What’s not to love about pairing your favorite music with beautiful weather and views? A backyard sound system lets you create the perfect soundtrack for all your outdoor activities at home. But before you consider setting up a backyard sound system on your own, be sure you do some research first.

While placing speakers outside may seem like a straightforward task, a quality sound system requires a solid plan and the know-how to do it right. Below, check out four common mistakes to avoid when setting up your outdoor audio system in Redmond, WA.

SEE ALSO: Introducing the Big Bollard for Bigger Outdoor Sound

Mistake 1: Using Indoor Speakers for the Outdoors

Thinking of grabbing your favorite wireless stereo speakers from inside and bringing them out by the pool? Stop right there. Indoor speakers are not designed to withstand the elements outdoors. Water, debris, and extreme temperatures will wreck your expensive equipment. Plus, indoor and outdoor speakers are designed with acoustic setting in mind, which means indoor speakers are made to be used in smaller, enclosed areas and their volume output is much lower than outdoor speakers.

Mistake 2: Choosing Poor Speaker Placement

Outdoor speaker placement is tricky since there are no walls to reflect and contain sound. You must also consider where in your backyard you want to listen to music. On the patio? By the pool? Everywhere? While outdoor stereo speakers may work best for a small deck or covered porch, landscape satellites work best for covering large areas with even sound, so when you turn up the volume you don’t have areas that are too loud and others that are still too soft. Be sure you also consider where your speakers are pointing to avoid music traveling into neighbors’ backyards.

Mistake 3: Skimping Out on Audio Distribution

If you desire music in your backyard, chances are you love music indoors, too. Why not combine the two? With a whole-home audio system like Control4, you can easily stream music throughout your indoor and outdoor spaces at the same time. Instead of controlling each audio system separately, you can control all the audio zones in your home—including the outdoors—from the same intuitive interface. Select where you want to play music, pick a playlist, and adjust the volume all in one place.

Mistake 4: Not Calling an AV Professional

While you can always buy outdoor speakers and install them yourself, we suggest you call on an expert if you want truly impressive backyard audio that is easy to control and lasts for years. Think of it this way: You can always buy the ingredients you need for a gourmet dish and cook it yourself, but if you could eat the same dish prepared by a professional chef, you’d likely pick the chef. We know we would. Call on a professional AV team like Wipliance to design and install your dream outdoor soundscape.

We want to help you transform your outdoor living spaces with state-of-the-art technology. To schedule a free consultation, contact us here or send us a live chat below today!