If you want to add music to your backyard for entertaining guests, consider a landscape audio system. A professional will help you choose the right system to suit your needs and budget.
Some models look like aesthetic landscape lights, blending seamlessly into your yard. Others are buried underground to create a discreet audio experience.
Coverage
Getting even coverage of sound across an outdoor entertainment space is a challenge. This is especially true with large backyards that are used for barbecue parties, relaxing by the pool, or hosting friends and family.
The issue is that traditional rock speakers and other outdoor music systems are designed to deliver good sound indoors, not the open environment of an outdoor area. Without walls to bounce off of, sound waves can easily become muddled or fade out, making it difficult to hear the music.
A landscape audio system from Ambisonic, Paradigm, or Sonance is engineered to overcome this issue by distributing sound evenly through strategically placed satellite and in-ground speakers. Most of these systems are designed to look like aesthetic landscape lights and can be completely hidden from view, blending into your landscaping. They also feature specialized satellite speakers optimized for an outdoor environment, with wide dispersion and adjustable volume per speaker. They are also easy to install because they utilize the 70V commercial wiring method, resulting in shorter runs over smaller gauge wire and an easier time adding speakers to your system after installation.
Weather Resistant
A quality system is designed to withstand the elements. You’ll get pristine sound even in the rain, and many systems include wireless options that eliminate the need for extra wires running across your yard.
The biggest challenge with outdoor audio is that you can’t rely on walls or ceilings to help control sound. This means you need to have plenty of speakers positioned throughout your space to achieve proper coverage.
Today’s outdoor audio system technology packs a lot of punch into a small package. They come in various styles to blend into your landscaping and can be buried or staked directly into the ground. They’re made to look like rocks or can be incorporated into your flower beds and tree-filled areas, making them virtually unnoticeable. The result is powerful sound that’s easy to manage without sacrificing your home’s aesthetics. The system also includes directional speakers that can direct the sound where you need it most.
Versatility
Adding a landscape audio system to your home’s outdoor living space allows you to enjoy pristine, high-quality sound throughout your yard. These aesthetically appealing speakers blend seamlessly into your backyard landscaping, making them practically invisible. Unlike portable speakers that lose their punch as you move away from them, landscape speakers fill your whole outdoor entertainment area with rich and balanced sound.
Since the great outdoors lack walls and ceilings for sound waves to bounce off of, it’s important to strategically place your landscape speakers so they cover all areas of your yard without any acoustic dead spots. A professional AV installation will use audio system design software to visualize your acoustic layout and prevent audio dead zones, so you get even, high-quality sound no matter where you go outside.
For a more discreet option, you can also choose to have your landscape speakers buried in the ground with only their earth-colored caps showing above the surface. These speakers are ideal for gardens, poolside seating areas, trellis systems and more.
Customization
Unlike a traditional home system that can be overwhelming to control, a landscape audio system provides an easy and intuitive interface to stream music from any device and adjust settings. Many manufacturers offer devices that blend seamlessly into any outdoor space, transforming them into theater-quality entertainment zones for barbecue fun with friends or quiet nighttime relaxing.
These aesthetically pleasing models mimic landscape lighting and allow you to enjoy music without drawing attention to the speakers themselves. They’re also available in different sizes to accommodate various spaces.
If your customers are looking for a high-quality soundscape that covers a large area of their yard, an eight-ohm system might be the best choice. On the other hand, if they simply want to fill their patio with music, a 70-volt system might be more suitable. Regardless of the type of system they choose, proper placement is critical to their overall experience as obstacles like trees or walls can interfere with sound projection and create hot spots or dead zones.