Puzzle: exceptional sound in custom amphitheater

DJ and PA speakers are usually designed to be place in the open. Most home speakers actually will tell you how close to walls they should be placed for optimal sound.

As a former klipsch owner (cornwall & heresy) my biggest concern would be plywood speakers outdoors. These were never meant for outdoor use. Klipsch does have a commercial line that is more durable. JBL has some nice rugged speakers as well.

And, one issue is that a high quality pro rig seems to run 20-50k, even used. So in the meantime, I'll likely have to get by with a more modest consumer method ---- is there a clear winner over upgraded la scala's for this kind of outdoor use?

Thanks for the responses guys!

Walls are certainly important. (My favorite bromide is that the room is the real speaker, the loudspeakers are just drivers.) However, for many rooms, the walls are the problem, not the solution.

I wish Paul's quote was a bit more technical: does he mean that for residential speakers the frequency response has been modified in anticipation of some frequency ranges been enhanced from reflection?

When I cranked the la scala's outside they seemed to work pretty well. But it does seem that I'll have to go to pro audio.

Have people had any experience comparing D&B to Danley?

My fraternity house used la scalas as our house pa. We would drag them outside for parties etc. they were bulletproof. Sound was far superior to any other pa speakers on campus. They could play so loud even outside it was unbelievable. They are so efficient you don't even need huge pa amps.

"You would not enjoy the sound of your stereo system if played outside. Sitting in front of the speaker pair in your backyard, the music would be lifeless, robbed of important information supplied not by the speakers, but by the walls themselves. Thus, in any stereo setup we depend on our walls for good sound."

I'm not sure I buy that. Lets say you set your system up outside and play a recording of an acoustic instrument. If you then turned the system off and had someone stand between the speakers and play the same instrument live, you would also have to say the real thing sounds bad as well. Or am I missing something?

you probably want good quality pro gear for hat application.

As was said, home gear is for use in homes not outdoors with no walls.

Having said that, larger OHM Walsh speakers run off a good quality Class D amp will kick some butt outdoors. I can assure that from personal experience using. my OHM Walsh speakers outdoors for parties. It should sound quite lifelike and go loud and clear for minimal cost.

This was posted by Paul McGowan of PS Audio today. Most systems need walls and were designed that way. Personally, I'd never use a Pass amp outdoors, more like 1000 watt QSC monoblocks.

By Paul McGowan:
Taking walls for granted
The walls in our homes keeps us safe and warm, a modern cave protecting us from the outside elements. Playing music within those walls changes how we hear that music, a trumpet played in a small room vs. a large hall sound very different. The same is true for our stereo systems played within our walls.

You would not enjoy the sound of your stereo system if played outside. Sitting in front of the speaker pair in your backyard, the music would be lifeless, robbed of important information supplied not by the speakers, but by the walls themselves. Thus, in any stereo setup we depend on our walls for good sound.

Think about how much time and money you spend getting your electronics perfected, then compare that to what you invest in walls. If you are like me, the ratio is heavily skewed in favor of equipment. I take my walls for granted, now that I have done what I can with them. And yet, these walls are as important as the system itself. Without walls, our sound is dead.

When we spend any time thinking about walls we mostly consider them a hindrance, like a pesky insect that never goes away. Yet, without walls we will never achieve great sound in rooms, just as without insects our world would cease living; though the little pests are still bothersome.

The next time you sit in your living room with the lights low, think about walls.