They will be under a covered patio and will be very near the listening position and was curious if the smallest speakers would be good. I know it is hard to say i just wanted to continue the conversation on the subject since I will be getting some before to long.

Another question about this. I have a HK254 with a zone 2 that I would be using to power these outdoor speakers. Is there a way to get a volume control outside? I would like to mount a dial or something on the patio to control the volume. Is this possible and if so how would I set it up? Thanks

[Deleted User]

Hello,
I don't believe falling grilles is much of a problem these days. Polk has made some corrections to how the grilles are attached and solved the problem. If anybody is having that kind of problem contact Polk's Customer Service at 1-800-377-7655 and let them know.
Have fun, Ken

jimmydep

I haven't had any problems with my grills falling off, if anything the're harder to get off than put on.

I'm also interested in thoughts on a remote volume control that I can work from my patio.


Jimmy

Sherardp

Thanks for the response and support Ken.

In regards to volume control, the easiest way to do this would be to mount an IR kit in wall. I run this setup

http://www.avhifi.com/shop/Speakercraft-IRC-4-0-Junction-Box-Infrared-Receivers.html

From there you have a termination block that the emitters plug into

http://www.avhifi.com/shop/Speakercraft-AT-1-0-Amplified-IR-Terminator-Blocks.html

You can use cat5 cable to wire the box in, very simple and works very well.

packetjones

Thanks for the info Sherardp.

Could you please elaborate a little on how this works. I am confused on how the speaker wire and volume would connect using th 2 linked devices. This is something that I plan on hooking up in about 6 months, the new house will be ready by then, and will be reading up on a lot in the mean time. I am picturing the speakers mounted under the patio and like a dial or something on the wall that allows volume control. not really looking to need a remote outside.

Sherardp

You can use the IR kit put the termination block near your equipment rack. Run the receiver near your outdoor location. You would have to use a remote, point it at the receiver and it would send signal back to the emitter to control the volume functions. Any cheap universal remote would work, leave your system remote indoors.

You could go automation route but then your talking a tad more coin.

mmadden28

I use my Logitech Squeezebox Duet as my source for the outdoor music, so I just use my Duet remote (which controls the volume at the source)--I just have to work on better range for the Wifi comms (RF) which the remote seems to be lacking in power, at least through the walls to the base receiver from outside. I'm thinking either a dedicated WiFi Access Point or an ext Ant for the existing setup.

I like the idea of the remote IR though for situations where a Duet (or similar) is not in use. I wonder if I can control the Duet with an iTouch--hmmm I'll have to look into that might be enough justification to finally get one.....I originally toyed with the idea of a physical Volume control outside somewhere but I could never settle on the best place for it and they are pricey--I was also concerned about the extra wire I would have to throw into the mix--My farthest speaker is already about 125' from the source.

I would imagine you could get an IR repeater setup cheaper than those Speakercraft ones--I don't recall paying that much for my Niles IR repeater for my Home Theater--I mean at about $125 you almost there for a Squeezebox Duet setup. Why do the simple things have to be so darn pricey?

ikolbyi

The Atrium 45 are a good choice for the price and if the listening area is relatively small (30'x30'). If your listening area is larger than 30'x30', I would recommend something larger.

BTW, I am using the setup you are looking to do, works great.

Sherardp

I finally got done installing these today and will say they sound excellent. I was really surprised at the bass they produce. It sounds fantastic out there on my BBQ area. I'm driving them with a Sony 7100ES from the living room area. My sources are a Marantz CDp, but I can use my Ipod or netbook for wireless media streaming. Damn Polk makes some fine gear. I will say this has been one of my most best purchases this yr. I'm going to enjoy these.