Our outdoor spaces play a big part in our lives, being a place to both relax and entertain. Each year as the summer months return, we turn our thoughts to improving our gardens, patios and terraces and a discreet loudspeaker kit should be on your 2021 want-list.
Gone are the days of installing large wall mounted speakers on the outside walls of your property, blaring out music to everybody lucky enough to live close by. There are external audio systems available that take a more considered approach, which when carefully designed allow you to cover your entire external space with even sound coverage, without disturbing your neighbours.
Patios and small gardens
For smaller outside spaces such as patios, hot tubs or modest gardens, there are off-the-shelf solutions manufactured by Sonance, that consist of amplification, loudspeakers and a subwoofer too.
These kits are perfect for areas up to 1000 square feet (93 square meters) with the small satellite loudspeakers having spikes for soft planting areas or mounting bases for hard standing.
These loudspeakers offer an even coverage of sound across the area, with a large subwoofer that can be partially buried within planting, to ensure the depth of sound and bass impact you need to enjoy your favourite music.
For music selection we would typically recommend a streaming solution such as Sonos, which would give you access to Internet radio and music subscription services via an easy-to-use App on your smartphones and tablets.
Large gardens
For larger gardens, patios and terraces then there are larger off-the shelf solutions from Sonance which are designed to cover 3500 square feet (325 square metres). Based upon the same principals as the smaller solution, these packages have a greater number of satellite speakers and can be easily expanded to cover those large areas.
It is important to consider the placement of loudspeakers from the very earliest stage, so that an even coverage of sound can be achieved.
In gardens and outdoor spaces, cables should always be buried out of sight, this means planning in your cable containment under any hard standing and ensuring that appropriate armoured cable is used, to avoid damage when using garden tools.
Sprawling spaces
If the external area is very large, sits across multiple levels or is of a more sprawling layout then there is an even more flexible solution.
The Sonance Landscape Series is made up of several different loudspeakers and subwoofers, all of which can be mixed-and-matched and used in higher quantities. This package offers 70V/100V connection which allows a greater number of speakers to be connected to one amplifier, using longer cable runs too.
In this range you can choose what size satellite speakers to use to ensure a better bass response throughout the space, which should be designed on your garden layout drawing.
External WIFI
If using an audio streaming source for your music, such as Sonos, then it is important to consider your external WiFi access too.
If you are seated by the house then you may well get a good signal, but further away you may not.
Those streaming components require App based control, which means your portable devices need a robust and reliable connection to the home WiFi network. We use class leading WiFi components from Ruckus and Ubiquiti to ensure that you can control your music, browse the Internet, or keep in contact with friends and family from anywhere in your garden.
If you would like to enhance your outdoor space with high-performance, discrete audio systems, get in touch with our expert design team today Tel: 01423 861166, Email: enquiries@cleverass.com
