The outdoor living room is a luxury that many households dream of, but few have the skill to pull off! Getting the audio right in the untamed sonic environment of the outdoors is a much bigger beast than setting up a system in a comfortable indoor living room. This is where Cathey’s Audio Visual Entertainment can help. With CAVE by your side as your outdoor audio specialist, outdoor entertaining will become a breeze. Let’s take a look at the major steps needed to create an outdoor living space with awesome audio.

Create a Comfortable Outdoor Living Room

When it comes to entertaining and spending time in your backyard, there’s almost nothing better than a comfy space to hang out in with friends, family, and other guests. While a fantastic outdoor audio system will be a hit, the space it’s installed in should be comfortable, cozy, and easy to spend time in. Think cozy outdoor chairs, easy to reach coffee tables and side tables, and more. If you have enough space, you may even be able to add an outdoor dining table for sipping cool beverages on warm nights. Once you have an idea of the comfortable outdoor space you’d like to create, we can help with the design and installation of all audio and visual aspects.

Speaker Placement Outdoors

Placing speakers outside is much different than indoors, due to the space available for sound to travel. When it comes to speakers, the “speaker Q’s” are different for outdoor sound than the usual indoor variety. A speaker Q is a description of the directionality of a speaker’s sound, which must be considered when designing an outdoor living space. High Q means that a speaker can focus sound in a particular direction, which is typically meant for indoor sound, while lower Q speakers are designed for outside sound, unless placed appropriately with a special design.

Even Distribution of Backyard Sound

Outdoor sound is best when it’s distributed uniformly across your outdoor living space and various outdoor zones. Our team will help you identify these zones in your space and get the best possible sound. It’s important to pay attention to the Q rating of the speakers you choose, as well as their placement. All of this is part of the service we provide when we help you design and plan your outdoor living space here in the Tucson area.

Mono vs. Stereo Sound in Your Space

When it comes to larger stereo systems, you may actually be better off using mono speakers rather than stereo. In certain configurations, mono can provide a more uniform sound that’s comfortable for listeners across the sound field.

Voltage and Wiring for Outdoor Sound

In an outdoor space, you will have vastly different sound zones all in the same space. You may need to use different amplifier configurations with separate volume controls. Your amps may need to use different voltage outputs with special purposes and designed transformers. With speakers that can tap into different levels of volume and separate wattages, we’ll be there to help create a customized setup that works for your unique space.

Speaker Security at Home

Having speakers outside means protecting the hardware as much as possible. This may include placing speakers in unusual places in order to create the best sound field. We’ll help you choose the right speaker models — those that can withstand the outdoor elements and weather in your area. If you need to place speakers near a pool, for example, we can protect them with layers that can withstand chlorine exposure. If you use fertilizer on your lawn, you would need a different kind of special protection. We can help.

Creating an Outdoor Living Room with CAVE

Unlike big box electronic stores, we go above and beyond to help you design and install systems that enhance the joy of television and music in your home. Together we can discover the potential of today’s electronics to provide you with the experience and conveniences that will enhance your lifestyle in ways you have never dreamed. Please give the dedicated experts at CAVE a and we’ll help you get started on your next home theater design!