BACKYARD THEATER
SPEAKER INSTALL


This is a description of how my outdoor theater speakers are set up. I have a stereo receiver. I do not have surround sound.

It's modest compared to most, lacking a center channel and rear speakers. It is however, easy to store, easy to put into operation, and void of the troublesome cables that run down the middle of the viewing area.


Installation of Speaker Boxes

Two junction boxes with speaker plates (each with 4 binding posts) are installed in the planter bed that runs along the back fence.
This is a permanent installation.
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One junction box is located near the movie screen's location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and one near the projector cart's location.

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Speaker wire (4-conductor), running along the back fence, connects the two boxes
(red and black to the top two
red and black jacks
and white and green to the bottom two
red and black jacks, respectively).


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If you can't use a sharp kitchen paring knife to strip the wires, go to Lowes/Home Depot and buy a pair of cheap wire strippers. Aside from using a screwdriver, it's the only skill you'll need to complete the entire installation.


It's important to remain consistent throughout the installation when attaching the wires. In my case, green and white will send sound to the left speaker, and red and black will send sound to the right speaker. Connecting the red and black wires to the proper jacks is obvious: red to red and black to black. As for the green and white wires: if you say to yourself, "White can't be black, so green must go with black," you should be able to easily remember how all four plugs are properly connected.


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Using ground wire clamps,
the speaker brackets are attached to either end of
the lower horizontal bar of the screen frame.

They remain on the bar permanently,
even during the winter months when
stored outside.


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A length of speaker wire is run between the two brackets and secured with small zip ties.

This photo was taken just before the wire and brackets were sprayed black.






As mentioned above, when not in use, the EMT bar, along with the attached brackets and speaker wire, is stored outdoors, against the fence, with the rest of the frame parts.
It is shown here, in it's "installed position" to help to better visualize the setup.

This photo was taken at a slightly behind-the-screen angle. The closer bracket supports the left speaker, the farther bracket supports the right speaker.

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From over head,
it looks something like this.



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Two banana plugs (attached to the green and white wires)
begin the speaker wire's run down the pole frame. These will
plug into the left speaker.



(The red and black wires are inside the outer white jacket.
They're just not utilized for this run.)


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At the far end of the pole, where the right speaker will be located,
those same colored wires (green and white) are connected to
a speaker plate with two binding posts (green to black and white to red).


















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Although I was assured that the speaker wire and its connections could withstand the elements, I cover the banana plugs and speaker plate with plastic wrap during the off season.

In the summer months, when the backyard theater is used weekly, they are left unprotected.


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Protective covers were also installed over the junction boxes.


Additional parts are stored indoors, on the projector cart.

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A closer look reveals the following:


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Speaker wire (item #4 in the picture above) is cut to a length that easily spans the distance
from the right speaker to the closest junction box.
Four banana plugs are attached to each end.

These are screw-type banana plugs that don't require soldering.

For a video tutorial on how to attach banana plugs to speaker wire,
go to the bottom of the page.


One end of speaker wire #3 is connected to the receiver's speaker outputs:
the receiver's RIGHT SPEAKER OUTPUT (red to red and black to black) and the receiver's LEFT speaker output (green to black and white to red).

Four banana plugs are attached to the other end of that same speaker wire.

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SETTING UP THE SOUND BEFORE A SHOW
- Just 4 Quick Steps -


Keep the power off while you make the following connections.

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1a. Attach the left speaker to the frame.

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1b. Walk around to the back of the speaker. Connect the dangling banana plugs (attached to the speaker wire that runs along the bottom EMT frame) to the LEFT SPEAKER (green banana plug into the black binding post, white banana plug into the red binding post).

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2a. Attach the RIGHT SPEAKER to the frame.

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2b. Walk around to the back of the speaker. Using the loose speaker wire (Item #4), connect the red and black banana plugs to the RIGHT SPEAKER (red to red and black to black). Next, connect the green and white banana plugs to the speaker plate (green to black and white to red).

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3. The other end of speaker wire #4 is attached to the junction box nearest the screen (red banana plug to the top red jack and black banana plug to the top black jack,
and white banana plug to lower red jack and green banana plug to lower black jack.

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4. The speaker wire attached to the rear of the receiver (Item #3) is connected to the closest junction box (red and black to the top red and black jacks, and white and green to the bottom red and black jacks, respectively).
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SpeakerSetUp




All set!




There are several YouTube tutorials on how to attach wires to banana plugs. This is one of them.



Now, let me repeat what I said at the beginning. I'm supplying only the most basic of audio installation. There are no rear speakers or a center channel speaker, so this may not meet your needs.

One additional note: Some BYTers believe sound quality is lost when using banana plugs (the more plugs used, the more loss of quality). Although there is some debate about this, let's assume for the sake of argument, it's true. If so, I would still use them. Why? Because I could listen to different sound systems until the cows come home and NEVER be able to distinguish which ones were directly wired to the speakers and receiver and which ones weren't. If your ears can tell the difference, this arrangement is probably not for you.

This installation is four seasons old now (Now = 2014), and I haven't experienced any troubles.





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