How to hookup speakers on patio?

[00bolt]

Im not sure if this should be in another forum, if so... feel free to move it.

That being said, I am wanting to add some speakers outdoor on my back patio without spending an arm and a leg. I dont really want anything real fancy or loud. In fact, I have an old Sony 5.1 theater in a box setup in my closet I used to use (the receiver is broken). So I was thinking of using those satelite speakers since they are free, and I have the hanging mounts for them (where I will hang them they should be pretty much protected from rain, etc)

Problem is, I really dont want to get a receiver or even hook them up to a receiver at all. Id like to play them off my phone, ipad, etc bluetooth devices. I have this this bluetooth gateway also. So basically you plug it into a stereo jack and it makes that device now bluetooth connectable. (did this in one of my cars that only had an ipod jack and no bluetooth and it worked great).

so my question is.... what is the best way to power these regular stereo satelite speakers and also hookup this bluetooth gateway to them?


Speakers I have (similar to these):

http://jasontonline.com/ebay/pages/sonysatspeaks/sony-sat-speaks.html

Gateway I have:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/BlackBerry-ASY-16130-001-Bluetooth-Stereo-Gateway/dp/B001E1KP9A[/ame]

[Ratt]

In addition to water, you will need to worry about dust. Speakers (and anything electronic) do not deal well with dust. They would likely work for a while, though.

As far as wiring them up, it would be easier, and probably cheaper, to go buy a cheap Korean or Chinese bottom of the line receiver and keep it in the house and run speaker wire from there, as without that receiver you would need some way to power the speakers, which means the additional cost of an amp.

If you wan tot experiment, here's a youtube video on how to wire a speaker to a 3.5 mm audio cable:



On a side note, do you have a home theater system now? Most mid-range receivers now-a-days come with a second channel that you can use to power a separate zone, so you could run the speakers to that channel (would probably be stereo, though, not surround) and then just use that to power them and send them a signal.

[cool cat]

I ran mine off my home theater system, but I did get outdoor speakers, Yamaha's. Had them up several years now and zero problems. The only hard part was running the wire to the edge of the eaves, it gets a little cramped, and its a job best left for cooler weather.

[Z06killinsbf]

Just buy a cheap receiver on craigslist. Take a speaker with you though to test it out.

[TeeShock]

Bluetooth portable speakers are sounding nice these days. Get a good one and you can use it in other areas besides your patio.

[00bolt]

well i thought about the portable ones, but i really just wanted some hanging speakers to go over by the hot tub, the grill, etc etc. the portable one just seems like I would have to move around, charge, break, lose, etc.

[91CoupeMike]

Find some cheap out door speakers, there's jbl outdoor speakers for sale on Craigslist all the time.

Your phone is a pre amp, all it does is send signal with very little power, not enough to power a speaker.

So, what you would want ideally in your situation is a cheap reciever that is basic, but be careful as some of those cheap 5.1 receivers you find at wal mart will have zero bass output through the speaker outputs and generally sound like garbage.

To get signal to the reciever you can use a blue tooth adapter ($40 at best buy) to pick up signal from your phone, or you can get a headphone to rca cable and just wire it direct instead of wireless.

Take into account that it's your patio and unless you're out there reading books and sipping tea you're going to have to get louder then what those sony satalites are capable of sustaining for a period of time without ruining them, I don't know of you like full range sound or if you even give a damn about bass, but in an open air environment it's kind of hard to replicate without a subwoofer of some kind or a speaker solely made for outdoor open air use.

The non hdmi recievers are cheap, example:

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/ele/4595585294.html

They don't have any jbl northridge outdoors on there right now, but keep an eye out for them. They are what most restaurants use for outside audio, look like this and go for about $100 a pair used.



Sorry I'm on my phone and resizing takes to much effort, lol.

[stangin4lyfe]

I got these out by my hot tub and they work pretty well...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/13968772?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227009893788&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42209233150&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=34875616870&veh=sem

[Txstang1]

I picked up some Coustics off of CL , ran them through zone 2 on my receiver , Apple TV with a digital to analog converter = just have to turn the receiver on and I can control everything from my phone.

[91CoupeMike]

Audio from wal mart = listening to music through mud.

But maybe I just have good taste.

[matts5.0]

Another vote for one of those portable Bluetooth speakers.

[gripenfelter]

Better than Bluetooth or Airplay BS is Sonos Play:5/3 or a step further a Sonos Connect:Amp with Outdoor speakers.

I'm running a Sonos Connect:Amp

http://www.sonos.com/shop/products/connectamp

with a pair of Definitive Technology AW6500s

http://www.definitivetech.com/products/aw6500

The AW6500s have a built in Radiator in them and the sound is spectacular.

This whole setup is controlled by my phone/tablet/pc. I can run different playlists or libraires off each. I can put my phone down, pick up the tablet and continue playing. The app has local radio and all major streaming music providers. Its the whole setup and worth every penny.

You can then expand and have different zones playing different things. Add a soundbar and sub to the living room for TV and audio, play:3 in the bedroom, connect amp and speakers outside. Take one play 5 and pair it to another for stereo, then pair it with a sub for 2.1. Add in 2 play 3's for rear channel and you have a 5.1 now.

Its a cool setup.

[juiceweezl]

I've had this amp (Branded Audiosource instead) for about a decade. It's been outside under a covered patio 24/7. It has 2 inputs and is auto switching between them. I have 2 RCA outdoor speakers (tells you how old they are) that it powers. One input comes from the TV mounted outside and the other is just a drop to plug in phone/ipad/etc. I play music out there all the time and watch TV out all the time. I take it down and blow it off with the compressor every 2 or 3 years. I've probably had to remove 15 bird nests off it through the years -- it still works like a champ.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/OSD-Audio-AMP120-2-Channel-Amplifier/dp/B0052CHIYC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407332527&sr=8-1&keywords=Phoenix+Gold+AudioSource+AMP-100[/ame]

You could buy this amp and hook up any two of the speakers you have until you find a deal on some outdoor speakers and then use them. I'd do something like that.