Any reviews on theAlgonquin Outdoor Speaker?

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Has anyone done a review of these speakers? I would like to get some feedback before purchasing on the pros and cons.

Much appreciated.

jj

A friend of mine just got a set yesterday.
We'll be hooking them up at his pool this weekend and I'll let you know what I think.
We shopped outdoor speakers for a couple of months and between B&W, Paradigm and Polk (to our surprise and in our opinion) the Polks sounded the best.The B&Ws were next and the Paradigms (not the rocks) were last by far.
He also purchased a set of Paradigm rocks that neither of us have heard yet so I'll let you know on those too.

I will get mine today...altho I wont be hooking them up outside for months. I will set them up at a friends house to check them out inside. My least set of outdoors were JBL's and the sensitivity on them was 88 vs 92 on the axiom. So I am hoping with the much higher sensitivity on the axioms I wont have to crank the volume knob to hear them. I never listened to other outdoor speakers. I am not looking for the best sounding altho these might be...I like the color and plan for axioms inside my house so why not match.

I have mine mounted outside beside the pool, but do not have the speaker wires installed just yet. I am going to borrow a long drill bit from one of my friends. The width of a cinder block and a brick are more than the lenght of the drill bits that I currently have.

I finally received my Algonquin speakers yesterday 6/25/07. Decided to order them and check them out for my self(Axiom's excellent 30 Day trial). First of all, let me say that I am no expert in speakers so this will be only based on my personal experience and visual inspection of the speakers. I was very surprise to see the size of the speakers-fairly big. I was expecting them to be a little bit smaller.

After removing them from the box, I quickly inspected the speakers and noticed that they were made out of some sort of plastic. I could also smell the odor of fresh paint on them. To my disappointment, the paint job was not that great. There was areas where the paint was very thin and could see white/black markings. I also noticed what it appeared to be lint and dust bubbles on them. This was apparent in various spots throughout the speaker and inside the grill. You could even see how the spray gun missed the inside of the port. Did not look to appealing, but hey, once installed, hardly no one will see the back of the port, so I was OK. One thing about the grill, it would be nice if the holes on the grill be a bit smaller. I placed the speakers on the floor and took about 15 steps back. I could see the white/silver speaker and black tweeter housing from far away. This really does not "blend" the Algonquins well with my decor. Again, this is my personal taste. Others may disagree and may like the view of the speaker/tweeter.

After inspecting the speaker, I decided to hook them up to my Denon stereo receiver to hear them out. This is where the Algonquins really shined. The awesome Axiom-quality sound quickly surrounded the room. I was surprised on the bass these speakers where producing. They really handled the low frequencies very well. They did not sound bright, but very neutral. All three areas….highs, mids, lows, sounded great. I played some songs from the radio, CD and even my iPod. Very impressed on how the Algonquins handled everything I played on them.

There it is…..overall, these speakers sound great indoors and outdoors.

jj

Forgot to mention, that it would be nice if Axiom provided us with some sort of speaker mounts. I could not find any that could withstand the weight from my local electronics store. I was forced to purchase the Full Metal Brackets from Axiom. This was another $80 to the price of the speakers.

jj

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I finally received my Algonquin speakers yesterday 6/25/07. Decided to order them and check them out for my self(Axiom's excellent 30 Day trial). First of all, let me say that I am no expert in speakers so this will be only based on my personal experience and visual inspection of the speakers. I was very surprise to see the size of the speakers-fairly big. I was expecting them to be a little bit smaller.

After removing them from the box, I quickly inspected the speakers and noticed that they were made out of some sort of plastic. I could also smell the odor of fresh paint on them. To my disappointment, the paint job was not that great. There was areas where the paint was very thin and could see white/black markings. I also noticed what it appeared to be lint and dust bubbles on them. This was apparent in various spots throughout the speaker and inside the grill. You could even see how the spray gun missed the inside of the port. Did not look to appealing, but hey, once installed, hardly no one will see the back of the port, so I was OK. One thing about the grill, it would be nice if the holes on the grill be a bit smaller. I placed the speakers on the floor and took about 15 steps back. I could see the white/silver speaker and black tweeter housing from far away. This really does not "blend" the Algonquins well with my decor. Again, this is my personal taste. Others may disagree and may like the view of the speaker/tweeter.

