# Outdoor DIY speakers?



## dgilme (Apr 1, 2009)

Are there any good plans for an outdoor 2 way speaker? Mainly the drivers are what I"m curious about. I can put enough paint or even plastic dip on the box to keep it water resistant the drivers are my main question. They would be housed under a porch roof so they should never get directly rained on. I'm thinking 1" tweeter and 5 1/5 or 6" woofer to get decent base out of. They would be powered of my Onkyo 606 so about 90 watts max per speaker. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## ripcard (Sep 30, 2008)

...bump... This is good question. Could you use good quality drivers intended for automotive use?


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## Anthony (Oct 5, 2006)

That is a good question. I don't know for sure, but I know what to look for in outdoor speakers.

Obviously you never want a paper cone woofer, but the surround is equally important. I seem to remember rubber and polypropylene holding up better than foam for the surrounds. Something about humidity and UV light breaking it down over time.

Any sealed dome tweeter would probably work. :huh:

Of course, I've learned one thing from home maintenance: the elements will eventually destroy EVERYTHING!


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## sparky77 (Feb 22, 2008)

The HiVi M6a aluminum/magnesium midbass driver looks to be a good candidate with the rubber surround, and maybe something like the Vifa D19TD-05 3/4" Poly Dome Tweeter, so the moisture won't destroy the dome. Haven't modeled them together but this is just an idea to get you started.


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## ampire (Nov 27, 2008)

sparky77 said:


> The HiVi M6a aluminum/magnesium midbass driver looks to be a good candidate with the rubber surround, and maybe something like the Vifa D19TD-05 3/4" Poly Dome Tweeter, so the moisture won't destroy the dome. Haven't modeled them together but this is just an idea to get you started.


Marine Speakers

http://www.rocktheboataudio.com/

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-hLRLiwTR3R4/m_216950/Marine-Speakers.html


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## looneybomber (Sep 20, 2006)

Something no one's mentioned is the basket and mounting hardware. Metal will rust, aluminum will oxide (without treatment), but a composite frame will not. I forget if it was PE or madisound, but one of them had either Vifa or Peerless 6.5" drivers on sale for 15-20 with a poly cone, rubber surround, and a non-metal basket. It even had a truncated frame IIRC.

I too had been looking for outdoor friendly speakers and came up with this basic criteria.
1) Longevity (the materials it's made of)
2) Price (cheap to buy and replace since it will wear out)

For mounting hardware, stainless steel would be nice, but expensive.


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