If you enjoy us for a moment, make this picture: a hot summer evening spent in the backyard with your loved ones, thanks to a classic movie enjoying a carefully carved outdoor home theater is. For us, this is not the perfect way to spend a summer night, it is a very necessary escape from the turmoil of everyday life in the year 2020.
Corrected, which provides an external movie theater. The ideal setup can match the immersion of a traditional home theater while incorporating the natural environment of our own backyard, which for many of us, is the closest thing to an outdoor retreat for the best time.
To create this experience, you will need the right gear, including everything that includes how you view your content, how you will listen to it, and everything in between. Like its indoor counterpart, there is an incredible number of options out there, building a setup that suits your needs a challenging task. Luckily, we have put in a lot of leg work, from making the most of the system options for your backyard, from the most premium options to comparatively budget-friendly.
ground rule
There are many ways to build your own backyard theater, and many of them will not be mentioned in this piece. One reason for that is you can use things like Bluetooth speakers for sound, or cheap mini projectors to display content on the side of your house. And you can also use additional channels on many modern A / V receivers to power a pair of external speakers.
From our experiences, though, Bluetooth can sync issues between audio and video, mini projectors are usually not bright enough for anything but pitch-black settings, and A / V receivers often control sitting in your yard be difficult. In Stark, unlike each of the above, the following setup aims to create a semi-permanent, easy-to-use outdoor theater without any significant hiccups when viewing or listening to your favorite content. Because of that, we would recommend wired speakers, outdoor-capable displays, and Wi-Fi-connected and seamless amplifier solutions.
We haven’t even run step-by-step through how to get everything up and running here, although we have done elsewhere if we are looking for setup assistance. Running the wires through a backyard can be a tedious task, as it can ensure that you have met the power needs of your various electronics. For most of these systems, however, it takes just basic wiring knowledge and little time. Trust us, it’s worth it in the end.
Build premium
equipment:
- Sonance 4.1 Patio Series: $ 1350
- Sonos Amp (2): $ 1300
- Samsung the terrace 75 inch 4k tv: $ 6500
Before we go any further, let’s be clear: this is part of the change for outdoor home theater, and obviously it won’t be for everyone. But, listen to us. If we were tasked to create a premium, seamless setup, this is the direction we would take. There is nothing cheap about this system, but everything about it is great.
Let’s start with the Sonance 4.1 Patio series, which includes four satellite speakers and an 8-inch subwoofer. Sonens says that this setup can cover areas up to 1,000 sq ft, and as that bulky woofer, we consider them. With the right amplification, this is a setup that will ensure to add some disturbance to the movie night. Just try and be polite to your neighbors.
True amplification, by the way, is Sonos Amp, or rather, two of them. Sonos has always been at the forefront of simplifying listening while allowing heavy lifting of its hardware. At 125 watts per channel, a pair of Sonos amps has done a lot to make Sonance speakers (Sonos and Sonens introduce the pair of Amp and Sonance Architectural speakers together) and run their backyards with complete sound. You’ll be able to control everything from Sonos’ incredibly functional application, eliminating any hassle when the sound needs to be adjusted.
The Sonos MP also has an HDMI ARC input, which pairs well with the display in this setup. Of course, this would be a selection from Samsung’s new outdoor line of TVs, the 75-inch Terrace 4K QLED display. Other TV brands have emerged in the last few years, but Samsung is by far the most mainstream and it seems they are putting a lot of emphasis on handling this segment of the market. The screen has anti-glare technology, 2000+ night brightness level and IP55 weatherproof rating. Combine all the specs that come with a premium QLED display, and The Terrace Props is a great, if highly treasured, way to see in your backyard no matter what time of day.
Build budget
equipment:
Not everyone – more accurately, almost no one – can toss a fancy Samsung outdoor TV in their backyard and flank it with an army of sonance speakers. But just because you are not made of money, it does not mean that you cannot build a solid outdoor theater that you will love. At the other end of the high-octane, premium outdoor build, we’ve assembled a package that does a surprise bang for its buck.