After inspecting the speaker, I decided to hook them up to my Denon stereo receiver to hear them out. This is where the Algonquins really shined. The awesome Axiom-quality sound quickly surrounded the room. I was surprised on the bass these speakers where producing. They really handled the low frequencies very well. They did not sound bright, but very neutral. All three areas….highs, mids, lows, sounded great. I played some songs from the radio, CD and even my iPod. Very impressed on how the Algonquins handled everything I played on them.

There it is…..overall, these speakers sound great indoors and outdoors.

jj

What color did you get?

I just got mine in spiced rum and what you saw and smelled was EXACTLY the same for me...paint job so so, bumpy and and thin in spots. Mounted high its something you wouldnt notice but I know its there.

I hooked them to a old crapy kenwood reciever and also LOVED the sound...they really do have good bass inside. It will be a few mounts before I hear mine outside.

I didnt notice some bad port noise on a certian song. I dont know the name but it was on DRTV and it had a tecno type of beat. Hard bass and not alot of background noise. So with the woofer moving as much as it was a lot of air was coming out of the port. I could hear what sounded like the air rushing through the screen on the back of the port. Maybe one mounted on the back of the box not inside the prot would be better than one IN the port. I couldnt tell if it was on the other music I played becasue the highs made it hard to hear anything else. Might have been just that particular song??

I like how the grills look...to me I like seeing the speaker! I actualy sent them a email asking if they would make some grills like that for the rest of there speakers. I want a M80,VP150,QS8 setup in black and those grills would look cool I think. They would also do a better job protecting stuff from my 10 month old girl. Cloth wouldnt stop here smacking it lol.

AS for mounting brackets you can use the omnimount 10 bracket. Its not as much and I was told it has the correct thread count. It also alllows for verticle mounting.

rat shack

I purchased the Almond Bisque.

I wonder if they are only doing one coat?

What part looks think to you? Mine is the top angled corner where it goes from front of the speaker to the top.

Same areas on mine.....it does look like it is one coat and it seems like they are painting them in a hurry.

Dang...they need a 2nd coat I think. I can see it with them sitting on my floor but I am hoping when mounted up hi it wont be an issue.

I definetly hear port noise if they are cranked and you put your ear by the port. I could hear it bad (sitting far from them)only on one song. I listen to bass heavy songs but outside I dont think I will have them that loud.

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I definetly hear port noise if they are cranked and you put your ear by the port.

I see this being a big problem with everyday use

kidding.

Question, was the port screen really intended for keeping bugs/wildlife out or was it for some of those questionable Axiom owners??

Unfortunately, I have to concur on the painting issue. I have Almond Bisque and the paint appears thin in areas and/or the speakers weren't prepped correctly before painting. That is, it looks like there is dirt/dust under the paint. I chose to ignore it since they are mounted high enough that the defects aren't visible. At eye level, the defects are clearly visible.

They do sound great though.

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Dang...they need a 2nd coat I think. I can see it with them sitting on my floor but I am hoping when mounted up hi it wont be an issue.

I definetly hear port noise if they are cranked and you put your ear by the port. I could hear it bad (sitting far from them)only on one song. I listen to bass heavy songs but outside I dont think I will have them that loud.

Do you have them close to a soffit underhang, perhaps the soffit is loose and causing unwanted coloration.

They are sitting on the floor inside for now.

I agree if you have to put your ear to it to hear it....its not that big of a deal. But there was one song I listen to where I was 8 feet from the speakers and I thought it was making something vibrate....so when I got up and looked there was nothing around them vibrating....it was the port noise and it was pretty loud. I would say 99% of the time it wont be a problem...but it is there. The subs were moving a LOT of air for me to hear it that far away....probably MUCH louder than I would run them out side. I also listen to a lot of rap and bass heavy music that could be the other part of the problem

Seems the paint issue needs to be addressed. A second coat for sure...maybe some sort of paint booth too. But mounted hi up you wont see these issues.

