It looks like spring is finally up on us, warm air, sunshine and migratory bids returning from their winter hiatus.  It’s this time of year that people start thinking of getting outdoors, perhaps the home audio gear will get a little less of a workout this season that is until the sweltering summer afternoons hit.  So get out there and fire up the barbeque, the audio gear will do fine in your absence.  It’s this time of year that electronics shops start peddling outdoor speakers like pharmaceutical companies trying to sell fulfillment to overworked yuppies.  I challenge you to resist this temptation.  Yes, I know it seems strange for a website devoted to the hobby of Home Theater and hi-fi to recommend you NOT buy more speakers and listen to music outdoors.  It’s true there’s nothing like a well honed surround system in a controlled environment, the effects are mind blowing.  But that’s just it; your rec room is a controlled environment.  Outdoor speakers are a growing phenomena we can all do without.  Sound doesn’t observe property lines, by setting up speakers outdoors you open a floodgate in your neighborhood.  Lets say you just got done mowing your lawn on a Saturday afternoon, when the neighbors are finally finished mowing their lawns, hammering nails into their perpetually half finished decks and the whole block is ready to sit down in the their backyards for that first beer of the day, the last thing you need is a front row seat at the concert the guy across the way went to back in 1982.  Forget music, forget movie soundtracks for awhile.  There are many specialty speakers for outdoors by almost all the brands that make indoor speaker sound so nice.  The outdoor speakers are weatherproof, some even have clever disguises like rocks or lawn ornaments, you can probably get some mounted inside a plastic pink flamingo if you wanted.  Dedicated outdoor speakers opens up a whole different mindset than simply plugging in a ghetto blaster for an outdoor party.  Once you buy “nice” speakers for outside you’re going to want to use them, probably even test them, make them really sing.  I know that’s what I would do, and my neighborhood would be worse for it.

Outdoor sound is not controlled; the sound quality will always be second rate.  By adding speakers outdoors you’ve not only invited your whole neighborhood to your musical interlude but you’re robbing yourself of some quality time to let your ears wander the natural sounscapes of your home.  Appreciating good sound doesn’t stop at sound reproduction, it means valuing sound, all sound.  Having ears that might notice things others might miss, the directional ability of your ears to hear the variety of bird calls, noticing a dog or children playing in the distance.  The natural sounds of the world are exactly what studios spend millions trying to reproduce, and you have it for free just outside your doors.  Now why would you want to throw away that boon for your senses just so you can hear the same old Eagles Greatest Hits CD on your back porch?