Yamaha has long been a favorite in budget-friendly outdoor sound, and their NS-AW190BL outdoor speaker exemplifies this. Each enclosure has a 5-inch driver and inch-inch dome tweeter, and the absence of a subwoofer in this setup would mean low-end damage, such a 2.0 configuration provides plenty of sound to enjoy in your movie backyard. .
To run Yamahas, we have chosen Amazon Echo Link Amp, one of the many products that have tried to emulate the capabilities of Sonos Amp. The Echo Link Amp was generally successful in that effort, although it is less powerful at 60 watts per channel. There is no HDMI connectivity, and its user interface is not easy to navigate. But for a fraction of the price, we’re willing to bet that most people will be able to live with those issues in exchange for the budget version of the Sonos AMP.
The Opto HD146X projector will be at the heart of this wallet-saving viewing experience for several reasons. It may not be capable of 4K, but the HD146X provides high-definition 1080P images, as well as plenty of brightness at 3,600 lumens. With a solid screen paired with it – we suggest something from Elite Screen’s iconic outdoor line – you should be able to see the material well before the sun sets. You will need to add a simple streamer such as Roku Stick or Amazon Fire Stick to the content, but there will be a small price to pay for the enjoyment of this system.
Best value creation
equipment:
- Polk audio atrium 6 speaker: $ 400
- Polk Audio Atrium Sub 100: $ 510
- Sonos Amp: $ 650
- : $ 1400
- : $ 89
It is the cutest place in the outdoor home theater, where the price and performance envision a pleasant soothing experience that you should not go bankrupt. If, like the famous home theater expert Goldilocks, you are looking for a system that is not too big price-wise, but not too small sound-wise, then it may be just right.
Polk Audio makes a broad line of external speakers, all taking into account various uses and budgets. Because this setup would use a subwoofer, we chose to save a few bucks and run the pair of Polk Atrium 6 instead of the larger Polk Atrium 8. Ultimately, the subwoofer will take the most pressure to produce the low end of the speakers, so we don’t need huge drivers in our left and right speakers to arouse our craving.
That subwoofer, by the way, is Poll Audio Sub 100. Dressed to look like a fixture in your garden, with a down-firing 10-inch driver and an IPX66 weather-resistance rating, the Sub 100 joins forces with our Atrium speakers like a fitting woofer. was appearing.
We are bringing back Sonos MP for this build, but just one this time. The reasoning behind this is simple: it is hard to find something that Amp does, as well as it does. The amp will easily power the atrium system, while being able to create a phantom center channel to fill the front soundstage well. This configuration does not have rear speakers (a cost-saving measure), but we think the sound you get from it will be more than make up for it.
The preferred projector in this setup is the BenQ TK 810 for its 4K HDR capabilities, 3200-lumen brightness, and built-in Wi-Fi to make streaming that much easier. With such a projector, you will get an extraordinary picture with enough brightness to see before sleeping at night, and you will be able to skip the need for a separate streaming device. Remember, you have to power all the electronics that you are bringing into this setup.
Some final thoughts
There will undoubtedly be other items required to complete the system (such as speaker wires and extension cords), and you will have to do so within your final budget as well. And, as we said, these lists are not comprehensive. There are almost infinite ways to create a setup like this, and we encourage you to piece together in a way that makes the most sense for your situation. These are just the most functional outdoor theaters we can dream of at these various price points.
We have also omitted seating from these setups as we have far more background of audio and video than furniture and decoration. Keep in mind one thing, though: Whether it’s folding camping chairs or luxurious outdoor sections, you’ll need to plan accordingly to protect them from the elements. The same goes for the rest of the system. Ideally, your speakers should only have outside components. Your amplifiers should be stored indoors, and if you opt for a projector, it is a good idea to make it sufficiently portable / running every time you want to break out or out popcorn.
With that said, you are now equipped with the information you need to build your own outdoor theater. No matter how extravagant or simplistic you may be with things, it is a project made for complete enjoyment. Have fun with it, and don’t make your neighbors crazy – at least don’t try anyway.
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