Have any of you called Axiom about this?

I emailed Noreen today with the link so she can take a look at it.

jj

I sent a email a few days ago too...but it was a reply to one saying they see I recieved my speaker. I dont know if it was automated....

Hi:

The Algonquin outdoor speaker is the first time that our paint shop has worked with plastic. We have had a few interesting issues with the painting. Plastic creates static that attracts dust, an issue that does not happen with the real wood speakers.

Our paint shop has improved the process with additional filtering and dust removal steps. We have also noted the need for more paint on the speakers. Originally, the Algonquin speakers had 2 coats of paint and a layer of UV protectant. Now, the paint shop is doing 3 coats plus the UV coat.

The Algonquin speakers are painted after they are assembled so the port tube will not be fully painted.

Yes painting plastic is way different than wood...been there done that. For me it seemed the paint was thin on that angled part around the top of the speaker. The rest seemed to have decient coverage but dust under it. I am not worried about the screen in the port being painted.

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I like how the grills look...to me I like seeing the speaker! I actualy sent them a email asking if they would make some grills like that for the rest of there speakers. I want a M80,VP150,QS8 setup in black and those grills would look cool I think. They would also do a better job protecting stuff from my 10 month old girl. Cloth wouldnt stop here smacking it lol.

I really like the grilles as well. Axiom is currently working on making the custom painted metal grilles available for all of our speaker models. Some tooling will have to be completed before we can offer them so the expectation is that the M2, M3, M22 and VP 100 would be available in the fall and the other speakers by the end of the year.

Not sure if that will be in time to protect your speakers from your daughter's tiny inquisitive fingers!!

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I like how the grills look...to me I like seeing the speaker! I actualy sent them a email asking if they would make some grills like that for the rest of there speakers. I want a M80,VP150,QS8 setup in black and those grills would look cool I think. They would also do a better job protecting stuff from my 10 month old girl. Cloth wouldnt stop here smacking it lol.

I really like the grilles as well. Axiom is currently working on making the custom painted metal grilles available for all of our speaker models. Some tooling will have to be completed before we can offer them so the expectation is that the M2, M3, M22 and VP 100 would be available in the fall and the other speakers by the end of the year.

Not sure if that will be in time to protect your speakers from your daughter's tiny inquisitive fingers!!

AWESOME....I had just talked to someone on the phone overthere and they said they couldnt do it...didnt say the would one day. I can wait for them....and i can always replace anything she pokes to much LOL.

Very glad to hear that it will happen tho!!! I defiently want a set....

I bought a set of "L" brackets at Home Depot and painted them to match the speakers.

They weren't very expensive, but they worked just like I wanted. I may have to make a couple of extender brackets because I may want to drop the speakers a little further from the top of the deck.

Problem is that the brackets need to move on my set up so I can direct the sound to the location that I will be...patio or pool. A set bracket will not work for me.

I've had the Algonquins now for about a month outside. So far so good. The finish is holding up. My speakers average about 2 hours of direct sunlight every day. Sound still sounds awesome. I can even cranck up the bass on a couple of songs and they handle them pretty well. The distribution of the sound is unbeleivable throughout my back yard.

jj

Interesting!

My speakers catch the morning sun. I'd say that they get at least 4 maybe 5 hours or sun each day. I haven't noticed anything "strange" with the finish.

I haven't cranked them up yet (real loud), so I don't know what they will really do.

Ratpack,

I'd say, let them do their thing and crank it up!! Of course, keep in mind your neighbors

LOL!!!

Yes, I will have to crank them up and see what they do!!!

I will probably do it this weekend. I'm sure that everyone on the lake will appreciate the music. LOL!!!

My back proch is still being built...well the house is. So I have not been able to check mine outside. Only got to listen to them inside a few times and the sounds good.

They will be hung on the outer part of the porch facing the window. You can really see in the pic where...but they should be tucked in and out of the direct sunlight.

This weekend I was listening to some Latin Jazz (Poncho Sanchez and Omar Torres)on my Algonquins. All I can say is that I was blown out of my seat with the clarity of all of the instruments the Algonquins produced. My wife thought my step son was over playing the guitar. Everything sounded smooth and clear. I highly recommend these two artist to show off you speakers or just to relax.

jj

Thanks fellas for some audio reviews rather than the paint finish. I'm thinking I need some outdoor speakers for my back deck and was thinking of some Klipsch for $150 or the Yamaha for $199 that come with a mounting bracket...since its outside and all.

I probably will not do it until next summer as its almost fall her in western Canada. Plus I need to get a 2ch amp with A/B to run them...but will give the Algonquins a serious thought despite the extra cost compared to the Yamaha's.

Is there now an easy way to post pictures to this website? When I posted some pictures a while ago, I had to use the features of another website and I don't exactly remember the procedure.

I've taken a few pictures of my installation by the pool and will post them if someone lists the procedure.

I had to create an account on photbucket, upload my pics there and then copy the image link over using the instant UBB codes for posting.

tinypic.com....then copy n past with the [img] tags from the site...muey simple.

My house should be done in a few weeks....cant wait to finaly mount my friggen axioims lol

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My house should be done in a few weeks....cant wait to finaly mount my friggen axioims lol

Congrats and...er... enjoy yourself??

Amie generously offered to host them for me. I have been out of town and only read her email this evening. I sent 2 pictures this evening.

One will show a close up of how I mounted it under the deck with a "L" bracket that I bought at Home Depot and the second shows the pair from the front aimed at the pool prior to a pool party.

If anyone should have any questions after you see them, just ask. If you want some different angles, I can take some more pictures.

Here are Ratpack's speakers:

And from the front:

Ratpack,

The tweeters are getting partuially blocked by the horizontal beam and the ports are being obscured by the brackets. Have you considered rotating the speakers 90 degrees? Both of those issues would be fixed if you did so.

Nevertheless, I'm sure your outside music has just been kicked up 20 notches.

Interesting that you should notice that. After I mounted the speakers, and before I installed the speaker wire, I was wondering if those wooden beams would effect the sound. The speakers are about 12" behind the front beam. I thought about it a while and decided to try it, as is, and see what happened.

If you look closely at the top picture, you will see that rotating the speakers 90 degrees will do no good. There are other wooden beams in the way.

If you will look closely at the top of the speaker, you will see a couple of turns of "extra" speaker wire. My ultimate solution, is to drop the speakers another 6" to 9" lower by simply using a flat metal extender rod/ plate. That's why I left some extra wire. By the way, I color coded one wire set with yellow electrical tape and the other with red electrical tape to identify which was which.

Anyhow, the bottom line is that I can not tell that the tweeters are really being obstructed. The music sounds fine and I am sure the folks at the other side of the lake can also enjoy the music!! LOL!!!

If the spirit moves me, I can always drops the speakers a few more inches and see if I notice any difference.

CooLJ92 sent us some photos of his installation - here we go!

And one close up:

Thank you Amie for posting these pictures.

Rat, why don't you just mount the brackets to the main beams, instead of underneath the flooring. The main beams seem to be running in the same direction your speakers are pointed and would drop the mount screws to the same level as the outer beam that is in the way.

I believe I'm going to end up ordering a pair of these speakers for our pool patio....what about a big 'ol honkerin' sub to park next to them?

I've already asked for an Algonquin 80-600 system but no one was interested. I plan on 7.1 for my deck so I'll end up buying an Epic 80-600 and weatherproof it myself. It will have to wait for a while though until my neighbors completely lose their hearing

That would be cool if they had a sub that would float on water and create some major waves.

I guess you can add a sub to them, but from my experiences, they already produce good bass. Even when I cranck them up, they handle the low frequencies very well.

Excellent suggestion! I definitely will look into it.

I haven't been too active on the board. Been trying to remodel our "old" house and get it sold. Too much to do and hold a full time job at the same time!!!!

Ratpack,

Why don't you move the speaker in the horizontal position so the tweeter is not obstructed. Just a suggestion.